Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Erich Fromm (German Social Philosopher)

Erich Fromm (1900–80) was a German-born American psychoanalyst, social philosopher, and author. He applied psychoanalysis to the study of peoples and cultures with an emphasis on the importance of interpersonal relationships in an impersonal, industrialized society.

Born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Fromm was educated at the universities of Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Munich, and the Berlin Institute of Psychoanalysis. He immigrated to America in 1934, and, after maintaining numerous university assignments, became a professor at New York in 1962. He later expanded his views to integrate some of the principles of Zen Buddhism.

Fromm emphasized social, economic, and cultural factors on human behavior. He wrote extensively—for both the academic and the general reader—on topics ranging from sociology, anthropology, and ethics to religion, politics, and mythology. His works include Escape from Freedom (1941,) Man for Himself (1947,) Psychoanalysis and Religion (1951,) The Sane Society (1955,) Sigmund Freud’s Mission (1959,) and The Heart of Man (1964.)

Among Fromm’s other books are The Art of Loving (1956,) May Man Prevail? (1961; with D. T. Suzuki and Richard Dimartino,) Beyond the Chains of Illusion (1962,) The Revolution of Hope (1968,) and The Crisis of Psychoanalysis (1970.)

Fromm’s later work included The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (1973,) which developed his examination of human aggression.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Erich Fromm

Most people die before they are fully born. Creativeness means to be born before one dies.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Creativity

Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Existence, Problems

Human history begins with man’s act of disobedience which is at the very same time the beginning of his freedom and development of his reason.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Reason

The paradoxical and tragic situation of man is that his conscience is weakest when he needs it most.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Conscience

The only truly affluent are those who do not want more than they have.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Wealth

Conditions for creativity are to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension; to be born everyday; to feel a sense of self.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Creativity

The ordinary man with extraordinary power is the chief danger for mankind—not the fiend or the sadist.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Power

Modern man thinks he loses something—time—when he does not do things quickly. Yet he does not know what to do with the time he gains—except kill it.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Value of Time, Time, Time Management

As long as anyone believes that his ideal and purpose is outside him, that it is above the clouds, in the past or in the future, he will go outside himself and seek fulfillment where it cannot be found. He will look for solutions and answers at every point except where they can be found—in himself.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Discovery

We are not only less reasonable and less decent in our dreams… we are also more inteligent, wiser and capable of better judgment when we are asleep than when we are awake.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Dreams

The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Uncertainty, Doubt

Love is an act of faith.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Romance

In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Love

That man can destroy life is just as miraculous a feat as that he can create it, for life is the miracle, the inexplicable. In the act of destruction, man sets himself above life; he transcends himself as a creature. 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

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
Topics: The Future, Future

The lack of objectivity, as far as foreign nations are concerned, is notorious. From one day to another, another nation is made out to be utterly depraved and fiendish, while ones own nation stands for everything that is good and noble. Every action of the enemy is judged by one standardevery action of oneself by another. Even good deeds by the enemy are considered a sign of particular devilishness, meant to deceive us and the world, while our bad deeds are necessary and justified by our noble goals which they serve.
—Erich Fromm

Immature love says: “I love you because I need you.” Mature love says: “I need you because I love you.”
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Love

Integrity simple means not violating one’s own identity.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Integrity, Identity

Only the person who has faith in himself is able to be faithful to others.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Faith, Belief, Assurance, Confidence

All genuine ideals have one thing in common: they express the desire for something which is not yet accomplished but which is desirable for the purpose of the growth and happiness of the individual.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Ideals

Power on the one side, fear on the other, are always the buttresses on which irrational authority is built.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Authority

Religion and nationalism, as well as any custom and any belief however absurd and degrading, if it only connects the individual with others, are refuges from what man most dreads: isolation.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Nationalism

Free man is by necessity insecure; thinking man by necessity uncertain.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Realistic Expectations, Acceptance, Doubt, Uncertainty

Sanity: that which is within the frame of reference of conventional thought.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Sanity

Man may be defined as the animal that can say “I,” that can be aware of himself as a separate entity.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Identity

The successful revolutionary is a statesman, the unsuccessful one a criminal.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Revolutionaries, Revolution, Revolutions

Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our insanity. “Patriotism” is its cult. It should hardly be necessary to say, that by “patriotism” I mean that attitude which puts the own nation above humanity, above the principles of truth and justice; not the loving interest in one’s own nation, which is the concern with the nation’s spiritual as much as with its material welfare—never with its power over other nations. Just as love for one individual which excludes the love for others is not love, love for one’s country which is not part of one’s love for humanity is not love, but idolatrous worship.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Nationalism, Patriotism

Boredom is nothing but the experience of a paralysis of our productive powers.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Boredom

In the sphere of material things, giving means being rich. Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much.
—Erich Fromm
Topics: Wealth, Sacrifice, Charity, Giving

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
Topics: Consumerism

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