Sigmund Freud

“A large number of observers acknowledge that dream life is capable of extraordinary achievements—at any rate, in certain fields ("Memory").”

“The dream is the liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature, a detachment of the soul from the fetters of matter.”

“Three tendencies can be observed in the estimation of dreams. Many philosophers have given currency to one of these tendencies, one which at the same time preserves something of the dream's former over-valuation. The foundation of dream life is for them a peculiar state of psychical activity, which they even celebrate as elevation to some higher state. Schubert, for instance, claims: "The dream is the liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature, a detachment of the soul from the fetters of matter." Not all go so far as this, but many maintain that dreams have their origin in real spiritual excitations, and are the outward manifestations of spiritual powers whose free movements have been hampered during the day ("Dream Phantasies," Scherner, Volkelt). A large number of observers acknowledge that dream life is capable of extraordinary achievements—at any rate, in certain fields ("Memory").”

“his understanding of transference in the therapeutic relationship and the presumed value of dreams as sources of insight into unconscious desires. He is commonly referred to as "the father of psychoanalysis" and his work has been highly influential-—popularizing such notions as the unconscious, defense mechanisms, Freudian slips and dream symbolism — while also making a long-lasting impact on fields as diverse as literature (Kafka), film, Marxist and feminist theories, literary criticism, philosophy, and psychology. However, his theories remain controversial and widely disputed. Source: Wikipedia”

“My love is something valuable to me which I ought not to throw away without reflection.”

“When a love-relationship is at its height there is no room left for any interest in the environment; a pair of lovers are sufficient to themselves”

“Our memory has no guarantees at all, and yet we bow more often than is objectively justified to the compulsion to believe what it says.”

“dream is the dreamer's own psychical act.”

“And it is only after seeing man as his unconscious, revealed by his dreams, presents him to us that we shall understand him fully. For as Freud said to Putnam: "We are what we are because we have been what we have been.”

“Only a rebuke that 'has something in it' will sting, will have the power to stir our feelings, not the other sort, as we know.”

“Cilvēku lielais vairums strādā tikai nepieciešamības spiesti, un no šī cilvēka dabiskā riebuma pret darbu izriet pašas smagākās sociālās problēmas.”

“[Reliģija]. Šo providenci vienkāršais cilvēks nevar iedomāties citādi kā vien ārkārtīgi kāpinātā tēva personā. Tikai tāds var zināt cilvēkbērna vajadzības, to var atmaidzināt ar savām lūgsnām, remdēt ar savas uzticības zīmēm. Tas viss ir tik acīmredzami infantili, tik svešs īstenībai, ka filantropiski noskaņotajam kļūst sāpīgi domāt, ka vairums mirstīgo nekad nepacelsies virs šīs dzīves izpratnes.”

“What is common in all these dreams is obvious. They completely satisfy wishes excited during the day which remain unrealized. They are simply and undisguisedly realizations of wishes.”

“Instinct of love toward an object demands a mastery to obtain it, and if a person feels they can't control the object or feel threatened by it, they act negatively toward it.”

“There are no mistakes”

“Our possibilities of happiness are already restricted by our constitution. Unhappiness is much less difficult to experience. We are threatened with suffering from three directions: from our own body, which is doomed to decay and dissolution and which cannot even do without pain and anxiety as warning signals; from the external world, which may rage against us with overwhelming and merciless forces of destruction; and finally from our relations to other men. The suffering which comes from this last source is perhaps more painful to us than any other.”

“Expressando-o de modo sucinto, existem duas características humanas muito difundidas, responsáveis pelo fato de os regulamentos da civilização só poderem ser mantidos através de certo grau de coerção, a saber, que os homens não são espontaneamente amantes do trabalho e que os argumentos não têm valia alguma contra suas paixões.”

“The dream has a very striking way of dealing with the category of opposites and contradictions. This is simply disregarded. To the dream 'No' does not seem to exist. In particular, it prefers to draw opposites together into a unity or to represent them as one. Indeed, it also takes the liberty of representing some random element by its wished-for opposite, so that at first one cannot tell which of the possible poles is meant positively or negatively in the dream-thoughts.”

“Conservatism, however, is too often a welcome excuse for lazy minds, loath to adapt themselves to fast changing conditions.”

“I do not in the least underestimate bisexuality. . . I expect it to provide all further enlightenment.”

“Visul este realizarea mascata a unei dorinte refulate. Este construit ca un simptom nevrotic, este o formatie de compromis intre necesitatea unei aspiratii instinctive refulate si rezistenta unei puteri cenzurate in eu. In virtutea unei origini asemanatoare el este la fel de incomprehensibil ca si simptomul si necesita, ca si acesta, o interpretare.”

“Cand se cerceteaza gandurile aflate prin analiza visului, se descopera unul care se detaseaza net de altele, inteligibile si bine cunoscute de cel care doarme. Aceste alte ganduri sunt ramasite ale vietii treze (ramasite diurne); in gandul izolat se recunoaste o dorinta adesea foarte socanta, straina starii de trezire a celui care viseaza, si pe care el o intampina, prin urmare, prin tagaduiri uimite su indignate. Aceasta dorinta este elementul propriu-zis care formeaza visul, furnizeaza energia necesara producerii visului si se serveste de ramasitele diurne ca de un simplu materia; visul, astfel constituit, reprezinta o situatie in care aceasta dorinta este satisfacuta; visul este realizarea acestei dorinte.”

“Cat priveste coordonatele intinse intre psihanaliza si filozofia lui Schopenhauer el nu numai ca a aparat intaietatea afectivitatii si importanta preponderenta a sexualitatii, dar a ghicit chiar mecanismul refularii; nu mi-au permis insa sa le cunosc doctrina. L-am citit pe Schopenhauer foarte tarziu. Pe Nietzsche, celalalt filosof ale carui intentii si puncte de vedere concorda adesea in maniera cea mai uimitoare cu rezultatele greu cucerite ale pishanalizei, l-am evitat mult timp tocmai din aceasta cauza; tin deci, mai putin la intaietate, dorind sa raman liber de orice prevenire.”

“In Europa, intre 1911 si 1913, s-au produs doua miscari disidente ale psihanalizei, miscari inaugurate de persoane care pana atunci jucasera un rol de baza in tanara stiinta: Alfred si C. G. Jung. Aceste miscari pareau foarte periculoase si castigasera repede un mare numar de partizani. Ele nu trebuiau, totusi, prin forta lor, sa fie resimtite ca niste socuri furnizate psihanalizei, chiar daca nu se mai nega materialul faptic, ci permiteau, ceea ce era ademenitor, eliberarea de rezultate. Jung a incercat o transpunere a faptelor analitice intr-un mod abstract, impersonal, fara sa tina cont de istoria individului, modalitate prin care el spera sa indeparteze recunoasterea sexualitatii infantile si a complexului lui Oedip, ca si necesitatea de a analiza copilaria. Adler parea sa se indeparteze si mai mult de psihanaliza, respingand total importanta sexualitatii. Critica a fost ingaduitoare cu cele doua miscari (pentru cei doi «eretici»), eu neputand sa obtin mai mult decat sa-i fac pe Adler si pe Jung sa renunte sa-si numeasca doctrinele «psihanaliza». Se poate astazi constata, la capatul a zece ani, ca cele doua tentative au trecut pe langa psihanaliza fara sa o atinga.Este suficient sa spun ca in fata celor care m-au parasit ca Jung, Adler, Stekel sau alti cativa, se gaseste un mare numar de cercetatori ca Abraham, Eitingon, Ferenczi, Rank, Jones, Brill, Sachs, pastorul Pfister, van Emden, Reik, care de aproape 15 ani mi-au ramas fideli colaboratori, de majoritatea legandu-ma o prietenie pe care nimic n-a tulburat-o. N-am numit aici decat pe cei mai vechi dintre elevii mei, cei care si-au facut deja un nume in literatura psihanalitica; amintirea altor nume nu implica mai putin respect, si tocmai printre cei tineri si printre cei care au venit la mine mai tarziu se gasesc talente care ne dau mari sperante. Dar trebuie sa spun in avantajul meu ca un om dominat de intoleranta si de aroganta perfectiunii nu s-ar fi putut inconjura de o astfel de legiune de personalitati cu o inteligenta superioara, mai ales cand nu are sa le ofere atractii de ordin practic.”

“O intalnire cu filozoful William James mi-a lasat o impresie de neuitat. Nu am putut sa nu tin minte aceasta scena: in cursul unei plimbari, el s-a oprit deodata, mi-a incredintat servieta si m-a rugat sa continui drumul, el avand sa ma urmeze de indata ce ii va fi trecut criza de anghina pectorala pe care o presimtea. A murit de inima un an mai tarziu; n-am incetat sa-mi doresc un asemenea curaj in fata sfarsitului apropiat.”

“Prin metoda asocierii libere si prin tehnica de interpretare care i se adauga, psihanaliza reuseste sa faca un lucru care nu parea pre important din punct de vedere practic, dar care trebuia in realitate sa duca la o pozitie si o valorificare cu totul noi in evolutia stiintei. A devenit posibil sa se dovedeasca ca visurile au un sens si sa se ghiceasca acest sens. In antichitatea clasica, visurile erau considerate adesea previziuni ale viitorului; stiinta moderna nu voia sa auda de visuri, le lega de domeniul superstitiei, declarandu-le un simplu act «corporal», un soi de tresarire a vietii psihice, de altfel adormite. Parea sa fie exclusa posibilitatea ca un savant care a facut deja lucrari stiintifice serioase sa poata aparea ca un «interpretator de visuri». Dar din moment ce nu era luata in seama dispretuirea visului si era tratat ca un simptom nevrotic neinteles, ca o idee deliranta sau obsesiva care, indepartandu-se de continutul sau aparent, lua ca obiect al asocierii libere imaginile sale izolate, atunci se ajungea la un cu totul alt rezultat. Se ajungea prin urmatoarele asocieri ale celui care visa, la constientizarea unor ansambluri de ganduri care nu mai puteau fi numite absurde sau confuze, care corespuneau unui act psihic de mare valoare si ale carui vis manifest nu era decat o traducere deformata, trunchiata sau rau inteleasa, cel mai adesea o traducere in imagini vizuale. Aceste ganduri latente ale visului contineau sensul visului, continutul manifest al visului nefiind decat o iluzie, o fatada de unde putea pleca asocierea cu adevarul dar nu si interpretarea.”

“Cercetand situatiile patogene in care refularile sexualitatii avusesera loc si ale caror simptome pareau formatii substitutive ale refulatului, se mergea spre perioadele mai timpurii ale vietii bolnavului si se ajungea in cele din urma la primii ani ai copilariei sale. Si se descoperea - ceea ce de altfel romancierii si cunoscatorii sufletului uman stiau de mult timp - ca impresiile din aceasta prima perioada a vietii, chiar daca in majoritatea cazurilor erau uitate, lasau urme adanci care influenteaza dezvoltarea individului, in particular pregatind dispozitia individului pentru nevroza ulterioara.”

“All neurotics, and many others besides, take exception to the fact that 'inter urinas et faeces nascimur.”

“If children could, if adults knew.”

“It is a predisposition of human nature to consider an unpleasant idea untrue, and then it is easy to find arguments against it.”

“Where such men love they have no desire and where they desire they cannot love”

“We tell ourselves how lovely it would be, would it not, if there were a God who created the universe and benign Providence, a moral world order, and life beyond the grave, yet it is very evident, is it not, that all of this is the way we should inevitably wish it to be. And it would be even more remarkable if our poor, ignorant bondsman ancestors had managed to solve all these difficult cosmic questions.”

“The woman who refuses to see her sexual organs as mere wood chips, designed to make the man's life more comfortable, is in danger of becoming a lesbian--an active, phallic woman, an intellectual virago with a fire of her own .... The lesbian body is a particularly pernicious and depraved version of the female body in general; it is susceptible to auto-eroticism, clitoral pleasure and self-actualization.”

“Words and magic were in the beginning one and the same thing, and even today words retain much of their magical power.”

“Nella nostra concezione moderna del mondo ―concezione scientifica non ancora definitivamente conclusa― la superstizione è un po' fuori luogo; mentre era ammessa nella concezione di epoche prescientifiche, poiché ne era un complemento logico.Aveva dunque relativamente ragione l'antico Romano, che rinunciava ad un progetto importante perché il volo degli uccelli era sfavorevole; agiva in modo conforme alle sue premesse. E se rinunciava al suo progetto perché aveva inciampato sulla soglia della sua porta, si rivelava superiore a noi increduli, si rivelava miglior psicologo di noi. Il fatto d'inciampare denotava l'esistenza di un dubbio, di un'opposizione interiore a questo progetto, la cui forza poteva annullare quella della sua intenzione al momento della realizzazione. In effetti si può essere sicuri del successo completo solo quando tutte le energie psichiche tendono al fine desiderato.”

“Perciò la differenza tra me ed un uomo superstizioso consiste in questo: io non credo che un avvenimento verificatosi senza alcuna partecipazione della mia vita psichica possa rivelarmi cose arcane sul futuro; credo invece che un'espressione non intenzionale della mia vita psichica possa rivelarmi qualcosa di ignoto che, in fondo, appartiene solo alla mia vita psichica; credo alla casualità esterna (reale) ma non a quella interna (psichica). Insomma, il mio è l'atteggiamento esattamente opposto a quello del superstizioso; egli, non sapendo nulla della motivazione degli atti casuali e degli atti mancati, crede nella casualità psichica; è portato ad attribuire al caso esterno un'importanza che si manifesta nella realtà futura, ed a vedere nel caso un mezzo d'espressione di qualcosa che è nascosto nella realtà. Ci sono dunque due differenze tra me e l'uomo superstizioso: prima di tutto egli proietta all'esterno una motivazione che io cerco all'interno; in secondo luogo, egli interpreta il caso per mezzo di un avvenimento che io riconduco ad un'idea. Ciò che per lui è occulto per me è inconscio; in noi c'è la tendenza comune a non considerare il caso come tale, ma ad interpretarlo.Ora io sostengo che quest'ignoranza cosciente e questa conoscenza inconscia della motivazione delle casualità psichiche sono una delle radici della superstizione. Proprio perché il superstizioso non sa nulla della motivazione dei suoi atti casuali e perché questa motivazione cerca di imporsi alla sua conoscenza, egli è obbligato a spostarla ed a collocarla nel mondo esterno.”

“Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity”

“If we are to take it as a truth that knows no exception that everything dies for internal reasons – becomes inorganic once again – then we shall be compelled to say that ‘the aim of all life is death’ and, looking backwards, that ‘inanimate things existed before living ones’.”

“Where does a thought go when it's forgotten?”

“No neurotic harbors thoughts of suicide which are not murderous impulses against others redirected upon himself.”

“Ko postavlja pitanje o smislu zivota,s njegovim libidom nije nesto u redu.”

“The motive forces of phantasies are unsatisfied wishes, and every single phantasy is the fulfillment of a wish, a correction of unsatisfying reality.”

“In matters of sexuality we are at present, every one of us, ill or well, nothing but hypocrites.”

“The interpretation of Dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind”

“Dream's evanescence, the way in which, on awakening, our thoughts thrust it aside as something bizarre, and our reminiscences mutilating or rejecting it—all these and many other problems have for many hundred years demanded answers which up till now could never have been satisfactory.”

“The liberty of the individual is no gift of civilization. It was greatest before there was any civilization.”

“Neurotics complain of their illness, but they make the most of it, and when it comes to taking it away from them they will defend it like a lioness her young.”

“Men are more moral than they think and far more immoral than they can imagine.”

“It is impossible to overlook the extent to which civilization is built up upon a renunciation of instinct....”

“Analogies, it is true, decide nothing, but they can make one feel more at home.”