Some split between the inner world and outer world is common to all behaviour, and the need to bridge the gap is the source of creative behaviour.
Anthony StorrThe creative person is constantly seeking to discover himself, to remodel his own identity, and to find meaning in what he creates.
Anthony StorrIt is a tragic paradox that the very qualities that have led to man's extraordinary capacity for success are also those most likely to destroy him.
Anthony StorrIf creative work protects a man against mental illness, it is small wonder that he pursues it with avidity; and even if the state of mind he is seeking to avoid is no more than a mild state of depression or apathy, this still constitutes a cogent reason for engaging in creative work even when it brings no obvious external benefit in its train.
Anthony StorrThe word "jealousy" is often used as if it were synonymous with envy; but I think the distinction worth preserving. Jealousy is predominantly concerned with the fear of loss of something one possesses, envy with the wish to own something another possesses. Othello suffers from the fear that he has lost Desdemona's love. Iago suffers from envy of the position held by Cassio, to which he feels entitled.
Anthony Storr