The real opposition is that between the ego-bound man, whose existence is structured by the principle of having, and the free man, who has overcome his egocentricity.

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Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve.

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A society whose principles are acquisition, profit, and property produces a social character oriented around having, and once the dominant pattern is established, nobody wants to be an outsider, or indeed an outcast; in order to avoid this risk everybody adapts to the majority, who have in common only their mutual antagonism

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Hate is a product of the unfulfilled life.

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The task we must set for ourselves is not to feel secure, but to be able to tolerate insecurity.

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Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important product of his effort is his own personality.

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Power on the one side, fear on the other, are always the buttresses on which irrational authority is built

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The affirmation of one's own life, happiness, growth and freedom, is rooted in one's capacity to love.

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An illusion shared by everyone becomes a reality.

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If other people do not understand our behavior-so what? Their request that we must only do what they understand is an attempt to dictate to us. If this is being 'asocial' or 'irrational' in their eyes, so be it. Mostly they resent our freedom and our courage to be ourselves. We owe nobody an explanation or an accounting, as long as our acts do not hurt or infringe on them.

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