Abraham Maslow
Hierarchy of needs, self-actualization
Most quoted
"The science of psychology has been far more successful on the negative than on the positive side... It has revealed to us much about man's shortcomings, his illnesses, his sins, but little about his potentialities, his virtues, his achievable aspirations, or his full psychological height."
— from Motivation and Personality, 1954
"Self-actualizing people are those who have come to a high level of maturation, health and self-fulfillment... the values that self-actualizers appreciate include truth, creativity, beauty, goodness, wholeness, aliveness, uniqueness, justice, simplicity, and self-sufficiency."
— from Motivation and Personality, 1954
"Classic economic theory, based as it is on an inadequate theory of human motivation, could be revolutionized by accepting the reality of higher human needs, including the impulse to self-actualization and the love for the highest values."
— from Eupsychian Management
All quotes by Abraham Maslow (211)
The fully actualized person is one who has realized his full potential.
Peak experiences are moments of intense joy, wonder, and ecstasy.
The highest form of human motivation is self-actualization.
We should never forget that the human being is a striving organism.
The healthy person is primarily motivated by growth needs, not by deficiency needs.
Growth takes place when the next step forward is subjectively more delightful, more joyous, more intrinsically satisfying than the previous gratification.
The only real choice we have is whether to grow or to regress.
The more we know about human nature, the more we can create a society that is conducive to human growth and fulfillment.
The human being is an organism that is always striving for something more.
The path to self-actualization is not an easy one, but it is the most rewarding.
The good life is a process, not a state of being.
We are not just a collection of drives and instincts; we are also capable of love, creativity, and self-actualization.
The more we understand ourselves, the more we can understand others.
The ultimate goal of education is to help people become self-actualized.
The healthy society is one that fosters the growth and development of all its members.
The more we are able to satisfy our basic needs, the more we are able to pursue our higher needs.
The human being is a creature of choices, and these choices determine our destiny.
The more we are able to live in the present moment, the more we are able to experience joy and fulfillment.
The more we are able to express our creativity, the more we are able to live a full and meaningful life.
The more we are able to love and be loved, the more we are able to experience happiness.
Contemporaries of Abraham Maslow
Other Psychologys born within 50 years of Abraham Maslow (1908–1970).