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The most important misunderstanding seems to me to lie in a confusion between the human necessities which I consider part of human nature, and the human necessities as they appear as drives, needs, passions, etc., in any given historical period.

— Erich Fromm Human Nature and Social Theory (1969)

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More quotes by Erich Fromm

Immature love says: "I love you because I need you." Mature love says: "I need you because I love you."

The Art of Loving (1956)

Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve and from which he cannot escape.

Man for Himself (1947)

The successful revolutionary is a statesman, the unsuccessful one a criminal.

Escape from Freedom (1941)

The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers.

Man for Himself (1947)

Only the person who has faith in himself is able to be faithful to others.

Man for Himself (1947)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Erich Fromm (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.