Carl Jung Quotes

“Be silent and listen: have you recognized your madness and do you admit it? Have you noticed that all your foundations are completely mired in madness? Do you not want to recognize your madness and welcome it in a friendly manner? You wanted to accept everything. So accept madness too. Let the light of your madness shine, and it will suddenly dawn on you. Madness is not to be despised and not to be feared, but instead you should give it life...If you want to find paths, you should also not spurn madness, since it makes up such a great part of your nature...Be glad that you can recognize it, for you will thus avoid becoming its victim. Madness is a special form of the spirit and clings to all teachings and philosophies, but even more to daily life, since life itself is full of craziness and at bottom utterly illogical. Man strives toward reason only so that he can make rules for himself. Life itself has no rules. That is its mystery and its unknown law. What you call knowledge is an attempt to impose something comprehensible on life.”
― C.G. Jung, The Red Book: A Reader's Edition

“Nobody can fall so low unless he has a great depth.

If such a thing can happen to a man, it challenges his best and highest on the other side; that is to say, this depth corresponds to a potential height, and the blackest darkness to a hidden light.”
― C.G. Jung

“‎"...the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.”
― Carl Jung

“While we hear Carl Jung's jazzy humming and Nietzsche's dance steps intermittently during our musings, we can willingly tear down the spread of depression from all the gray zones around and allow the sun to shine and warm up the hearts' expectations. ("A handful of dust")”
― Erik Pevernagie

“We should know what our convictions are, and stand for them. Upon one's own philosophy, conscious or unconscious, depends one's ultimate interpretation of facts. Therefore it is wise to be as clear as possible about one's subjective principles. As the man is, so will be his ultimate truth.”
― C.G. Jung

“Every human life contains a potential. It that potential is not fulfilled, that life was wasted.”
― Carl Gustav Jung

“Were it not for the leaping and twinkling of the soul, man would rot away in his greatest passion, idleness.”
― C.G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious

“I myself found a fascinating example of this in Nietzsche’s book Thus Spake Zarathustra, where the author reproduces almost word for word an incident reported in a ship’s log for the year 1686. By sheer chance I had read this seaman’s yarn in a book published about 1835 (half a century before Nietzsche wrote); and when I found the similar passage in Thus Spake Zarathustra, I was struck by its peculiar style, which was different from Nietzsche’s usual language. I was convinced that Nietzsche must also have seen the old book, though he made no reference to it. I wrote to his sister, who was still alive, and she confirmed that she and her brother had in fact read the book together when he was 11 years old. I think, from the context, it is inconceivable that Nietzsche had any idea that he was plagiarizing this story. I believe that fifty years later it has unexpectedly slipped into focus in his conscious mind.”
― C.G. Jung, Man and His Symbols

“Carl Jung never said: “There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own Soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
What Dr. Jung said in two separate and unrelated statements was:
Seldom, or perhaps never, does a marriage develop into an individual relationship smoothly and without crises; there is no coming to consciousness without pain. ~Carl Jung, Contributions to Analytical Psychology, P. 193
People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. ~Carl Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, Page 99.”
― C.G. Jung

“As we approach parts with curiosity and compassion, they may spontaneously release burdens and polarities, returning to the wholeness of the Self, no longer believing in separateness. The conceptual framework surrounding parts may dissolve, and the very label "part" may become superfluous. This aligns with Schwartz’s belief that in a healthy, integrated, or never-burdened system, you "hardly notice your parts." As inner harmony is achieved through this work, the practices themselves may naturally fade away, including any mindfulness or self-inquiry techniques, as our direct knowing of the unified Self stabilizes. What remains is unmediated experiencing—perception without an internal judge or narrator imposing layers of meaning. Like a bird feeling the fresh raindrop, we awaken to the pure isness of the present moment. We recognize that diversity was never truly separate—all parts reside within the vastness of the Self and feel its illuminating presence infusing life with wholeness. Self-realization does not conflict with the experience of inner multiplicity. Rather, it provides the foundation for embracing our diverse parts with love and understanding. Just as clouds naturally arise within the vast expanse of the sky, the many facets of our psyche emerge from the same unitary source of consciousness. By recognizing our fundamental oneness, we can openly accept all inner voices and perspectives as inseparable expressions of our true nature. Parts work therapies like Jungian analysis, psychosynthesis, and IFS rest on the realization that our multiplicity arises from and returns to an underlying unity. Healing separation unveils the intrinsic connectedness shining through our diversity. The many are seen to be expressions of the one infinite consciousness from which we all emerge. Awakening to our true nature does not erase our finite human form but allows us to live as embodiments of the infinite while navigating the relative world. We can embrace relationships, experiences, and inner parts as manifestations of the vast depths of being itself. Our very capacity for a richly textured existence arises from the fecundity of the source—celebrating the unlimited creativity that gives rise to all multiplicities within its all-encompassing embrace. When we unravel the tendency to view parts as separate from Self, ourselves as separate from the collective, and the collective as separate from the universe, we find interconnected wholeness underneath it all, like pieces of the same puzzle fitting perfectly together. Though each piece may seem distinct, together they form a complete picture. Just as a puzzle is not whole without all its pieces, so too are we fragments without our connections to others and the greater whole. All pieces big and small fit together to create the fullness of life. From the vantage point of the infinite, life appears as a seamless whole. Yet seen through the finite lens of the mind, it fragments into countless shapes and forms. To insist that only oneness or multiplicity is real leads to a fragmented perspective, caught between mutually exclusive extremes. With curiosity and compassion, we can integrate these views into a unified vision. Like the beads in a kaleidoscope, Self appears in endless configurations—now as particle, now as wave. Though the patterns change, the beads remain the same. All possibilities are held safely within the kaleidoscope's luminous field. The essence lies in remembering that no bead stands alone. Parts require the presence of an overarching whole that encompasses them. The individual Self necessitates the existence of a vaster, universal SELF. The love that binds all parts infuses the inside and outside alike. This unifying love can be likened to the Tao, the very fabric from which life is woven.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Our parts are not problems to eliminate, but facets to welcome and embrace, recognizing their inability to disrupt our deeper state of being. If parts naturally recede into the background of experience, allow it, but making this a goal is unnecessary. If you become fixated on total dissolution to attain bliss, it's wise to examine this desire with curiosity. In an awakened state, all is welcomed without needing to make binary choices between spirit and matter, personal and universal, finite and infinite, samsara and nirvana. We can experience profound mystery because we embody both realms, always.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Suffering persists when we resist accepting the complementary polarities of emotions like grief and joy. Every conflict contains the seeds of its resolution. As the Hindu sage Patanjali stated in one of his Yoga Sutras, 'By experiencing the pairs of opposites, suffering ceases. When distress arises, ride opposing thoughts back into nondual awareness. By reversing instability into stability, from refusing into non-refusing, suffering is relinquished. Through disidentification, the pairs of opposites cease their noxious effect. By reversing the pairs of opposites stability and the release of suffering are quickly achieved.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Viktor Frankl used the metaphor of geometric dimensions to illustrate challenges in perception and understanding. Just as a three-dimensional cylinder projected onto a two-dimensional plane can appear as different shapes depending on the angle, our perspectives are limited by the "conceptual dimensions" we inhabit. Focusing on one framework or worldview casts blind spots on issues outside its purview. Like the cylinder, reality contains more complexity than any single viewpoint can capture. What appears contradictory from a limited vantage point may be reconciled from a broader perspective. Self has this broad perspective. Frankl suggested cultivating multi-dimensional awareness (Self's awareness) to overcome biases and grasp truth more wholly. Though we cannot transcend our situatedness (parts and ego), we can seek to understand the diverse dimensions that comprise the fullness of reality. Awareness of our frames allows us to interpret experiences with more wisdom and nuance.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Awakening to Self does not require perfecting our humanity or renouncing our physical incarnation. Our human experience expresses the Self, it does not obstruct it. Self-realization is not about rejecting the physical world, but rather falling into the perfection of how finite reality presents itself in the moment. The personal and universal are not separate—form and formlessness intermingle like the unseen mycelia beneath our feet. As we arrive at the deepest realization on the nondual path, we find that no distance has been traversed and no achievement has been attained. However, paradoxically, had we not embarked on that journey and made the necessary efforts, we would not have arrived at this understanding.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Many individuals on spiritual paths either avoid intimate relationships altogether or continue to struggle relationally, despite good intentions, due to the influence of unconscious patterns rooted in our formative years. Psychological work to bring these patterns to conscious awareness is frequently necessary. As Swami Prajnanpad emphasized, the context of a committed relationship serves as a potent litmus test, exposing our vulnerabilities and potentially confounding superficial spiritual achievements. Rather than viewing relational difficulties as mere manifestations of the unpleasantness inherent in the cycle of existence (samsara), we could recognize relationships as a significant evolutionary challenge—the very curriculum for our awakening.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“When we chronically disregard the inner voice of the body, our unresolved emotional needs and traumas may start to emerge physically as various pains, tensions, and symptoms. Our muscles remember what our mind tries to forget.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Just as the opposite of addiction is connection, not mere sobriety, the antidote to separation and suffering is not enmeshed relationships, but the embodiment of our fundamental nondual nature—the acceptance that we are inherently interconnected beings. The separate self perspective acts as "inner colonialism," imposing an artificial individual identity on our interconnected consciousness. This colonization of the self dominates and subjugates our deeper, nondual nature, creating borders within our experience. Similar to colonial powers, it drains us of vitality and belonging. It leads to an "imperialism of consciousness," reinforcing the separate self narrative and undermining our interdependence with life. Recognizing this dynamic reveals the toll on our psyche, emotions, and spirituality, as it severs us from meaning and wholeness. Undoing this colonialism liberates us to reclaim our interconnected, nondual nature.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Our journey spirals inwardly towards the central point—our unique Self—contrasted with the separate self. This unique Self represents a perfect equilibrium of immanence and transcendence, particle and wave, parts and whole. It neither rejects nor clings to either polarity, instead guiding from a harmonious balance between the opposing spectrums. The unique Self transcends the ego's constraints and the abstraction of nondual awareness, allowing us to fully embody the human form while recognizing our spiritual nature. Without realizing and gravitating towards this unique Self, we remain subject to the ego's chaotic attempts to manage disparate parts. The unique Self exerts a grounding, centering gravitational force similar to Earth's pull, providing a stable point of attraction. While the transpersonal Self is the boundless, aware presence containing everything, analogous to the limitless expanse of outer space beyond Earth.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Duality and nonduality are not separate; within the concept of duonity, they are inextricably interwoven. Each aspect holds equal value, and the experience of duality serves as a pathway to realizing nonduality.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“The journey of ego-Self separation and reunion is not a strictly linear process with a clear beginning and end. Similar to the heroic journey, it is a spiralling path that we navigate throughout our lives. We separate and reunite multiple times, at different depths and levels of consciousness. With each revolution of the spiral, we reconnect with deeper and vaster expanses of our authentic Self, without negating the role of the ego or our humanity. This lifelong journey is a continual unfolding and balancing of the paradox of the human and divine within us.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“When the ego is finally aligned with the Self, we awaken from its abstract constructions and directly experience the present moment, unmediated by mental concepts about ourselves. Life itself becomes a verb, a continuous unfolding, rather than a static noun.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Nondual parts work modalities restructure the internal family, enabling the ego to relinquish authority, resulting in Self-leadership. Capable of integrating the conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche without becoming overwhelmed, the Self serves as the ideal organizing principle.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Neumann draws a parallel between the infant's initial state of absolute wholeness, where the ego is submerged in the unconscious realm of uroboric unity. As the ego emerges, we experience a painful sense of separation from this unitary state, as well as from the intimate connection to life. The pinnacle of psychological growth becomes attaining once more that lost condition of original integration, but this time with full conscious awareness under the leadership of the Self.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“The presence of fire during the ordeal (dark night of the soul) symbolizes burning off remnants of burdens to prepare for integration of the part's re-awakening to its inherent beauty and positive qualities. Braving those flames facilitates this unveiling and a shift towards awareness of Self within. Just as diamonds form under incredible heat and pressure deep within the Earth, so too does the intense fire of inner turmoil and emotional pressure during the ordeal stage forge exiled parts into brilliant gems of Self-realization.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Discernment is a meeting point of the parts' will, the Self's will, and the universal will. From this confluence, a living, flowing Knowing emerges—a unified will that guides our actions and perceptions. With this clear yet permeable sense of Self, we engage with the world with openness and care, neither losing ourselves nor closing ourselves off.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Intentions born from our Self possess a natural flow and spaciousness, unfettered by the urgency and strain that can arise from parts weighed down by burdens. These Self-sourced intentions often emerge when we embody Self energy, experiencing an openness and vibrant fullness within our hearts. Such intentions are fluid and unbound, free from attachment to rigid, measurable goals. Instead, they invite a co-creative dance with the universe itself, emphasizing compassion, rather than fixating on tangible outcomes.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Our spiritual essence is not something foreign we must acquire—it is already within us, waiting to be revealed. As our parts relax, gain trust and feel secure and safe enough to step back, Self naturally emerges. We don't need to arduously develop Self-leadership; it arises spontaneously as our inner world becomes more balanced and harmonious. In this way, we embody the essence of our divine nature without effort.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Across spiritual traditions, sages and mystics have recognized a divine essence underlying all existence, often described as the "light behind the clouds." From Rumi's poetic verses to the Diamond Sutra's teachings, Meister Eckhart's sermons to Ramana Maharshi's insights, this fundamental awareness emerges repeatedly. Contemporary teachers like Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, and Rupert Spira continue sharing this perennial wisdom, which the IFS model translates into a modern psychotherapeutic framework. The technique complements rather than replaces contemplative paths, offering a modality for directly experiencing the shared spiritual recognition permeating sages' teachings across cultures and eras. Through IFS, individuals can connect with the higher insights found within the world's great wisdom traditions.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“The nondual approach integrates evolving theories and embodiment practices along the horizontal dimension with timeless awareness and transcendence along the vertical dimension. It fosters the therapist's authenticity, presence, spontaneous creativity and radical acceptance. While the therapist may have an impressive array of tools, effectiveness requires unlearning and resting in unknowing presence. In this way, nondual awareness deepens psychology by shifting attention from the head to the heart, creating a resonant field of loving, empathic acceptance that unveils new ways of perceiving encompassing mind, heart, and body.”
― Laura Patryas, Awaken To Love: Reclaiming Wholeness through Embodied Nonduality with Jungian Wisdom, Psychosynthesis & Internal Family Systems

“Carl Jung's research reveals that suffering helps us grow on a personal level. It pushes us to confront what we hide or ignore about ourselves, promoting a journey toward a deeper understanding of our being. This process of reflection and introspection leads to inner evolution, allowing us to know ourselves better.”
― Marie Chieze, Words of the Shaman: 50 Quotes from Paching Hoé Lambaiho