Quotes by Alice Miller
“The grandiose person is never really free; first, because he is excessively dependent on the admiration of others, and second, because his self-respect is dependent on qualities, functions, and achievements that can suddenly fail.”— Alice Miller
“The truth about our childhood is stored up in our body, and although we can repress it, we can never alter it.”— Alice Miller
“Genuine feelings cannot be produced, nor can they be eradicated. We can only repress them, conceal them, or pretend to strangers—and sometimes to ourselves—that we do not have them.”— Alice Miller
“All children are born to grow, to develop, to live, to love, and to articulate their needs and feelings for their self-protection.”— Alice Miller
“What is addiction, really? It is a sign, a signal, a symptom of distress. It is a language that tells us about a plight that must be understood.”— Alice Miller
“For the human soul is virtually indestructible, and its ability to rise from the ashes remains as long as the body draws breath.”— Alice Miller
“Contempt is the weapon of the weak and a defense against one's own despised and unwanted feelings.”— Alice Miller
“We don't yet know, above all, what the world might be like if children were to grow up without being subjected to humiliation.”— Alice Miller
“Experience has taught us that we have only one enduring weapon in our struggle against mental illness: the emotional discovery of our unique childhood history.”— Alice Miller
“The creative person is constantly seeking to discover himself, to remodel his own identity, and to find meaning in the universe through what he creates.”— Alice Miller
“A child who has been denied his own feelings is not only confused but also is robbed of his inner compass.”— Alice Miller
“The child must adapt to ensure the illusion of love, care, and kindness, but the adult does not need this illusion to survive.”— Alice Miller