Sigmund Freud Thoughts

I had the greatest respect for the authorities of my day--until I studied things for myself, and came to my own conclusions.

Anxiety in children is originally nothing other than an expression of the fact they are feeling the loss of the person they love.

There is a psychological technique which makes it possible to interpret dreams, and ... if that procedure is employed, every dream reveals itself as a psychical structure which has a meaning and which can be inserted at an assignable point in the mental activities of waking life.

A father's death is the most important event, the more heartbreaking and poignant loss in a man's life.

The creative writer does the same as the child at play; he creates a world of fantasy which he takes very seriously.

When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature.

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.

To be completely honest with oneself is the very best effort a human being can make.

Look into the depths of your own soul and learn first to know yourself, then you will understand why this illness was bound to come upon you and perhaps you will thenceforth avoid falling ill.

Maturity is the ability to postpone gratification.