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Melanie Klein Quotes

One of the many interesting and surprising experiences of the beginner in child analysis is to find in even very young children a capacity for insight which is often far greater than that of adults.

One of the many interesting and surprising experiences of the beginner in child analysis is to find in even very young children a capacity for insight which is often far greater than that of adults.

Melanie Klein
Children, Interesting, Adults
Melanie Klein, Juliet Mitchell (1987). “Selected Melanie Klein”, p.46, Simon and Schuster

The highly ambitious person, in spite of all his successes, always remains dissatisfied, in the same way as a greedy baby is never satisfied.

Melanie Klein
Baby, Ambition, Ambitious
Melanie Klein (2002). “Envy and Gratitude”, p.261, Simon and Schuster

The root of creativity is found in the need to repair the good object destroyed during the depressive phase.

Melanie Klein
Creativity, Roots, Needs

God has put something noble and good into every heart his hand has created. So while living on earth we must always remember to learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow because time will only show what has mattered throughout our journey.

Melanie Klein
Motivational, Heart, Journey

Although psychology and pedagogy have always maintained the belief that a child is a happy being without any conflicts, and have assumed that the sufferings of adults are the results of the burdens and hardships of reality, it must be asserted that just the opposite is true. What we learn about the child and the adult through psychoanalysis shows that all the sufferings of later life are for the most part repetitions of these earlier ones, and that every child in the first years of life goes through and immeasurable degree of suffering.

Melanie Klein
Children, Reality, Years
"Love, Guilt and Reparation: And Other Works 1921-1945". Book by Melanie Klein, p. 173, 2002.

Feelings of love and gratitude arise directly and spontaneously in the baby in response to the love and care of his mother.

Melanie Klein
Life, Mother, Baby
Melanie Klein (1975). “The Writings of Melanie Klein: Love, guilt and separation and other works”

Feminism freed my mind. Yoga freed my body. It's one thing to intellectualize self-love and another to embody it.

Melanie Klein
Yoga, Self, Mind
Melanie Klein, Anna Guest-Jelley (2014). “Yoga and Body Image: 25 Personal Stories About Beauty, Bravery & Loving Your Body”, p.104, Llewellyn Worldwide

My psycho-analytic work has convinced me that when in the baby's mind the conflicts between love and hate arise, and the fears of losing the loved one become active, a very important step is made in development.

Melanie Klein
Baby, Hate, Mind
Melanie Klein (1975). “The Writings of Melanie Klein: Love, guilt and separation and other works”

It is characteristic of the emotions of the very young infant that they are of an extreme and powerful nature.

Melanie Klein
Powerful, Emotion, Characteristics
Melanie Klein (2002). “Envy and Gratitude”, p.64, Simon and Schuster

the anxiety arising from the perpetual activity of the death instinct, though never eliminated, is counteracted and kept at bay by the power of the life instinct.

Melanie Klein
Life And Death, Anxiety, Instinct
Melanie Klein (2002). “Envy and Gratitude”, p.42, Simon and Schuster

It is an essential part of the interpretive work that it should keep in step with fluctuations between love and hatred, between happiness and satisfaction on the one hand and persecutory anxiety and depression on the other.

Melanie Klein
Hands, Hatred, Anxiety
Melanie Klein, Juliet Mitchell (1987). “Selected Melanie Klein”, p.42, Simon and Schuster

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