--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have all been processed on Procrustean…" description: "\"“We have all been processed on Procrustean beds. At least some of us have managed to hate what they have made of us. Inevitably we see the other as the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34e/r-d-laing-2-35450_modern-man_we-have-all-been-processed-on-procrustea_407213.png" --- # We have all been processed on Procrustean beds. At least… ![“We have all been processed on Procrustean beds. At least some of us have managed to hate what they have made of us. Inevitably we see the other as the reflection of the occasion of our own self-division. The others have become installed in our hearts, and we call them ourselves. Each person, not…” quote by R.D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34e/r-d-laing-2-35450_modern-man_we-have-all-been-processed-on-procrustea_407213.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34e/r-d-laing-2-35450_modern-man_we-have-all-been-processed-on-procrustea_407213.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34e/r-d-laing-2-35450_modern-man_we-have-all-been-processed-on-procrustea_407213.png) > ““We have all been processed on Procrustean beds. At least some of us have managed to hate what they have made of us. Inevitably we see the other as the reflection of the occasion of our own self-division. The others have become installed in our hearts, and we call them ourselves. Each person, not being himself either to himself or the other, just as the other is not himself to himself or to us, in being another for another neither recognizes himself in the other, nor the other in himself. Hence being at least a double absence, haunted by the ghost of his own murdered self, no wonder modern man is addicted to other persons, and the more addicted, the less satisfied, the more lonely.”” [R.D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern individuals are fragmented, projecting parts of themselves onto others, leading to addiction to relationships yet persistent loneliness. **In simple terms:** People split selves, seek others, feel lonely. Key Takeaway Recognize inner division, seek authentic self‑connection. Themes identity loneliness relationships self fragmentation Mood reflective melancholic introspective Type philosophical psychological literary When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal growth - relationship counseling - social media use - community building Key Concepts existentialism psychology self‑other dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does your self‑image affect your relationships? - Can you identify parts of yourself you project onto others? A Different Perspective Self‑division can be reinforced by external expectations, limiting true self‑knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Modern man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-man/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [My Scottish grandfather, John W. Blyth, was a man addicted to paintings. 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Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing-2/) > [“The greatest psychopathologist has been Freud. Freud was a hero. He descended to the “Underworld” and met there stark terrors. He carried with him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing-2/the-greatest-psychopathologist-has-been-freud-freud-was-a-hero-he/) [R.D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing-2/) > [“Since the self, in maintaining its isolation and detachment does not commit itself to a creative relationship with the other and is preoccupied with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing-2/since-the-self-in-maintaining-its-isolation-and-detachment-does-not/) [R.D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing-2/) [Explore all 13 R.D. Laing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing-2/) ## More Modern man quotes > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [By his very success in inventing labor-saving devices, modern man has manufactured an abyss of boredom that only the privileged classes in earlier civilizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/by-his-very-success-in-inventing-labor-saving-devices-modern-man-has/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Mythologies were the earliest dreams of mankind, and in the psychotic delusions of his patients, Jung believed he was encountering those dreams again. Freud,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-valentine/mythologies-were-the-earliest-dreams-of-mankind-and-in-the-psychotic/) Gary Valentine > [“Modern man has too many masks to wear. We must unmask and be ourselves, sincerely, earnestly and live truly as we are,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyomay-m-kubose/modern-man-has-too-many-masks-to-wear-we-must-unmask-and-be-ourselves/) [Gyomay M. Kubose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyomay-m-kubose/) > [I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk and modern man accumulates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-m-carrying-the-weight-of-all-the-useless-junk-and-modern-man/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [The future of mankind seems to be a religious one, and religion can be a way for the modern man or the man of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/the-future-of-mankind-seems-to-be-a-religious-one-and-religion-can-be/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) > [“Modern man, brought up on Kantian idealism, regards nature as being no more than an outcome of the laws of the mind. Losing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-gilson/modern-man-brought-up-on-kantian-idealism-regards-nature-as-being-no/) [Étienne Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etienne-gilson/) > [“Enslavement to God signifies liberation from all other forms of servitude, and although modern man may think that he is liberated, he is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-w-flood/enslavement-to-god-signifies-liberation-from-all-other-forms-of/) Donald W. Flood [Browse all 342 Modern man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We have all been processed on Procrustean beds. At least some of us have managed to hate what they have made of us. Inevitably we see the other as the reflection of the occasion of our own self-division. The others have become installed in our hearts, and we call them ourselves. Each person, not being himself either to himself or the other, just as the other is not himself to himself or to us, in being another for another neither recognizes himself in the other, nor the other in himself. Hence being at least a double absence, haunted by the ghost of his own murdered self, no wonder modern man is addicted to other persons, and the more addicted, the less satisfied, the more lonely.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R.D. 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