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In addition to his own psychoanalytic practice,Sigmund Freudwas also a prolific writer. Works such as “The Interpretation of Dreams” (1900) and “The Psychopathology of Everyday Life” (1901) helped establish Freud’s psychoanalytic theories and made him a dominating force in psychology during the early 20th century.
Over 100 years later, his research and findings continue to influence our studies on the human mind.Below are just a few quotes from Freud’s writings.
At a Glance
Selected Freud Quotations
Exploring some of Freud’s best quotations can be a great way to learn more about his ideas, theories, and opinions on a broad range of subjects. The following are just a selection of his quotes on mental health, personality, religion, dreams, and more.
On Pain and Mental Health
“Life, as we find it, is too hard for us; it brings us too many pains, disappointments and impossible tasks. In order to bear it we cannot dispense with palliative measures…
There are perhaps three such measures: powerful deflections, which cause us to make light of our misery; substitutive satisfactions, which diminish it; and intoxicating substances, which make us insensible to it.” - From “Civilization and Its Discontents,” 1930
“No one who, like me, conjures up the most evil of those half-tamed demons that inhabit the human breast, and seeks to wrestle with them, can expect to come through the struggle unscathed.” –From “Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria,” 1905
“Devout believers are safeguarded in a high degree against the risk of certain neurotic illnesses; their acceptance of the universal neurosis spares them the task of constructing a personal one.” –From “The Future of an Illusion,” 1927
On the Ego
“The ego is not master in its own house.” –From “A Difficulty in the Path of Psycho-Analysis,” 1917
“Where id was, there ego shall be.” –From “New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis,” 1933
“One might compare the relation of theegoto theidwith that between a rider and his horse. The horse provides the locomotor energy, and the rider has the prerogative of determining the goal and of guiding the movements of his powerful mount towards it. But all too often in the relations between the ego and the id we find a picture of the less ideal situation in which the rider is obliged to guide his horse in the direction in which it itself wants to go.” –From “New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis,” 1933
“The poor ego has a still harder time of it; it has to serve three harsh masters, and it has to do its best to reconcile the claims and demands of all three…The three tyrants are the external world, the superego, and the id.” –From “New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis,” 1933
“Thinking is an experimental dealing with small quantities of energy, just as a general moves miniature figures over a map before setting his troops in action.” –From"New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis," 1933
On Religion
“Our knowledge of the historical worth of certain religious doctrines increases our respect for them but does not invalidate our proposal that they should cease to be put forward as the reasons for the precepts of civilization.
“One feels inclined to say that the intention that man should be ‘happy’ is not included in the plan of ‘Creation.’ " –From “Civilization and Its Discontents,” 1930
“Religionis an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires.” –From “New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis,” 1933
But it cannot achieve its end. Its doctrines carry with them the stamp of the times in which they originated, the ignorant childhood days of the human race. Its consolations deserve no trust.” - From “Moses and Monotheism,” 1939
“Immorality, no less than morality, has at all times found support in religion.” - From “The Future of an Illusion,” 1927
“Religion is a system of wishful illusions together with a disavowal of reality, such as we find nowhere else but in a state of blissful hallucinatory confusion. Religion’s eleventh commandment is “Thou shalt not question.” - From “The Future of an Illusion,” 1927
Other Freud Quotations
“Everywhere I go, I find a poet has been there before me.”
“Whoever loves becomes humble. Those who love have, so to speak, pawned a part of their narcissism.”
“Words have a magical power. They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair; they can transfer knowledge from teacher to student; words enable the orator to sway his audience and dictate its decisions. Words are capable of arousing the strongest emotions and prompting all men’s actions.”
“The virtuous man contents himself with dreaming that which the wicked man does in actual life.” From “The Interpretation of Dreams,” 1900
Freud’s Life and Work
Sigmund Freud was the founder ofpsychoanalysis, the famous theory suggesting thatunconsciousthoughts, feelings, memories, and wishes influence our behavior. According to Freud, it is the events of early childhood that lay the foundation for further development and adult behavior.
By uncovering these unconscious influences through talk therapy, Freud believed that people could find relief from distress and psychological problems
Freud’s Contributions to Psychology
Freud was enormously influential in psychology. While many of his theories have fallen out of favor, he still had a significant influence on the course of modern psychology.
What This Means For YouIf you want to learn more about Freud and his ideas, reading some of this most famous quotations is a great place to start. He was a prolific writer and had a lot to say about a wide range of topics, including dreams, the unconscious, and religion.
What This Means For You
If you want to learn more about Freud and his ideas, reading some of this most famous quotations is a great place to start. He was a prolific writer and had a lot to say about a wide range of topics, including dreams, the unconscious, and religion.
15 Great Psychology Quotes
3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Paris J.Is psychoanalysis still relevant to psychiatry?Can J Psychiatry. 2017;62(5):308-312. doi:10.1177/0706743717692306Freud S.Civilization and Its Discontents. Norton.Yeung AWK.Is the influence of Freud declining in psychology and psychiatry? A bibliometric analysis.Front Psychol.2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631516Additional ReadingFreud S.A Difficulty in the Path of Psycho-Analysis. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1917.Freud S.Civilization and Its Discontents. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1930.Freud S.Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1905.Freud S.New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1933.Freud S.The Future of an Illusion. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1927.Freud S.The Interpretation of Dreams. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1900.Freud S.The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1901.
3 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Paris J.Is psychoanalysis still relevant to psychiatry?Can J Psychiatry. 2017;62(5):308-312. doi:10.1177/0706743717692306Freud S.Civilization and Its Discontents. Norton.Yeung AWK.Is the influence of Freud declining in psychology and psychiatry? A bibliometric analysis.Front Psychol.2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631516Additional ReadingFreud S.A Difficulty in the Path of Psycho-Analysis. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1917.Freud S.Civilization and Its Discontents. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1930.Freud S.Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1905.Freud S.New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1933.Freud S.The Future of an Illusion. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1927.Freud S.The Interpretation of Dreams. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1900.Freud S.The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1901.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Paris J.Is psychoanalysis still relevant to psychiatry?Can J Psychiatry. 2017;62(5):308-312. doi:10.1177/0706743717692306Freud S.Civilization and Its Discontents. Norton.Yeung AWK.Is the influence of Freud declining in psychology and psychiatry? A bibliometric analysis.Front Psychol.2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631516
Paris J.Is psychoanalysis still relevant to psychiatry?Can J Psychiatry. 2017;62(5):308-312. doi:10.1177/0706743717692306
Freud S.Civilization and Its Discontents. Norton.
Yeung AWK.Is the influence of Freud declining in psychology and psychiatry? A bibliometric analysis.Front Psychol.2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631516
Freud S.A Difficulty in the Path of Psycho-Analysis. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1917.Freud S.Civilization and Its Discontents. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1930.Freud S.Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1905.Freud S.New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1933.Freud S.The Future of an Illusion. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1927.Freud S.The Interpretation of Dreams. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1900.Freud S.The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1901.
Freud S.A Difficulty in the Path of Psycho-Analysis. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1917.
Freud S.Civilization and Its Discontents. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1930.
Freud S.Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1905.
Freud S.New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1933.
Freud S.The Future of an Illusion. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1927.
Freud S.The Interpretation of Dreams. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1900.
Freud S.The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Standard Edition. Hogarth Press; 1901.
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