Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires.
Sigmund FreudMy way of working was different years ago. I used to wait until an idea came to me. Now I go half-way to meet it, though I don't know whether I find it any the quicker.
Sigmund FreudIn this way the ego detaches itself from the external world. It is more correct to say: Originally the ego includes everything, later it detaches from itself the external world. The ego-feeling we are aware of now is thus only a shrunken vestige of a far more extensive feeling - a feeling which embraced the universe and expressed an inseparable connection of the ego with the external world.
Sigmund FreudWhen the wayfarer whistles in the dark, he may be disavowing his timidity, but he does not see any the more clearly for doing so.
Sigmund FreudWords have a magical power. They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair; they can transfer knowledge from teacher to student; words enable the orator to sway his audience and dictate its decisions. Words are capable of arousing the strongest emotions and prompting all men's actions.
Sigmund Freud