Adaptation Quote by Anthony Storr
“The ecstatic state of wholeness is bound to be transient because it has no part in the total pattern of ‘adaptation through maladaptation’ which is characteristic of our species…the hunger of imagination, the desire and pursuit of the whole, take origin from the realization that something is missing, from awareness of incompleteness.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Anatomy of Melancholy, 1965
The desire for wholeness is fleeting because humans constantly adapt through imperfect changes; feeling incomplete drives imagination and growth.
In simple terms: We chase completeness, but it’s temporary.
Key Takeaway
Embrace incompleteness as a catalyst for creativity.
Themes
growth
imagination
imperfection
human nature
Mood
thoughtful
inspirational
analytical
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- artistic projects
- personal development
- problem solving
- learning cycles
- innovation
Key Concepts
psychology
philosophy
creative drive
Questions to Reflect On
- What does your sense of incompleteness inspire?
- How can you use it constructively?
A Different Perspective
Focusing on wholeness may cause frustration when reality is imperfect.
![“...Bliss is not something to be got. On the other hand you are always Bliss. This desire [for Bliss] is born of the sense of incompleteness. To whom is this sense of incompleteness? Enquire. In deep sleep you were blissful. Now you are not so. What has interposed between that Bliss and this…” quote by Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e10/ramana-maharshi-915_bliss_bliss-is-not-something-to-be-got-on-the_565847.jpg)
![“Interesting-sounding, supposed applications of the incompleteness theorem [here earlier taken explicitly to refer to the incompleteness theorems as a whole] outside mathematics, therefore, often ignore the essential condition of encompassing some basic arithmetic, and formulate the theorem…” quote by Torkel Franz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6a9/torkel-franz-131664_quote_interesting-sounding-supposed-applicatio_413379.jpg)
![“[A]voidance behavior is a response designed to protect the infant from behavioural disorganization. If we transfer this concept to adult life, we can see that an avoidant infant might very well develop into a person whose principal need was to find some kind of meaning and order in life which was…” quote by Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/009/anthony-storr-15918_adult-life_a-voidance-behavior-is-a-response-design_706355.jpg)
