FORTITUDE IS THE CAPACITY TO SAY NO WHEN THE WORLD WANTS TO HEAR 'YES' Erich Fromm More Quotes by Erich Fromm More Quotes From Erich Fromm The narcissistic, the domineering, the possessive woman can succeed in being a "loving" mother as long as the child is small. Only the really loving woman, the woman who is happier in giving than in taking, who is firmly rooted in her own existence, can be a loving mother when the child is in the process of separation. Erich Fromm mother long children The same polarity of the male and female principle exists in nature; not only, as is obvious in animals and plants, but in the polarity of the two fundamental functions, that of receiving and penetrating. It is the polarity of earth and rain, of the river and the ocean, of night and day, of darkness and light, of matter and spirit. Erich Fromm ocean rain night Psychoanalysis , which interprets the human being as a socialized being, and the psychic apparatus as essentially developed and determined through the relationship of the individual to society, must consider it a duty to participate in the investigation of sociological problems to the extent the human being or his/her psyche plays any part at all. Erich Fromm psychics determined play The root of the word education is e-ducere, literally, to lead forth, or to bring out something which is potentially present. Erich Fromm learning roots We forget that, although each of the liberties which have been won must be defended with utmost vigour, the problem of freedom is not only a quantitative one, but a qualitative one; that we not only have to preserve and increase the traditional freedom, but that we have to gain a new kind of freedom, one which enables us to realize our own individual self; to have faith in this self and in life. Erich Fromm liberty have-faith self Thus, the ultimate choice for a man, inasmuch as he is driven to transcend himself, is to create or to destroy, to love or to hate. Erich Fromm hate choices men Only when man succeeds in developing his reason and love further than he has done so far, only when he can build a world based on human solidarity and justice, only when he can feel rooted in the experience of universal brotherliness, will he have tr Erich Fromm done justice men Mother's love always peace as it not to be acquired nor deserved. Erich Fromm mothers-love love-always mother Love is active penetration of the other person, in which my desire to know is stilled by union. In the act of fusion I know you, I know myself, I know everybody - and I "know" nothing. Erich Fromm desire love knowledge The pleasure in complete domination over another person (or other animate creature) is the very essence of the sadistic drive. Another way of formulating the same thought is to say that the aim of sadism is to transform man into a thing, something animate into something inanimate, since by complete and absolute control the living loses one essential quality of life - freedom. Erich Fromm quality essence men Man can never stand still. He must find solutions to this contradiction, and ever better solutions to the extent to which reality enables him. Erich Fromm contradiction men reality Faith is not a weak form of belief or knowledge; it is not faith in this or that; faith is the conviction about the not yet proven, the knowledge of the real possibility, the awareness of pregnancy. Erich Fromm real faith pregnancy The history of man is a graveyard of great cultures that came to catastrophic ends because of their incapacity for planned, rational, voluntary reaction to challenge. Erich Fromm humanity challenges men There are many who feel consciously hopeful and unconsciously hopeless, and there are few for whom it is the other way around. Erich Fromm hopeful hopeless way The most important factor for the development of the individual is the structure and the values of the society into which he was born. Erich Fromm individual development important We forget that, although freedom of speech constitutes an important victory in the battle against old restraints, modern man is in a position where much of what "he" thinks and says are the things that everybody else thinks and says; that he has not acquired the ability to think originally - that is, for himself - which alone gives meaning to his claim that nobody can interfere with the expression of his thoughts. Erich Fromm expression men thinking If you do not smile, you are judged lacking in a 'pleasing personality' - and you need to have a pleasing personality if you want to sell your services, whether as a waitress, a salesman, or a physician. Erich Fromm physicians personality needs If I am attached to another person because I cannot stand on my own two feet, he or she may be a life saver, but the relationship is not one of love. Erich Fromm marriage feet two I believe that none can "save" his fellow man by making a choice for him. To help him, he can indicate the possible alternatives, with sincerity and love, without being sentimental and Erich Fromm choices men believe Sleep is often the only occasion in which man cannot silence his conscience; we forget what we knew in our dream. Erich Fromm dream sleep men
