erik erikson

“ It is true that the first discipline encountered by a young man is the one he must somehow identify with unless he chooses to remain unidentified in his years of need. ”

“ Personality, too, is destiny. ”

“ The playing adult steps sideward into another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery. ”

“ He who is ashamed would like to force the world not to look at him, not to notice his exposure. He would like to destroy the eyes of the world. ”

“ The American feels too rich in his opportunities for free expression that he often no longer knows what he is free from. ”

“ Adolescents need the freedom to choose, but not so much freedom that they cannot, in fact, make a choice. ”

“ You see a child play, and it is so close to seeing an artist paint, for in play a child says things without uttering a word. You can see how he solves his problems. ”

“ In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity. ”

“ The way you, 'take history', is also a way of 'making history'. ”

“ Healthy children will not fear life if their elders have integrity enough not to fear death. ”