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The moment a man questions the meaning and value of life, he is sick, since objectively neither has any existence; by asking this question one is merely admitting to a store of unsatisfied libido to which something else must have happened, a kind of fermentation leading to sadness and depression.
Sigmund Freud
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Questioning the meaning of life can indicate psychological distress stemming from unfulfilled desires.

This quote by Sigmund Freud suggests that when an individual begins to question the meaning and value of life, it reflects a deeper psychological issue rather than an objective reality of these concepts. Freud posits that such questioning arises from unfulfilled drives or desires, leading to feelings of sadness and depression, indicating a kind of inner turmoil rather than a pursuit of existential truth.

Themes

MeaningLifeValueQuestionsPsychologyDesireSadness

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about existential crises during a philosophy class.

More from Sigmund Freud

"He sido un hombre afortunado en la vida, nada me ha sido facil." "I've been a fortunate man in life, nothing has come easy"
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The tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man... it constitutes the powerful obstacle to culture.
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