Quotes from book
Civilization and Its Discontents

Civilization and Its Discontents
Sigmund Freud Original title Das Unbehagen in der Kultur (German, 1930)

Civilization and Its Discontents is a book by Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. It was written in 1929 and first published in German in 1930 as Das Unbehagen in der Kultur . Exploring what Freud sees as the important clash between the desire for individuality and the expectations of society, the book is considered one of Freud's most important and widely read works, and one of the most influential and studied books in the field of modern psychology.


Sigmund Freud photo

“Beauty has no obvious use; nor is there any clear cultural necessity for it. Yet civilization could not do without it.”

Source: 1920s, Civilization and Its Discontents (1929), Ch. 2, as translated by James Strachey, p.62

Sigmund Freud photo
Sigmund Freud photo

“It is impossible to escape the impression that people commonly use false standards of measurement — that they seek power, success and wealth for themselves and admire them in others, and that they underestimate what is of true value in life.”

Man kann sich des Eindrucks nicht erwehren, daß die Menschen gemeinhin mit falschen Maßstäben messen, Macht, Erfolg und Reichtum für sich anstreben und bei anderen bewundern, die wahren Werte des Lebens aber unterschätzen.
Source: 1920s, Civilization and Its Discontents (1929), Ch. 1, as translated by James Strachey, p.25

Sigmund Freud photo
Sigmund Freud photo
Sigmund Freud photo
Sigmund Freud photo
Sigmund Freud photo
Sigmund Freud photo
Sigmund Freud photo

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