Love is generally confused with dependence; but in point of fact, you can love only in proportion to your capacity for independence.
Rollo MayRead
This personal freedom to think and feel and speak authentically and to be conscious of so doing is the quality that distinguishes us as human.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Authentic self-expression is what makes us uniquely human.
Rollo May highlights the essential nature of personal freedom, emphasizing that the ability to think, feel, and express oneself genuinely is a defining characteristic of humanity. He suggests that consciousness in our actions and expression underpins our identity and individuality, making authenticity vital for living a fulfilling life.
Themes
AuthenticityFreedomSelf-ExpressionHumanityConsciousness
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech to inspire people to embrace their authenticity.
More from Rollo May
All quotes βTo 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 MayRead
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.
Rollo MayRead
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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A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
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You have the effrontery to be squeamish, it thought at him. But we were dragons. We were supposed to be cruel, cunning, heartless and terrible. But this much I can tell you, you ape β the great face pressed even closer, so that Wonse was staring into the pitiless depths of his eyes β we never burned and tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality.
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The finest clothing made is a person's own skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.
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