Deeds of violence in our society are performed largely by those trying to establish their self-esteem, to defend their self-image, and to demonstrate that they, too, are significant.
ROLLO MAYAll people are struggling to be creative in some way, and the artist is the one who has succeeded in this task of life.
More Rollo May Quotes
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Memory is not just the imprint of the past time upon us; it is the keeper of what is meaningful for our deepest hopes and fears.
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Religion is whatever the individual takes to be his ultimate concern. One’s religious attitude is to be found at that point where he has a conviction that there are values in human existence worth living and dying for.
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Life comes from physical survival; but the good life comes from what we care about.
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Courage is the capacity to meet the anxiety which arises as one achieves freedom. It is the willingness to differentiate, to move from the protecting realms of parental dependence to new levels of freedom and integration.
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I learned that healing and cure are active processes in which I myself needed to participate.
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Artists love to immerse themselves in chaos in order to put it into form, just as God created form out of chaos in Genesis. Forever unsatisfied with the mundane, the apathetic, the conventional, they always push on to newer worlds.
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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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One of the few blessings of living in an age of anxiety is that we are forced to become aware of ourselves.
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Many people feel they are powerless to do anything effective with their lives. It takes courage to break out of the settled mold, but most find conformity more comfortable. This is why the opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it’s conformity.
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Freedom is man’s capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves.
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This personal freedom to think and feel and speak authentically and to be conscious of so doing is the quality that distinguishes us as human.
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Apathy adds up, in the long run, to cowardice.
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Forge in the smithy of your soul.
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A person can meet anxiety to the extent that his values are stronger than the threat.
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Understanding and love require a wisdom that comes only with age.
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So courage makes possible all the psychological virtues. Without courage other values wither away into mere facsimiles of virtue.
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One central need in life is to fulfill its own potential.
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Intimacy requires courage because risk is inescapable.
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All people are struggling to be creative in some way, and the artist is the one who has succeeded in this task of life.
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Every human being must have a point at which he stands against the culture, where he says, this is me and the damned world can go to hell.
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Ecstasy is the accurate term for the intensity of consciousness that occurs in the creative act.
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The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one. Commitment is healthiest when it is not without doubt but in spite of doubt.
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Violence arises not out of superfluity of power but out of powerlessness.
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Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened consciousness: ecstasy.
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There is no authentic inner freedom that does not, sooner or later, also affect and change human history.
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People attain worth and dignity by the multitude of decisions they make from day to day.
ROLLO MAY