Day by day Quote by Herbert Read
““There is a current misconception which sees in Jung an early disciple of Freud who subsequently deserted his master. Nothing could be more misleading. From the very beginning there were differences of procedure and of outlook that were bound to lead to divergent results. Freud's work is based on a scientific method restricted to the principle of causality: that is to say, it is assumed that everything that happens has an explanation in prior causes, and is merely the result of those causes. The world is a mechanism that can be taken to pieces and we can only understand how it works if we know how to dismantle and reassemble its constituent parts. Jung does not deny this causal principle, but he says it is inadequate to explain all the facts. In his view, we live and work, day by day, according to the principle of directed aim or purpose, as well as by the principle of causality. We are drawn onwards and our actions are significant for a future we cannot foresee, and will only be explicable when the final effect of the impulse becomes evident. In other words, life has a meaning as well as an explanation; a meaning, moreover, that we can never finally discover, for it is being extended all the time by the process of evolution.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Meaning of the Modern World by Herbert Read, 1935
Jung argued that causality alone cannot explain human experience; purpose and meaning also drive actions beyond observable causes.
In simple terms: Life is guided by both cause and purpose, not just cause.
Recognize purpose alongside cause.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- therapy
- personal development
- creative work
- decision making
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance cause and purpose in choices?
- Can meaning be measured?
Purpose may be unknowable and evolves, limiting predictive certainty.