Quotes by Rollo May

“There can be no stronger proof of the impoverishment of our contemporary culture than the popular - though profoundly mistaken - definition of myth as falsehood.”

“Just as the poet is a menace to conformity, he is also a constant threat to political dictators. He is always on the verge of blowing up the assembly line of political power.”

“Are we to conclude that these chief gods, Zeus and Yahweh, did not wish humankind to have moral consciousness and the arts of civilization? It is a mystery indeed.The most obvious explanation is th...”

“In the individual who is characterized by independence without corresponding relatedness, there will develop hostility toward those whom he believes to be the occasion of his isolation. In the indi...”

“Creativity is not merely the innocent spontaneity of our youth and childhood; it must also be married to the passion of the adult human being, which is a passion to live beyond one's death.”

“Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one's identity as a being of w...”

“Life comes from physical survival but the good life comes from what we care about.”

“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.”

“It requires greater courage to preserve inner freedom, to move on in one's inward journey into new realms, than to stand defiantly for outer freedom. It is often easier to play the martyr, as it is...”

“Courage is not the absence of despair; it is, rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair.”

“Depression is the inability to construct a future.”

“If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself.”

“The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one. Commitment is healthiest when it's not without doubt but in spite of doubt.”

“Care is a state in which something does matter it is the source of human tenderness. ”

“Freedom is man's capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves.”

“Human freedom involves our capacity to pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight.”

“Anxiety is essential to the human condition. The confrontation with anxiety can relieve us from boredom sharpen the sensitivity and assure the presence of tension that is necessary to preserve hum...”

“There is nobody who totally lacks the courage to change.”

“Courage is the basic virtue for everyone so long as he continues to grow to move ahead.”

“The hallmark of courage in our age of conformity is the capacity to stand on one's convictions-not obstinately or defiantly (these are gestures of defensiveness not courage) nor as a gesture of re...”