Adaptation to Life Quotes

“No whim of fate, no Freudian trauma, no loss of a loved one will be as devastating to the human spirit as some prolonged ambivalent relationship that leaves us forever unable to say goodbye.”
― George E. Vaillant, Adaptation to Life

“Mentally healthy individuals should be in touch with their own identity and their own feelings; they should be oriented toward the future and over time they should be fruitfully invested in life. Their psyches should be integrated and provide them a resistance to stress. They should possess autonomy and recognize what suits their needs; they should perceive reality without distortion and yet possess empathy. They should be masters of their environment - able to work, to love, and to play, and to be efficient in problem-solving.”
― George E. Vaillant, Adaptation to Life

“As Joseph Conrad said, we need to be taught when young to hope, to love, to put our trust in life.”
― George E. Vaillant, Adaptation to Life

“The reliable presence of people who love us facilitates our perception and toleration of painful reality and enriches our lives.”
― George E. Vaillant, Adaptation to Life

“One can live magnificently in this world, if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work."8”
― George E. Vaillant, Adaptation to Life