Erich Fromm
Humanistic psychoanalyst, The Art of Loving
Most quoted
"Modern man is alienated from himself, from his fellow men, and from nature. He has been transformed into a commodity, experiences his life force as an investment which must bring him the maximum profit obtainable under existing market conditions."
— from The Sane Society, 1955
"Modern man is alienated from himself, from his fellow men, and from nature. He has been transformed into a commodity, experiences his life as an investment which must bring him a maximum profit under existing market conditions."
— from The Sane Society, 1955
"The mother-child relationship is paradoxical and, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother's side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother, and to become fully independent."
— from The Art of Loving, 1956
All quotes by Erich Fromm (268)
The ultimate aim of life is to be fully born.
The human being is not a thing, but a process of becoming.
The most important task of man is to liberate himself from the chains of his own illusions.
The human being is a being of needs, and the most fundamental need is the need for love.
The person who is truly free is not afraid to say 'no'.
The human being is a being of possibilities.
The most important thing in life is to be true to oneself.
The human being is a being of choice.
The most important thing in life is to learn how to live.
The human being is a being of hope.
The most important task of man is to give birth to himself.
Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love.
The problem of love is not the problem of an object, but the problem of a faculty.
Freedom is not a state; it is an act.
Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve and from which he cannot escape.
The ultimate goal of man is to become what he is, to realize his full potential.
The sick individual is not the one who is sick, but the one who adapts to a sick society.
The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers.
Man's power to create is as great as his power to destroy.
The truly free individual is one who can act according to his own will, not according to the will of others.
Contemporaries of Erich Fromm
Other Psychologys born within 50 years of Erich Fromm (1900–1980).