We have to realize that we are as deeply afraid to live and to love as we are to die.
R. D. LaingRead
The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change; until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Awareness of our perceptions is crucial for change and growth in our thoughts and actions.
This quote by R. D. Laing emphasizes the importance of awareness in our lives. It suggests that our actions and thoughts are constrained by what we overlook, and this lack of awareness limits our ability to instigate change. By recognizing the ways in which our perceptions shape our reality, we can begin to alter our approach to life and make meaningful improvements.
Themes
AwarenessPerceptionChangeThoughtsActions
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to encourage self-awareness in personal growth.
More from R. D. Laing
All quotes →Madness need not be all breakdown. It may also be break-through. It is potential liberation and renewal as well as enslavement and existential death.
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Whether life is worth living depends on whether there is love in life.
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The experience and behavior that gets labeled schizophrenic is a special strategy that a person invents in order to live in an unlivable situation.
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The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.
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Here we have the paradox, the potentially tragic paradox, that our relatedness to others is an essential aspect of our being, as is our separateness, but any particular person is not a necessary part of our being.
R. D. LaingRead
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