Love is generally confused with dependence; but in point of fact, you can love only in proportion to your capacity for independence.
Rollo MayRead
Memory depends mainly upon myth. Some even occurs in our minds, in actuality or in fantasy; we form it in memory, molding it like clay day after day - and soon we have made out of that event a myth. We then keep the myth in memory as a guide to future similar situations.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Memory is shaped by myths, both real and imagined, influencing our future perceptions and decisions.
This quote from Rollo May suggests that our memories are not static recordings of past events; instead, they are dynamic constructs that we shape over time. Both actual experiences and our fantasies play a role in how we recall the past, allowing us to create myths that serve as guides for how we approach similar situations in the future. This reflects the idea that memory is as much an act of creation as it is a recollection, underscoring the influence of narrative and myth on our understanding of reality.
Themes
MemoryMythPerceptionPastFuture
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a psychology seminar discussing the nature of memory.
More from Rollo May
All quotes →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
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Terrorism and the whole drug scene are vivid examples of the fact that what persons abhor most of all in life is the possibility that they will not matter.
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Humor is the healthy way of feeling "distance" between one's self and the problem, a way of standing off and looking at one's problem with perspective.
Rollo MayRead
Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.
Rollo MayRead
The poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.
Rollo MayRead
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