Erich Fromm

"It is naively assumed that the fact that the majority of people share certain ideas and feelings proves the validity of these ideas and feelings. Nothing could be further from the truth. Consensual validation as such has no bearing on reason or mental health."

6 likes

Source: Erich Fromm (2014). “The Erich Fromm Reader: Readings Selected and Edited by Rainer Funk”, p.74, Open Road Media

About the author

Erich Fromm

Erich Fromm

Psychologist, Philosopher

Erich Fromm was a German social psychologist and philosopher known for his works on love, freedom, and humanistic psychology, particularly in 'The Art of Loving.'

All quotes by Erich Fromm →

Same author

More quotes by Erich Fromm

See all →
Erich Fromm Psychologist, Philosopher

"Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love."

Read quote
Erich Fromm Psychologist, Philosopher

"Many psychiatrists and psychologists refuse to entertain the idea that society as a whole may be lacking in sanity. They hold that the problem of mental health in a society is only that of the number of 'unadjusted' individuals, and not of a possible unadjustment of the culture itself."

Read quote
Erich Fromm Psychologist, Philosopher

"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."

Read quote
Erich Fromm Psychologist, Philosopher

"Respect is not fear and awe; it...[is]the ability to see a person as he is, to be aware of his unique individuality. Respect, thus, implies the absence of exploitation. I want the loved person to grow and unfold for his own sake, and in his own ways, and not for the purpose of serving me."

Read quote