--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I came to consider the instinct as…" description: "\"“I came to consider the instinct as nothing more than the \"motor aspect of pleasure.\" ”\" — Wilhelm Reich" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/wilhelm-reich-2565_quote_i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothi_1595288.jpg" --- # I came to consider the instinct as nothing more than the… ![“I came to consider the instinct as nothing more than the "motor aspect of pleasure."” quote by Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/wilhelm-reich-2565_quote_i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothi_1595288.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/wilhelm-reich-2565_quote_i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothi_1595288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/wilhelm-reich-2565_quote_i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothi_1595288.jpg) > ““I came to consider the instinct as nothing more than the "motor aspect of pleasure." ”” [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Instinct is essentially a motor component of pleasure, driving behavior toward enjoyment. **In simple terms:** Instinct fuels pleasure. Key Takeaway Recognize instinctual drives. Themes psychology pleasure instinct Mood analytical neutral Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - habit formation - creative work - personal motivation Key Concepts motor function drive theory behavioral motivation Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate healthy vs. unhealthy instincts? - When might restraint be necessary? A Different Perspective Instinct can lead to harmful impulses. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [There was the natural human survival instinct to be optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-demick/there-was-the-natural-human-survival-instinct-to-be-optimistic/) [Barbara Demick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-demick/) > [All men have an instinct for conflict: at least, all healthy men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/all-men-have-an-instinct-for-conflict-at-least-all-healthy-men/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is opposed to every instinct in my body. But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-have-never-been-a-quitter-to-leave-office-before-my-term-is/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [A man may quarrel with himself alone; that is, by controverting his better instincts and knowledge when brought face to face with temptation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/a-man-may-quarrel-with-himself-alone-that-is-by-controverting-his/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [You have to follow your instinct, and that's what I've tried to do all my life, whether in music or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erol-alkan/you-have-to-follow-your-instinct-and-that-s-what-i-ve-tried-to-do-all/) [Erol Alkan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erol-alkan/) > [How could they say that they truly loved each other? They had simply grown up together, been children together, and the proximity of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/how-could-they-say-that-they-truly-loved-each-other-they-had-simply/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [You don't think. It's all instinct. If you stop to think, you're gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-robinson/you-don-t-think-it-s-all-instinct-if-you-stop-to-think-you-re-gone/) [Sugar Ray Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-robinson/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [I will follow my instincts, be myself for good or ill, and see what will be the upshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-be-myself-for-good-or-ill-and-see-what/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The combative instinct is a savage prompting by which one man's good is found in another's evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-combative-instinct-is-a-savage-prompting-by-which-one-man-s-good/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) ## More by Wilhelm Reich > [The question of how and why the encrustations and rigidifications of human emotional life are brought about led directly into the realm of vegetative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/the-question-of-how-and-why-the-encrustations-and-rigidifications-of/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“Saw a film on cancer yesterday, shown by the English delegation. No doubt about it. I'm right. "Migratory cancer cells" are amoebic formations. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/saw-a-film-on-cancer-yesterday-shown-by-the-english-delegation-no/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“All human philosophy is riddled with the nightmare of searching in vain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/all-human-philosophy-is-riddled-with-the-nightmare-of-searching-in/) [wilhelm reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [I know that what you call 'God' really exists, but not in the form you think; God is primal cosmic energy, the love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/i-know-that-what-you-call-god-really-exists-but-not-in-the-form-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [People should be \_very\_ careful when choosing the future fathers and mothers of their children. For that reason alone, it is extremely mean to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/people-should-be-very-careful-when-choosing-the-future-fathers-and/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“Gradually it became clear that it is a fundamental error to try to give the sexual act a psychological interpretation, to attribute to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/gradually-it-became-clear-that-it-is-a-fundamental-error-to-try-to/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [Mistaking insolence for freedom has always been the hallmark of the slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/mistaking-insolence-for-freedom-has-always-been-the-hallmark-of-the/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“Build your house on granite. By granite I mean your nature that you are torturing to death, the love in your child's body, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/build-your-house-on-granite-by-granite-i-mean-your-nature-that-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [The vital energies regulate themselves naturally without compulsive duty or compulsive morality both of which are sure signs of existing antisocial impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/the-vital-energies-regulate-themselves-naturally-without-compulsive/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-ll-have-a-good-secure-life-when-being-alive-means-more-to-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [The suppression of natural sexual gratification leads to various kinds of substitute gratifications. Natural aggression, for example, becomes brutal sadism which then is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/the-suppression-of-natural-sexual-gratification-leads-to-various/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [The cry for freedom is a sign of suppression. It will not cease to ring as long as man feels himself captive. As diverse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/the-cry-for-freedom-is-a-sign-of-suppression-it-will-not-cease-to/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“Race theorists, who are as old as imperialism itself, want to achieve racial purity in peoples whose interbreeding, as a result of the expansion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/race-theorists-who-are-as-old-as-imperialism-itself-want-to-achieve/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [You yourself create all your misery, hour after hour, day after day. You think the goal justifies the means, even the vile means. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-yourself-create-all-your-misery-hour-after-hour-day-after-day-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“I want you to stop being subhuman and become 'yourself'. 'Yourself,' I say. Not the newspaper you read, not your vicious neighbor's opinion, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/i-want-you-to-stop-being-subhuman-and-become-yourself-yourself-i-say/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) [Explore all 130 Wilhelm Reich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) ## More Instinct quotes > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [I will follow my instincts, be myself for good or ill, and see what will be the upshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-be-myself-for-good-or-ill-and-see-what/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [You don't think. It's all instinct. If you stop to think, you're gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-robinson/you-don-t-think-it-s-all-instinct-if-you-stop-to-think-you-re-gone/) [Sugar Ray Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-robinson/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [How could they say that they truly loved each other? They had simply grown up together, been children together, and the proximity of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/how-could-they-say-that-they-truly-loved-each-other-they-had-simply/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [You have to follow your instinct, and that's what I've tried to do all my life, whether in music or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erol-alkan/you-have-to-follow-your-instinct-and-that-s-what-i-ve-tried-to-do-all/) [Erol Alkan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erol-alkan/) > [A man may quarrel with himself alone; that is, by controverting his better instincts and knowledge when brought face to face with temptation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/a-man-may-quarrel-with-himself-alone-that-is-by-controverting-his/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is opposed to every instinct in my body. But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-have-never-been-a-quitter-to-leave-office-before-my-term-is/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [All men have an instinct for conflict: at least, all healthy men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/all-men-have-an-instinct-for-conflict-at-least-all-healthy-men/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [There was the natural human survival instinct to be optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-demick/there-was-the-natural-human-survival-instinct-to-be-optimistic/) [Barbara Demick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-demick/) > [The combative instinct is a savage prompting by which one man's good is found in another's evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-combative-instinct-is-a-savage-prompting-by-which-one-man-s-good/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) [Browse all 2,940 Instinct quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I came to consider the instinct as nothing more than the \"motor aspect of pleasure.\" ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wilhelm Reich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothing-more-than-the-motor-aspect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Instinct" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothing-more-than-the-motor-aspect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/wilhelm-reich-2565_quote_i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothi_1595288.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/wilhelm-reich-2565_quote_i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothi_1595288.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/wilhelm-reich-2565_quote_i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothi_1595288.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I came to consider the instinct as nothing more than the \"motor aspect of pleasure.\"” — Wilhelm Reich", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Wilhelm Reich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I came to consider the instinct...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothing-more-than-the-motor-aspect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/i-came-to-consider-the-instinct-as-nothing-more-than-the-motor-aspect/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```