"He sido un hombre afortunado en la vida, nada me ha sido facil." "I've been a fortunate man in life, nothing has come easy"
One thing only do I know for certain and that is that man's judgments of value follow directly his wishes for happiness-that, accordingly, they are an attempt to support his illusions with arguments. [p.111]
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our desires shape our perceptions of value, often distorting our judgment to align with what makes us happy.
This quote by Sigmund Freud suggests that the way individuals evaluate the value of things in life is heavily influenced by their personal desires for happiness. Rather than making objective judgments, people often construct arguments to support their illusions, meaning they may rationalize decisions or beliefs that ultimately serve their own happiness rather than truth. This highlights the psychological tendency to conform our perceptions to our wishes.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal values, this quote can be used to emphasize how our desires influence our perceptions.
More from Sigmund Freud
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The tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man... it constitutes the powerful obstacle to culture.
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