We have to realize that we are as deeply afraid to live and to love as we are to die.
R. D. LaingRead
True guilt is guilt at the obligation one owes to oneself to be oneself. False guilt is guilt felt at not being what other people feel one ought to be or assume that one is.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True guilt arises from failing to be one's authentic self, while false guilt comes from societal expectations.
This quote by R. D. Laing distinguishes between two types of guilt: true guilt, which reflects an internal obligation to remain true to oneself, and false guilt, which is imposed by external pressures and the expectations of others. Recognizing this difference allows individuals to prioritize their authentic identities over conforming to societal norms.
Themes
GuiltSelfAuthenticitySocietyIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mental health, this quote can help explain the difference between personal and social pressures.
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.
R. D. LaingRead
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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