Anthony Storr

“It is a paradox that the more dependent the child is on the mother, the more the mother is bound to the child.”

“Depressive states can be understood as a failure of the aggressive, forward-moving, life-asserting-potential of the individual.”

“The creative person is constantly seeking to discover himself, to remodel his own personality, and to find meaning in the universe through what he creates.”

“The opposite of play is not what is serious but what is real.”

“Love is our pivotal capacity to connect with others.”

“It is only when we are no longer dependent upon the opinions of others that we can be truly free.”

“The ability to be alone is one of the most important aspects of mental health.”

“The capacity to be alone is a valuable resource when life is full of stress and strain.”

“Originality, it is said, is the art of concealing one's sources.”

“The mature person is one who is able to be objective about himself and his own behavior.”

“One of the tasks of mid-life is to reappraise the external world and our place in it.”

“The creative process, like a spiritual journey, is an attempt to express the ineffable.”

“If we did not have the capacity to be alone, we would not be able to be with others.”

“In the last resort, we must all of us find our own faith or lack of it, and for most of us it is death which provides the ultimate challenge.”