Rollo May Quotes

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The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.

Rollo May

Courage, Soulmate, Self Esteem

103 Copy quote
Courage is not the absence of despair; it is, rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair.

Rollo May

Courage, Moving, Despair

Rollo May (1994). “The Courage to Create”, p.12, W. W. Norton & Company

96 Copy quote
Real freedom is the ability to pause between stimulus and response, and in that pause, choose.

Rollo May

Real, Stimulus And Response, Ability

80 Copy quote
The ultimate error is the refusal to look evil in the face.

Rollo May

Errors, Evil, Looks

Rollo May (1999). “Freedom and Destiny”, p.227, W. W. Norton & Company

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If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself.

Rollo May

Depression, Ideas, Creating

Rollo May (1994). “The Courage to Create”, p.12, W. W. Norton & Company

89 Copy quote
People only change when it becomes too dangerous to stay the way they are.

Rollo May

People, Way, Dangerous

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Many people suffer from the fear of finding oneself alone, and so they don't find themselves at all.

Rollo May

People, Suffering, Introspection

Rollo May (2009). “Man's Search for Himself”, p.13, W. W. Norton & Company

82 Copy quote
One does not become fully human painlessly.

Rollo May

Reality, Doe, Humans

"Existential-Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology". Book by Ronald S. Valle, 1978.

39 Copy quote
Freedom is man's capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves.

Rollo May

Freedom, Men, Hands

Rollo May (2009). “Man's Search for Himself”, p.119, W. W. Norton & Company

93 Copy quote
It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way.

Rollo May

Inspirational, Running, Wisdom

Rollo May (1969). “Love and will”

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Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one's identity as a being of worth and dignity.

Rollo May

Emotional, Goal, Joy

Rollo May (2009). “Man's Search for Himself”, p.67, W. W. Norton & Company

66 Copy quote
Therapy isn't curing somebody of something; it is a means of helping a person explore himself, his life, his consciousness. My purpose as a therapist is to find out what it means to be human. Every human being must have a point at which he stands against the culture, where he says, "This is me and the world be damned!" Leaders have always been the ones to stand against the society - Socrates, Christ, Freud, all the way down the line.

Rollo May

Mean, Leader, Lines

"Marriage Today : Problems, Issues, and Alternatives". Book by James E. De Burger, p. 444, 1977.

67 Copy quote
To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before

Rollo May

Love, Life, Disappointment

Rollo May (1969). “Love and will”

87 Copy quote
The hallmark of courage in our age of conformity is the capacity to stand on one's own convictions - not obstinately or defiantly

Rollo May

Courage, Conformity, Hallmark

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When people feel their insignificance as individual persons, they also suffer an undermining of their sense of human responsibility.

Rollo May

Responsibility, People, Suffering

"Psychology and the Human Dilemma". Book by Rollo May, p. 31, 1967.

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Fortunately, however, we no longer have to argue that self -love is not only necessary and good but that it also is a prerequisite for loving others.

Rollo May

Love, Self, People In Your Life

"Man's Search for Himself".

82 Copy quote
Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.

Rollo May

Inspirational, Life, Sympathy

84 Copy quote
Depression is the inability to construct a future.

Rollo May

Sad, Depression, Depressing

"Love and Will". Book by Rollo May, ch. 9, 1969.

67 Copy quote
The turtle only makes progress when it's neck is stuck out.

Rollo May

Inspirational, Turtles, Progress

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However it may be confounded or covered up or counterfeited, this elemental capacity to fight against injustice remains the distinguishing characteristic of human beings.

Rollo May

Fighting, Covered Up, May

"Power and Innocence: A Search for the Sources of Violence". Book by Rollo May, Ch. 11 : The Humanity of the Rebel, 1972.

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Evil, in this system of ethics, is that which tears apart, shuts out the other person, raises barriers, sets people against each other.

Rollo May

People, Evil, Tears

Rollo May (1985). “My Quest for Beauty”, W W Norton & Company Incorporated

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Many people feel they are powerless to do anything effective with their lives. It takes courage to break out of the settled mold, but most find conformity more comfortable. This is why the opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it's conformity.

Rollo May

Opposites, People, Our Society

"Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice". Book by Napoleon Hill, p. 104, 1991.

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To believe fully and at the same moment to have doubts is not at all a contradiction: it presupposes a greater respect for truth, an awareness that truth always goes beyond anything that can be said or done at any given moment.

Rollo May

Truth, Believe, Doubt

Rollo May (1994). “The Courage to Create”, p.21, W. W. Norton & Company

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One of the easiest ways to be irresponsible about power is to forget you have it.

Rollo May

Way, Planning, Forget You

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In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.

Rollo May

Inspirational, Quiet People, Being Alone

66 Copy quote

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Born: April 21, 1909
Died: October 22, 1994
Occupation: Psychologist
Cite this Page: Citation

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