7 Powerful Sigmund Freud Quotes That Unlock the Secrets of the Psyche

“The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.”

Civilization began with verbal conflict resolution, not physical violence

“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

Not everything holds hidden meaning; some things are simply themselves

“Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.”

True self-awareness requires confronting one's unconscious desires and motivations honestly

“The ego is not master in its own house.”

The unconscious mind influences and often controls the conscious ego's decisions

“We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love.”

Love makes us vulnerable to suffering and emotional pain, Freud believed

“Where does a thought go when it’s forgotten?”

Freud questioned the unconscious mind and the fate of forgotten thoughts

“Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.”

Human society began when anger was expressed through words, not violence