Therapy isn’t curing somebody of something; it is a means of helping a person explore himself, his life, his consciousness. My purpose as a therapist is to find out what it means to be human.
ROLLO MAYViolence arises not out of superfluity of power but out of powerlessness.
More Rollo May Quotes
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One central need in life is to fulfill its own potential.
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This is what makes heroism so important: it reflects our own sense of identity and from this our own heroism is molded.
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Vanity and narcissism – the compulsive need to be admired and praised – undermine one’s courage, for one then fights on someone else’s conviction rather than one’s own.
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Recall how often in human history the saint and the rebel have be the same person. (p. 35)
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It is well to remind ourselves that anxiety signifies a conflict, and so long as a conflict is going on, a constructive solution is possible.
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Anxiety is essential to the human condition. The confrontation with anxiety can relieve us from boredom, sharpen the sensitivity and assure the presence of tension that is necessary to preserve human existence.
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In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.
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Ecstasy is the accurate term for the intensity of consciousness that occurs in the creative act.
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To believe fully and at the same moment to have doubts is not at all a contradiction: it presupposes a greater respect for truth, an awareness that truth always goes beyond anything that can be said or done at any given moment.
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A person can meet anxiety to the extent that his values are stronger than the threat.
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Creativity is neither the product of neurosis nor simple talent, but an intense courageous encounter with the Gods.
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Life comes from physical survival; but the good life comes from what we care about.
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Humor is the healthy way of feeling “distance” between one’s self and the problem, a way of standing off and looking at one’s problem with perspective.
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Finding the center of strength within ourselves is in the long run the best contribution we can make to our fellow men. … One person with indigenous inner strength exercises a great calming effect on panic among people around him.
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One does not become fully human painlessly.
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