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The American culture ideal of the "self-made-man," of everyone "standing on his own feet" seemed as tragic a picture as the initiative-destroying dependence on a benevolent despot. He felt and perceived clearly that we all need continuous help from each other, and that this type of interdependence is the greatest challenge to maturity of individual and group functioning.
Kurt Lewin
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of interdependence over individualism.

Kurt Lewin critiques the American cultural ideal of the 'self-made man', arguing that the notion of complete independence is not only unrealistic but also detrimental. He suggests that true maturity, both individually and in groups, comes from recognizing our need for mutual support and cooperation, rather than relying solely on one's own efforts or a dominating authority.

Themes

InterdependenceCooperationSupportIndividualismMaturity

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about teamwork, you could use this quote to highlight the importance of collaboration.

More from Kurt Lewin

The history of acceptance of new theories frequently shows the following steps: At first the new idea is treated as pure nonsense, not worth looking at. Then comes a time when a multitude of contradictory objections are raised, such as: the new theory is too fancy, or merely a new terminology; it is not fruitful, or simply wrong. Finally a state is reached when everyone seems to claim that he had always followed this theory. This usually marks the last state before general acceptance.
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Learning is more effective when it is an active rather than a passive process.
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If you want truly to understand something, try to change it.
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Fortunately I experienced Max Wertheimer's teaching in Berlin and collaborated for over a decade with Wolfgang Köhler. I need not emphasize my debts to these outstanding personalities. The fundamental ideas of Gestalt theory are the foundation of all our investigations in the field of the will, of affection, and of the personality.
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