--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Archetypes, in spite of their…" description: "\"Archetypes, in spite of their conservative nature, are not static but in a continuous dramatic flux. Thus the self as a monad or continuous unit would ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/carl-jung-274_archetype_archetypes-in-spite-of-their-conservativ_1510707.jpg" --- # Archetypes, in spite of their conservative nature, are not… ![“Archetypes, in spite of their conservative nature, are not static but in a continuous dramatic flux. Thus the self as a monad or continuous unit would be dead. But it lives inasmuch as it splits and unites again. There is no energy without opposites!” quote by Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/carl-jung-274_archetype_archetypes-in-spite-of-their-conservativ_1510707.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/carl-jung-274_archetype_archetypes-in-spite-of-their-conservativ_1510707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/carl-jung-274_archetype_archetypes-in-spite-of-their-conservativ_1510707.jpg) > “Archetypes, in spite of their conservative nature, are not static but in a continuous dramatic flux. Thus the self as a monad or continuous unit would be dead. But it lives inasmuch as it splits and unites again. There is no energy without opposites!” [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Archetypes are dynamic, constantly shifting; the self exists through division and reunification, requiring opposites for energy. **In simple terms:** Archetypes change; self lives through splits and reunions. Key Takeaway Embrace change and opposing forces within. Themes psychology identity duality growth Mood thoughtful analytical Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - creative work - personal development - conflict resolution Key Concepts collective unconscious dynamic self energy balance Questions to Reflect On - How do opposing ideas shape your identity? - Can you find balance in conflict? A Different Perspective Opposites may cause inner tension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Archetype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archetype/) [Archetypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archetypes/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [No energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-energy/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Spite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spite/) ## Related quotes > [All the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/all-the-most-powerful-ideas-in-history-go-back-to-archetypes/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Archetypes resemble the beds of rivers: dried up because the water has deserted them, though it may return at any time. An archetype is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/archetypes-resemble-the-beds-of-rivers-dried-up-because-the-water-has/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [There are as many archetypes as there are typical situations in life. Endless repetition has engraved these experiences into our psychic constitution, not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/there-are-as-many-archetypes-as-there-are-typical-situations-in-life/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [When we're good, we're very, very good, and when we're bad, we're horrid. This is not news, because we're so much more inventive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-we-re-good-we-re-very-very-good-and-when-we-re-bad-we-re-horrid/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [ Archetypes are always \[in my film-making\]. It's sometimes interesting to just flip them a little bit and see the underside. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/archetypes-are-always-in-my-film-making-it-s-sometimes-interesting-to/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [Some tropes are universal. Boy meets girl. Betrayal and revenge. The search to discover a hidden truth… A mother's love isn't cliché, it's universal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/some-tropes-are-universal-boy-meets-girl-betrayal-and-revenge-the/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Most musicals are informed by very rigid archetypes. If you get a very sophisticated mind writing them, you sense something else, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/most-musicals-are-informed-by-very-rigid-archetypes-if-you-get-a-very/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [The Gods and Goddesses of myth, legend and fairy tale represent archetypes, real potencies and potentialities deep within the psyche, which, when allowed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-adler/the-gods-and-goddesses-of-myth-legend-and-fairy-tale-represent/) [Margot Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-adler/) > [By using the systems archetypes we can learn how to “structure” the details into a coherent picture of the forces at play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/by-using-the-systems-archetypes-we-can-learn-how-to-structure-the/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The way I sometimes approach my work, when I look at a script for the first time, is to identify what the archetypes are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gadon/the-way-i-sometimes-approach-my-work-when-i-look-at-a-script-for-the/) [Sarah Gadon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gadon/) > [You have to carry so many archetypes as an actor, especially as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-lehman/you-have-to-carry-so-many-archetypes-as-an-actor-especially-as-a/) [Kristin Lehman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-lehman/) > [I've never read Joseph Campbell, and I don't know all that much about story archetypes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/i-ve-never-read-joseph-campbell-and-i-don-t-know-all-that-much-about/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [There are many people making a difference. I mean, Dr. King never held an office. Gandhi never held an office. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/there-are-many-people-making-a-difference-i-mean-dr-king-never-held/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [Any legend, any creature, any symbol we ever stumble on, already exists in a vast cosmic reservoir where archetypes wait. Shapes looming outside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/any-legend-any-creature-any-symbol-we-ever-stumble-on-already-exists/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [My characters are all kind of geek archetypes of people I've encountered at gaming and comic book conventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/my-characters-are-all-kind-of-geek-archetypes-of-people-i-ve/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) ## More by Carl Jung > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Metaphysical assertions, however, are statements of the psyche, and are therefore psychological. Whenever the Westerner hears the word “psychological,” it always sounds to him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/metaphysical-assertions-however-are-statements-of-the-psyche-and-are/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/synchronicity-reveals-the-meaningful-connections-between-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Instinct is like Nature herself - prodigiously conservative, and yet transcending her own historical conditions in her acts of creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/instinct-is-like-nature-herself-prodigiously-conservative-and-yet/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Paul hardly ever allows the real Jesus of Nazareth to get a word in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/paul-hardly-ever-allows-the-real-jesus-of-nazareth-to-get-a-word-in/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“He would have lived countless times over the life of the individual, of the family, tribe and people, and he would possess the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/he-would-have-lived-countless-times-over-the-life-of-the-individual/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [People learn from who we are, rather than what we say, and to believe otherwise is a disease of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/people-learn-from-who-we-are-rather-than-what-we-say-and-to-believe/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Neurosis is an inner cleavage-the state of being at war with oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/neurosis-is-an-inner-cleavage-the-state-of-being-at-war-with-oneself/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [It is sad but unfortunately true that man learns nothing from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/it-is-sad-but-unfortunately-true-that-man-learns-nothing-from-history/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Life is a luminous pause between two mysteries that are yet one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/life-is-a-luminous-pause-between-two-mysteries-that-are-yet-one/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Explore all 775 Carl Jung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## More Archetype quotes > [My characters are all kind of geek archetypes of people I've encountered at gaming and comic book conventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/my-characters-are-all-kind-of-geek-archetypes-of-people-i-ve/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [Once my paintings are complete, the model no longer lives in the painting as themselves. I see something bigger, more symbolic - an archetype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sherald/once-my-paintings-are-complete-the-model-no-longer-lives-in-the/) [Amy Sherald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sherald/) > [All ages before ours believed in gods in some form or other. Only an unparalleled impoverishment in symbolism could enable us to rediscover the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/all-ages-before-ours-believed-in-gods-in-some-form-or-other-only-an/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Certain mystical philosophers have personified Destiny, and from this point of view each man's personal destiny is his archetype or "other self"--his "angel"--with whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-le-gai-eaton/certain-mystical-philosophers-have-personified-destiny-and-from-this/) [Charles le Gai Eaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-le-gai-eaton/) > [I think people have this stereotypical idea in their head of what a nerd is. People have said to me before, "You're not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/i-think-people-have-this-stereotypical-idea-in-their-head-of-what-a/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Unconscious of your story, you are in its grasp; but with consciousness, an alchemical process begins: The solidity of the complex dissolves and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-zweig/unconscious-of-your-story-you-are-in-its-grasp-but-with-consciousness/) [Connie Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-zweig/) > [I am the reality of all coyotes. The archetype. The epitome. You are just a reflection of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-am-the-reality-of-all-coyotes-the-archetype-the-epitome-you-are/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Once you become a celebrity, you are no longer a person, but an archetype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennette-mccurdy/once-you-become-a-celebrity-you-are-no-longer-a-person-but-an/) [Jennette McCurdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennette-mccurdy/) > [Any legend, any creature, any symbol we ever stumble on, already exists in a vast cosmic reservoir where archetypes wait. Shapes looming outside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/any-legend-any-creature-any-symbol-we-ever-stumble-on-already-exists/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [Man, whose organization is regarded as the highest, departs from the vertebrate archetype; and it is because the study of anatomy is usually commenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/man-whose-organization-is-regarded-as-the-highest-departs-from-the/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [There are many people making a difference. I mean, Dr. King never held an office. Gandhi never held an office. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/there-are-many-people-making-a-difference-i-mean-dr-king-never-held/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [Women are not in control of their bodies; nature is. Ancient mythology, with its sinister archetypes of vampire and Gorgon, is more accurate than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/women-are-not-in-control-of-their-bodies-nature-is-ancient-mythology/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [What happens in the life of Christ happens always and everywhere. In the Christian archetype all lives of this kind are prefigured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/what-happens-in-the-life-of-christ-happens-always-and-everywhere-in/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Finally, if you still are growing, you reach the highest archetype, the archetype of the spirit. This is the time when you finally realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/finally-if-you-still-are-growing-you-reach-the-highest-archetype-the/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [You are far more than your personality, more than your habits, more than your achievements. You are an infinitely complex human being with stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/you-are-far-more-than-your-personality-more-than-your-habits-more/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) [Browse all 167 Archetype quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archetype/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Archetypes, in spite of their conservative nature, are not static but in a continuous dramatic flux. Thus the self as a monad or continuous unit would be dead. But it lives inasmuch as it splits and unites again. 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