Abraham Maslow

Psychology American 1908 – 1970 211 quotes

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 more we are able to contribute to the well-being of others, the more we are able to experience a sense of purpose.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to live in accordance with our values, the more we are able to live an authentic life.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to embrace uncertainty, the more we are able to grow and evolve.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to learn from our mistakes, the more we are able to achieve our goals.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to forgive ourselves and others, the more we are able to experience peace.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to appreciate the beauty of the world, the more we are able to experience joy.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to connect with our inner wisdom, the more we are able to make sound decisions.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to overcome our fears, the more we are able to live a courageous life.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to embrace our uniqueness, the more we are able to live an authentic life.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

The more we are able to live with purpose, the more we are able to live a meaningful life.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization.

A Theory of Human Motivation 1943

It is as if Freud supplied us the sick half of psychology and we must now fill out the healthy half.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1968

The most beautiful of all human experiences is the peak experience.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.

The Psychology of Science: A Reconnaissance 1966

We are not in a position to understand the higher needs until the lower needs have been satisfied.

A Theory of Human Motivation 1943

Self-actualizing people are, without exception, involved in some cause outside their own skin.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1968

The fact is that people are good, if only they are given the chance.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1968

Growth is a series of choices between safety and danger, then between regression and progression.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1962

We must teach people to be human, to be good, to be kind, to be loving, to be creative, to be courageous, to be responsible, to be self-actualizing.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1968

The good society is one in which virtue pays.

Toward a Psychology of Being 1968