The 101 best phrases of Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud is one of the most notable figures in the history of psychology, thanks to your psychosexual theory. The father of psychoanalysis has influenced many psychologists and, despite being criticized by others, his ideas about psychotherapy or personality are still studied in the career of psychology. He will be loved or hated, but Freud is undoubtedly the most famous psychologist.

• To learn more about this famous psychologist, you just have to read his bio.

The best phrases of Freud

Since this well-known theorist has been so important to the development of behavioral science, in today's article we have compiled 90 of his best phrases. Enjoy them!

1. The freedom of the individual is not a gift from civilization. I was older before there was any civilization

Freud lived through the Victorian era and, therefore, lived through a period of repression. Individual freedom is conditioned by society

2. As no one can be forced to believe, no one can be forced not to believe

Forcing someone to do something he does not want endangers his happiness.

3. A man who has been the undisputed favorite of his mother maintains during his life the feeling of a conqueror

In his theory of psychosexual development, the mother plays a very important role. You just have to think about him Oedipus complex.

4. The mad man is a daydreamer

Freud initiated his contact with neurotic patients through hypnosis.

5. If you want to live, prepare to die

the fear of death he may not let us live.

6. Unexpressed emotions never die. They are buried alive and come out later in worse ways

A phrase in clear reference to the repression of emotions.

7. Dreams are often deepest when they seem craziest

Freud was also interested in the relationship between dreams and mental health.

8. Sleep is the liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature, a detachment of the soul from the chains of matter.

In the dream we can manifest those repressed desires

9. Illusions are entrusted to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure. We must, therefore, accept them without complaint when they collide with the reality in which they are shattered.

Living on illusions is not positive and can collide with reality

10. The ego does not own its own home

The ego was one of the aspects that his theory talks about.

11. Love and work are the pillars of our humanity

To have good mental health you have to work and have love.

12. The voice of the intellect is soft, but it does not rest until it has gained an ear

An appointment that invites deep reflection.

13. Each of us has everyone as mortal except himself

A meaningful quote from Sigmund Freud.

14. The price we pay for our advanced civilization is a loss of happiness through the intensification of guilt.

Society tries to mold us. If we don't connect with ourselves we will never be free.

15. Fear of guns is a sign of sexual retardation and emotional maturity

A Freud phrase for free interpretation.

16. I have been a lucky man in life: nothing was easy for me

Adversities make us grow.

17. Smoking is essential if one has nothing to kiss

Freud, talking about how anxiety can dominate us.

18. Anyone awake who behaved as they did in dreams would be taken for crazy

Dreams can be our refuge.

19. He who knows how to wait does not need to make concessions

Patience is one of the best virtues of the human being.

20. If two individuals always agree on everything, I can assure you that one of the two thinks for both

Another reflection on individual freedom and collective thought.

21. When someone abuses me, I can defend myself, but against flattery I am helpless

We can do little in the face of self-serving praise.

22. Is anatomy destiny

Freud, referring to social distinction and its social character.

23. We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love

Love it can make us vulnerable.

24. Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity

Neurosis is characteristic of those people who do not know how to live in uncertainty.

25. Psychiatry is the art of teaching people how to stand on their own two feet while lounging on sofas.

The greatest exponent of psychoanalysis talking about psychiatry.

26. Whoever thinks of failure has already failed before trying; Who thinks about winning, takes a step forward

The self-fulfilling prophecy it becomes evident in those negative people.

27. It is proper to the philosopher to be able to speculate on all things

The philosopher is constantly philosophizing.

28. Immortality means being loved by many anonymous people

Being immortal means that you are recognized and remain in the minds of many people.

29. Dream interpretation is the royal road to knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind

Freud was always interested in the interpretation of dreams as this phrase shows.

30. Men are more moral than they think and much more immoral than they can imagine

An ironic quote that deals with the immorality of some.

31. He who has eyes to see and ears to hear can convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If their lips are silent, they chatter with their fingers; betrayal oozes from them through every pore

False or deceptive people always give themselves away in some visible way.

32. Where does a thought go when it is forgotten?

Freud asked himself this question in clear reference to the unconscious.

33. The act of birth is the first experience of anxiety and therefore the source and prototype of the anxiety affect

Freud affirms that the stress produced in childbirth represents the first time that we feel anxiety and suggests that it is something normal.

34. The virtuous man is content to dream what the wicked does in real life

The wicked have no qualms and act regardless of moral consequences.

35. Analogies, it is true, do not decide anything, but they can make one feel more at home

The comfort zone is a place where we feel comfortable.

36. I can't think of any childhood need as strong as a parent's need for protection.

If the figure of the mother was important in his theory, so was the figure of the father.

37. Not everything depends on the wishes, but even so, I have decided to try to carry out my wishes

Fighting for our desires is one of our great motivations.

38. From mistake to mistake the complete truth is discovered

The mistakes we make are one of the best ways to learn.

39. The goal of life is death

A quote with a certain tone of irony that refers to death.

40. Like no one can be forced to believe, no one can be forced to disbelief

Freud, talking about hypnosis. Suggestion depends on whether the person allows himself to be suggested.

41. The best is the enemy of the good

The bad makes us mobilize, fight to be in the good and value it.

42. For the first time the child must exchange pleasure for social dignity

There is a moment in life when one begins to balance what he wants and what society allows him to want.

43. It could be said from psychoanalysis that if you give the little finger you will soon have the whole hand

Psychoanalysis is a theory that became very popular and that, with certain modifications, is still alive today.

44. In mourning the world has become poor and empty; in melancholy the ego itself

Melancholy is a decision we make, the ego is something that we have to live.

45. Fear is a suffering that produces the expectation of evil

Fear is an emotion and at the same time a feeling. After the cognitive assessment, we anticipate something bad.

46. Civilization began the first moment a pissed-off man threw a word instead of a rock

Language has had a great influence on the development of humanity

47. A woman should soften but not weaken a man

Relationships between a man and a woman should always be positive.

48. The more accessible the fruits of knowledge, the more widespread is the decline of religious beliefs

Religious beliefs feed on ignorance

49. In matters of sexuality, we are currently, all of us, sick or healthy, nothing more than hypocrites

Freud lived in the Victorian era, characterized by great social repression. That is why it is one of the main themes of his theory.

50. One is very crazy when in love

Love makes us go crazy, but it is a unique feeling.

51. Children are completely selfish; feel their needs intensely and fight hard to meet them

Children do not think about social consequences, only what satisfies them on an individual level.

52. Religious doctrines are illusions that do not admit evidence and no one can be forced to consider them as true or believe in them

There is no way to prove a religion and therefore no one can prove or disprove it.

53. What progress we have made. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now they are happy to burn my books

Another date with a great sense of humor. Freud speaks of the criticisms he received.

54. Only one's own experience makes a man wise

The best source of knowledge is experience. This is what is called experiential learning.

55. The tendency to aggression is innate, independent, an instinctive disposition in a man. It is a powerful obstacle to culture.

Culture ensures that one of our greatest instincts, aggression, does not manifest itself.

56. No, our science is not an illusion. But it would be an illusion to suppose that what science cannot give us what we can achieve elsewhere.

Freud's theory has been criticized for being unscientific.

57. Most people don't really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility and most people fear responsibility.

Many people prefer to follow culturally established patterns, as it is more comfortable.

58. One fine day, looking back, you will realize that these years of struggle have been the most beautiful of your life.

Fighting for what one wants can make us immensely happy.

59. Modern science has yet to produce a calming drug as effective as a few kind words.

Kind words are one of the keys to mental health. This is the idea around which many therapeutic theories revolve today.

60. America is a mistake, a gigantic mistake

America didn't seem to like Sigmund Freud

61. It would be very nice if there were a god, who had created the world and was a benevolent providence; that there was a moral order in the universe and a future life; But it is a very surprising fact that all of this is exactly what we feel compelled to wish for.

As can be seen in this quote, Freud was not exactly religious.

62. All joke, in the background, conceals a truth

A similar quote behind every lie there is always a truth in store.

63. The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with 70% of its volume on water

70% would refer to the unconscious, according to Freud.

64. Plato said that the good guys are those who are content with dreaming what the bad guys make come true

The bad guys don't stop to think about whether what they're doing is right or wrong.

65. Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis

Another Freudian reflection on religion

66. The first requirement of civilization is justice

Without justice, a civilization cannot advance.

67. The intention that man should be happy is not in the plan of creation

The idea of ​​what happiness is is a social construction

68. One hundred percent truth is as rare as one hundred percent alcohol

A curious comparison between alcohol and the truth.

69. Since I started studying the unconscious, I have found myself very interesting

In studying the unconscious, surely Freud carried out a deep introspection.

70. Being completely honest with yourself is good exercise

Honesty is one of the best virtues of the human being.

71. We will all die, but our works will remain

If successful, they will remember us after death.

72. A man should not fight to eliminate his complexes, but come to terms with them: they are legitimately those who direct his behavior in the world.

Acceptance is one of the best ways to overcome emotional problems.

73. It is a good exercise to be completely honest with yourself

Sincerity with oneself is another of the great virtues of the human being

74. The sex life of adult women is a dark continent for psychology

Obviously, in the time that Freud lived, the sexuality of women was a taboo subject.

75. Time spent with cats is never wasted

A curious Freud quote that mentions cats.

76. One is the owner of what is silent and a slave to what he speaks

Free association was a technique used by Freud, and consists of verbalizing our unconscious thoughts.

77. I have found few good things about humans in general. From my experience, most of them are rubbish, it doesn't matter if they publicly subscribe to an ethical doctrine or not. It's something you can't say very loud or even think

An ironclad criticism of how some human beings behave.

78. Civilization is permanently threatened by disintegration due to the primary hostility of man

One of the drives Freud spoke of was the death drive, a destructive drive.

79. Humanity progresses. Today it only burns my books; centuries ago they would have burned me

Human beings and the culture we build is progressing and evolving.

80. Immorality, no less than morality, has always found support in religion

Freud was very critical of religion, as can be seen in his sentences.

81. The first notions of sexuality appear in the infant

His theory talks about the different stages of the child's psychosexual development.

82. Just by fearing mediocrity, you are already safe

Fearing mediocrity can be very challenging and motivating.

83. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar

It is not necessary to interpret everything that evokes that symbol as a phallic element. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

84. No critic is more capable than me of clearly perceiving the disproportion that exists between problems and the solution I provide them

Freud always defended his ideas despite being criticized.

85. There are two ways to be happy in this life, one is to be an idiot and the other to be.

Ignorance can make us immensely happy.

86. The big question that has never been answered and that I have not been able to answer, despite my thirty years of researching the human soul is, what does a woman want?

The complexity of women, according to Freud, is captured in this sentence.

87. The first human who insulted his enemy instead of throwing a stone at him was the founder of civilization.

A quote that can be interpreted in different ways.

88. You can defend yourself against attacks; against praise you are helpless

When someone praises you, it's hard not to thank them.

89. The unconscious of a human being can react to that of another without going through the conscious

Although we are rational beings, on many occasions, our instincts come to light.

90. If inspiration does not come to me I go to meet him, halfway

Inspiration must be sought many times.

91. Like the physical, the psychic is not necessarily what it appears

A way of implying the existence of the unconscious mind.

92. Sadism is fine where it is, but it must correct its ends

Freud was very interested in the study of sexual inclinations that went against the morals of the time.

93. Where does a thought go when it is forgotten?

A poetic reflection on the unconscious.

94. Religion is an illusion whose strength derives from the way it fits in with our instinctual desires.

Freud links the existence of religious cults with drives.

95. Where the Id is, there must be the I

The role of the I is in part to counteract the forces of the irrational part of the human being.

96. You wanted to kill your father to be him. Now you are a father, but a dead one

Another of Freud's phrases related to the oedipus complex.

97. It is a human predisposition to consider unpleasant ideas false

This idea seems to fit the concept of cognitive dissonance.

98. Civilization is constantly threatened by hostility between people

Freud had a perspective of society similar to that of Thomas Hobbes.

99. A religion, even if it calls itself a religion of peace, must be harsh and ruthless towards those who do not belong to it.

Another of Freud's criticisms of religion.

100. Man has become a prosthetic god

The father of psychoanalysis reflects on the self-imposition of dogmas.

101. When one does not have what he wants, he must want what he has

A phrase from Freud about the management of expectations.