More Quotes by Erich Fromm
That millions of people share the same forms of mental pathology does not make these people sane.
The real opposition is that between the ego-bound man, whose existence is structured by the principle of having, and the free man, who has overcome his egocentricity.
As long as anyone believes that his ideal and purpose is outside him, that it is above the clouds, in the past or in the future, he will go outside himself and seek fulfillment where it cannot be found. He will look for solutions and answers at every point except where they can be found- in himself.
If a person loves only one other person and is indifferent to all others, his love is not love but a symbiotic attachment, or an enlarged egotism.
The affirmation of one's own life, happiness, growth and freedom, is rooted in one's capacity to love.
To spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total detachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness
Love isn't something natural. Rather it requires discipline, concentration, patience, faith, and the overcoming of narcissism. It isn't a feeling, it is a practice.
The lust for power is not rooted in strength but in weakness.
One cannot be deeply responsive to the world without being saddened very often.
People do not see that the main question is not : "Am I loved?" which is to a large extent the question : "Am I approved of? Am I protected? Am I admired?" The main question is: "Can I love?
