Grounded in the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, alchemy formed a bridge: on the one hand into the past, to Gnosticism, and on the other into the future, to the modern psychology of the unconscious.
Carl JungRead
A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them. As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being. Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True self-awareness comes from experiencing and understanding our own passions and frustrations.
Carl Jung's quote highlights the importance of confronting and overcoming our inner struggles, or passions, as a pathway to self-discovery and enlightenment. He suggests that the challenges and irritations we face in life, particularly in our relationships with others, provide critical insights into understanding ourselves and fulfilling our purpose in existence, which he describes as bringing light to the otherwise mundane experience of living.
Themes
Self-AwarenessPassionsUnderstandingLightDarknessHuman Existence
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a motivational speech about personal growth.
More from Carl Jung
All quotes →The majority of my patients consisted not of believers but of those who had lost their faith.
Carl JungRead
Complexes are psychic contents which are outside the control of the conscious mind. They have been split off from consciousness and lead a separate existence in the unconscious, being at all times ready to hinder or to reinforce the conscious intentions.
Carl JungRead
We are in a far better position to observe instincts in animals or in primitives than in ourselves. This is due to the fact that we have grown accustomed to scrutinizing our own actions and to seeking rational explanations for them.
Carl JungRead
From the viewpoint of analytic psychology, the theatre, aside from any aesthetic value, may be considered as an institution for the treatment of the mass complex.
Carl JungRead
I have treated many hundreds of patients. Among those in the second half of life - that is to say, over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life.
Carl JungRead
Similar quotes
I think as a whole America is dealing with the issue of homophobia. We got to be really honest about whether we believe in civil rights for all people or not. As Black people we need to remember the moment that we say it's okay to disenfranchise one segment of society, we're opening the door to move backward on ourselves.
Kerry WashingtonRead
Be a terror to the butchers, that they may be fair in their weight; and keep hucksters and fraudulent dealers in awe, for the same reason.
Miguel De CervantesRead
Few men survey themselves with so much severity as not to admit prejudices in their own favor.
Samuel JohnsonRead
My autobiography is a digressive illustration and exemplification of what race has meant in the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.
W. E. B. Du BoisRead
People on a spiritual path - personal growth, spiritual practice, recovery, yoga and so forth - are the last people who should be sitting out the social and political issues of our day.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
All we have to believe with is our senses, the tools we use to perceive the world: our sight, our touch, our memory. If they lie to us, then nothing can be trusted. And even if we do not believe, then still we cannot travel in any other way than the road our senses show us; and we must walk that road to the end.
Neil GaimanRead