Top 35 Quotes From Fritz Perls
The quotes from Fritz Perls are still a source of inspiration for us. He was the creator of Gestalt or character therapy together with his wife Laura Perls and sociologist Paul Goodman. Perls believed that by using a creative approach, recognizing emotions, and paying full attention to the issue at hand, we can achieve well-being in different areas of our lives.
Ever since Fritz Perls introduced his therapeutic model in the 1950s through the New York Institute of Gestalt Therapy, this approach has further developed and strengthened over time. Undoubtedly, this is an integrative model of psychology that aims to help many people focus on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so that they can thus be sufficiently self-aware and gain new perspectives to initiate positive change in themselves.
Those who practice character therapy on a daily basis describe this therapeutic model as vivid, spontaneous, and creative. In addition, character therapy enables an individual to develop greater self-confidence so that everyday problems can be dealt with effectively and successfully. In addition, it helps people reach their maximum potential.
However, we must not confuse Gestalt psychology with Gestalt therapy. They are not exactly the same things. The first emerged as an internal movement in psychology in the early 20th century from the ideas of theorists such as Kurt Lewin, Max Wertheimer, and Kurt Koffka. Their purpose was to create a different approach in response to the “elementarism” of structuralism, embracing man as a whole rather.
Character therapy, in turn, has its roots in humanistic psychology and seeks to influence a person from a contemporary perspective, helping him or her to see the full potential around him or her. One thing that Fritz Perls himself also succeeded in was to equip his therapeutic approach with a genuine philosophy of life, allowing us to improve our relationships, education, and even provide the business world with new tools to invest in human potential in a more effective way.
The best quotes from Fritz Perls: wisdom to consider
Many say that Fritz Perls ’quotes are like glimpses of light from human knowledge or theoretical nuclei that encourage us to awaken. Whether we feel connected to character therapy or not, books like “Dreams and Existence” or “The Practical Approach to Gestalt Therapy” are part of the history of psychology. This is why it is always interesting to immerse yourself in thinking about them.
Without further ado, let’s look at some examples of these principles through Fritz Perls ’most popular quotes.
1. Everything flows when you find mental well-being.
When we find this delicate balance of space in our existence, where we stop seeing obstacles and instead perceive the path clearly, we feel free and our existence flows. As we mentioned above, character therapy transcends the boundaries of space shared by the therapist and the client to give life a new focus.
Fritz Perls placed character therapy within the existential dimension, where each positive, receptive, and committed attitude helps us flow and move forward on our path.
2. Being present in the moment means combining our attention and consciousness.
This is one of Fritz Perls ’best-known quotes and one of the most important concepts in character therapy comes from it: “ consciousness ” . This means awakening where attention and awareness are combined in the present due to the personal growth of the future.
3. The body knows everything. We know very little. Intuition is the intelligence of the body.
Man is the result of a union of the interaction of his body, conscious mind, and environment. However, we spend much of our lives “detached,” in sleep, unable to maintain this covenant. Therefore, those who do not trust the clues given by their senses, hearts, or intuitions do not attain the wisdom that Fritz Perls speaks of.
4. The therapist is constantly looking for ways to connect with “how” things are happening in the present.
When the therapist asks the client how she feels, she is usually responsible for “bad”, “confused”, “angry” … One of the objectives of the expert is, however, to find out what that the current understanding of the cause is clarifying feelings and trying to consistently communicate in the present moment focusing on I-form.
6. I am not in this world meeting the expectations of others and I do not feel that the world should meet mine.
Honesty, self-confidence, certainty and reflective awareness. These are the cornerstones of character therapy. This is also one of the most popular quotes from Fritz Perls.
7. Maturation means taking responsibility for your life, being alone.
This is also a typical quote from Fritz Perls for a fundamental reason. Gestalt’s approach to therapy detached itself from psychoanalysis, focusing all its attention on the present rather than on past or childhood events for which the person could not yet be held responsible.
Personal responsibility lies in the present. This stage also requires maturation. It allows us to enjoy ourselves at the same time as re-acquainting ourselves with solitude.
8. Learning is the realization that anything is possible.
Moving forward, growing, and developing adequate self-awareness include understanding our full potential as human beings.
10. The person with the most control is able to relinquish control.
Sometimes people develop such strong self-control that the only thing they achieve is to suppress their true feelings. An example of this is when we bury the sorrows, disappointments, and frustrations caused by others deep within us.
None of these behaviors are healthy. According to character therapy, control is healthier when a person is well aware of how to act at any given time. I can control my anger to unleash my frustration or anger in an intelligent and constructive way.
11. Assuming that the world treats you fairly because you are a good person is the same thing as expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.
The person who is ultimately responsible for taking care of you, respecting and valuing you as you are is you. It’s not your co-worker, it’s not society, not even your family. Instead, only you are responsible for yourself. The fact that we do not accept or see this is an endless source of suffering.
12. Friend, don’t be a perfectionist. Perfectionism is a curse.
Perfectionism is not good for our emotional health. It involves largely waterproof self-control, which we mentioned above and which sometimes makes us create unrealistic expectations.
13. It is very rare for people to be able to speak and listen. Very few listen without speaking.
All psychotherapists in character therapy strive to find something essential during treatment: they strive to bring to the surface all the emotional processes that people hide under their distorted behaviors, habits, fears, and approaches.
To calm and centralize the distorted mind, the professional first asks the patient to listen to themselves and become aware of how he or she is currently. He can then describe his feelings aloud, knowing that the Therapist is present and listening attentively.
Fritz Perls himself pointed out something that seems fairly simple: listening to ourselves, communicating, and being heard without speaking is a dynamic thing we have lost in our society. We have lost the ability to listen to ourselves and listen to each other.
14. Anxiety is tension without breathing.
Life causes us uncertainty; anxiety and fear make us occasional because we fear the future. Emotions overcome us and we do not understand their greatness but let them take over us until we can no longer breathe.
If we want to move forward without pressure, limitations, and fears, character therapy first suggests that we should clarify our feelings for ourselves. Knowing what is happening to us at a given moment will always help us calm the feeling of anxiety.
15. Be yourself, express yourself freely and without fear. After all, those who really love you don’t care what you say or do.
Absolute acceptance and honesty with oneself are the two most important starting points for character therapy. If someone does not accept what we are or what we say, it is because he does not value us and is not in harmony with our being.
16. Do not think so much… feeling.
“Everything is worth it if it makes you know”. This quote from Fritz Perls offers us an important perspective. Emotion brings us to life and so, instead of starting to worry too much, we need to allow ourselves to feel much more, whether the emotions are positive or negative. Allowing them is also a way to understand them.
18. We must learn to tolerate the truth, even if it damages our pride.
Truth is part of consciousness, its very complex capacity through which we learn to “understand” the importance of promoting inner awakening. This allows the explicit to become implicit or the truth to be accepted despite the fact that it hurts, for it all helps us to progress.
19. Nothing matters without context. Meaning in itself does not exist.
Meaning does not exist as a separate entity, but is tied to something that gives it purpose. We need to understand that no one feels fear, anger, or happiness for no reason; our feelings always start from the context, from a certain situation.
20. The fact that we live our lives using such a small percentage of our potential is because we are not prepared to accept ourselves as we are.
Fritz Perls sets human potential and its development as one of the central goals of character therapy.
21. We do not allow ourselves – or others will not allow us – to be completely ourselves.
This is yet another quote from Fritz Perls that sums up the legacy he left us. Accepting ourselves as we are is undoubtedly the first step towards well-being. So instead of putting the responsibility for this effort on the shoulders of others, we need to be able to open our eyes, wake up to our own responsibility, and figure out who we are and what we want.
22. If you refuse to remember your dreams, you are actually denying your own existence.
Our intentions, goals and aspirations are part of us. To deny them means to disintegrate our whole bright being, which we must not deny or reject.
23. Change is an opportunity.
There are not many things that would scare us as much as changes in direction, uncertainties, and changes in our destiny. We need to be able to go with the flow so that we can move forward on our path while observing opportunities for improvement.
25. Everyone is responsible for guiding their lives towards what they want.
Fritz Perls offered us a very practical perspective on humanism, where each individual has the ultimate responsibility for guiding their lives toward their own goals.
26. We cannot escape the worries and inconveniences of the present.
Accepting ourselves as we are is primarily concerned with mastering all the concerns that affect us in the present here and now, where character therapy focuses all its attention.
27. Our past captures our present.
In character therapy, the past, an important dimension of psychoanalysis, is less important than the present, where everything happens and where our best chance to find answers, heal, and grow is located.
28. Our lives improve when we know how to prioritize.
This is also the kind of thing we tend to neglect on a daily basis: setting priorities. Knowing what is important, what we need, and a clear understanding of what we should not leave out on our list is crucial to our well-being.
29. Loneliness is, in fact, a place where you can feel connected.
Those who fear loneliness are afraid to rediscover themselves, as well as their essence, needs, and thoughts. There is not much as effective a method that would make us strong people than from time to time seeking a private space where we can connect with our inner voice.
30. Healing involves re-examining our feelings and learning how to receive them.
All of our emotions have an adaptive purpose in character therapy. Therefore, knowing how to identify and understand them is key to the therapeutic process.
31. Disorders are also a part of our lives.
For Fritz Perls, “disturbing ourselves” doesn’t mean we lose our ability to focus. Rather, it is something as important as giving ourselves time to feel, rest, flow, and allow silence, enjoyment, and those peaceful little things to take us with us and also increase our well-being.
33. People have a lot of potential, but knowing how to recognize it also requires talent.
We all have a lot of potential, but we don’t always know how to recognize it, detect it, or exploit it. Thus, according to Fritz Perls, the real talent is also knowing how to awaken these latent abilities.
34. Fear of death means fear of life.
Living with fear prevents us from living to the fullest and this is undoubtedly the real purpose of character therapy: to help us be happy in the way we choose.
35. Let the best plan of you rise from yourself.
Ultimately, we ourselves have the ultimate responsibility to make a plan for our own lives. This is done so that we know our ideals, our dreams, our values… Because without a doubt the best flowers emerge from those beautiful roots, the ones we need to know how to care for every day.
In summary, we have seen how these quotes from Fritz Perls come from an awake sensitive mind. Perls was a key figure in the history of psychology and he provided new therapeutic tools to promote personal growth. However, it is up to us how we seek to achieve the principles of his legacy that best meet our needs and allow us to build new paths to happiness.
Sources:
Perls, Fritz (2001). Gestalt and test results. Madrid: Cuatro Vientos
Perls, Fritz (2002). Sueños y existencia: therapy Gestalt. Madrid: Cuatro Vientos
Perls, Fritz (1947). Ego, hunger and aggression. Gestalt Journal Press
Perls, Fritz (1969). Dentro y fuera del tarro de la basura: autobiografía. Paidós
