We have to realize that we are as deeply afraid to live and to love as we are to die.
R. D. LaingRead
True guilt is guilt at the obligation one owes to oneself to be oneself. False guilt is guilt felt at not being what other people feel one ought to be or assume that one is.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True guilt arises from failing to be one's authentic self, while false guilt comes from societal expectations.
This quote by R. D. Laing distinguishes between two types of guilt: true guilt, which reflects an internal obligation to remain true to oneself, and false guilt, which is imposed by external pressures and the expectations of others. Recognizing this difference allows individuals to prioritize their authentic identities over conforming to societal norms.
Themes
GuiltSelfAuthenticitySocietyIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mental health, this quote can help explain the difference between personal and social pressures.
More from R. D. Laing
All quotes →Madness need not be all breakdown. It may also be break-through. It is potential liberation and renewal as well as enslavement and existential death.
R. D. LaingRead
Whether life is worth living depends on whether there is love in life.
R. D. LaingRead
The experience and behavior that gets labeled schizophrenic is a special strategy that a person invents in order to live in an unlivable situation.
R. D. LaingRead
The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.
R. D. LaingRead
Here we have the paradox, the potentially tragic paradox, that our relatedness to others is an essential aspect of our being, as is our separateness, but any particular person is not a necessary part of our being.
R. D. LaingRead
Similar quotes
Fear must be entirely banished. The purified soul will fear nothing.
PlotinusRead
The bond between a man and his profession is similar to that which ties him to his country; it is just as complex, often ambivalent, and in general it is understood completely only when it is broken: by exile or emigration in the case of one's country, by retirement in the case of a trade or profession.
Primo LeviRead
We abandon the most important journey of our lives when we abandon desire. We leave our hearts by the side of the road and head off in the direction of fitting in, getting by, being productive, what have you. Whatever we might gain – money, position, the approval of others, or just absence of the discontent self – it’s not worth it.
John EldredgeRead
Medicine to produce health must examine disease; and music, to create harmony must investigate discord.
PlutarchRead
There are many female gods recognized and honored by the tribes and Nations. Femaleness was highly valued, both respected and feared, and all social institutions reflected this attitude. Even modern sayings, such as the Cheyenne statement that a people is not conquered until the hearts of the women are on the ground, express the Indians understanding that without the power of woman the people will not live, but with it, they will endure and prosper.
Paula Gunn AllenRead
Bliss is a thing which is always there and is not something which comes and goes. That which comes and goes is a creation of the mind.
Ramana MaharshiRead