4,465 Quotes About Psychology

The idea of original sin--of guilt with no possibility of innocence, no freedom of choice, no alternatives--inherently militates against self-esteem. The very notion of guilt without volition or responsibility is an assault on reason as well as on morality. Sin is not original, it is originated--like virtue.

It is crucial for us to understand the origins of our low self-esteem before we can transcend it.

Self-esteem is the way you regard yourself as either being worth your mother’s while to care for you, protect you and keep you safe and alive, to be present for you when you need her to meet your needs – or not.

He was a jerk; he didn’t deserve to be the object of my lust. But he’d smelled so fucking good, like spice and musk and man. We don’t have control over what we fantasize about. The fact that he was mean and unattainable made him that much more likely to be an object of my forbidden thoughts. Just like I learned in psychology class back in college, thought suppression often leads to obsession. If you tell yourself not to think about something, then you’ll think about it even more.

This book is a memoir - not of specific life events, but of the processes of dissociation, and of re-enlivening emotions that are shameful to admit or even to feel. It is an account of the altered states that trauma induces, which make it possible to survive a life-threatening event but impair the capacity to feel fear, and worse still, impair the ability to love. (292)

Make love and kindness toward yourself and others a lifestyle and not a special event

Respect everyone who crosses your path, even if you feel they don't deserve it.

Writing is a solitary existence, especially if you forget to chat to your friends – sorry, I meant characters.

The fear of not being remembered is a dangerous thing.