One cannot be deeply responsive to the world without being saddened very often. Erich Fromm More Quotes by Erich Fromm More Quotes From Erich Fromm But not only medicine, engineering, and painting are arts; living itself is an art in fact, the most important and at the same time the most difficult and complex art to be practiced by man. Erich Fromm men life art Care and responsibility are constituent elements of love, but without respect for and knowledge of the beloved person, love deteriorates into domination and possessiveness. Erich Fromm elements care responsibility Today the function of psychiatry, psychology and psychoanalysis threatens to become the tool in the manipulation of man. Erich Fromm psychology tools men Man does not only sell commodities, he sells himself and feels himself to be a commodity. Erich Fromm marketing doe men Men are born equal but they are also born different. Erich Fromm equality respect men We live in a world of things, and our only connection with them is that we know how to manipulate or to consume them. Erich Fromm connections growth history A relatively primitive village in which there are still real feasts, common artistic shared expressions, and no literacy at all is more advanced culturally and more healthy mentally than our educated, newspaper-reading radio-listening culture. Erich Fromm real reading expression Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important product of his effort is his own personality. One can judge objectively to what extent a person has succeeded in his task, to what degree he has realized his potentialities. If he has failed in his task, one can recognize this failure and judge it for what it is - a moral failure. Erich Fromm judging giving men There is nothing inhuman, evil, or irrational which does not give some comfort, provided it is shared by a group. Erich Fromm evil comfort giving It is time to cease to argue about God , and instead to unite in the unmasking of contemporary forms of idolatry. Erich Fromm unmasking form arguing Creativity is the ability to see and to respond. Erich Fromm creativity acting action The customer is an object to be manipulated, not a concrete person whose aims the businessman is interested to satisfy. Erich Fromm concrete aim businessman The danger of the past was that men became slaves. The danger of the future is that men may become robots. True enough, robots do not rebel. But given man's nature, robots cannot live and remain sane, they become ''Golems',' they will destroy their world and themselves because they cannot stand any longer the boredom of a meaningless life. Erich Fromm future men past The real opposition is that between the ego-bound man, whose existence is structured by the principle of having, and the free man, who has overcome his egocentricity. Erich Fromm ego real men Love is the productive form of relatedness to others and to oneself. It implies responsibility, care, respect. If it isn't productive and respectful, it isn't love, but only fear masquerading as love. Erich Fromm care responsibility love-is The state of sleep is a state of freedom in which man is not occupied with the manipulation of the outside world. Erich Fromm sleep men world We have a religious renaissance today in America, as many people say. I would say this religious renaissance, ninety percent of it is the greatest danger true religious experience has ever been confronted with. Erich Fromm religious america people In the dominant Western religious system, the love of God is essentially the same as the belief in God, in God’s existence, God’s justice, God’s love. The love of God is essentially a thought experience. In the Eastern religions and in mysticism, the love of God is an intense feeling experience of oneness, inseparably linked with the expression of this love in every act of living. Erich Fromm oneness expression religious Modern capitalism needs men who cooperate smoothly and in large numbers; who want to consume more and more; and whose tastes are standardized and can be easily influenced and anticipated. It needs men who feel free and independent, not subject to any authority or principle or conscience-- yet willing to be commanded, to do what is expected of them, to fit into the social machine without friction; who can be guided without force, led without leaders, prompted without aim-- except the one to make good, to be on the move, to function, to go ahead. Erich Fromm independent men moving While every human being has a capacity for love, its realization is one of the most difficult achievements. Erich Fromm achievement realization love
