Irvin D. Yalom quotes

Irvin D. Yalom is an American psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author renowned for his work in existential psychotherapy. His writings, both academic and fiction, have influenced generations of therapists and mental health professionals. He continues to inspire readers worldwide with his insights into the human experience. Here are 12 of his quotes:

If we live a life full of regret, full of things we haven't done, if we've lived an unfulfilled life, when death comes along, it's a lot worse. I think it's true for all of us. (Irvin D. Yalom)
One of the most important things was from a patient who said to me what a pity it was that he had to wait until now, when he was riddled with death, to learn how to live. And I have used that phrase many times: hoping that if you introduce people, in an appropriate way, to their mortality that might change the way they live and allow them to trivialise the trivia in their life. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
What an existential approach is about is positing that our bad feelings, our dysphoria, our despair, our anxiety emanates not only from our own life history and all the traumas we may have had in the past, and not only from the figures that we have introjected - many of these figures being unloving, or uncaring, or neurotic on their own parts - and emanates not only from our current life crises, but it emanates also, also, from our confrontation with the existential facts of life, with our confrontation with the human condition. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
It is wrong to bear children out of need, wrong to use a child to alleviate loneliness, wrong to provide purpose in life by reproducing another copy of oneself. It is wrong also to seek immortality by spewing one's germ into the future as though sperm contains your consciousness! View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
When people don't have any curiosity about themselves, that is always a bad sign. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
I think living well is the key: trying not to build up regrets for the things we didn't do in our lives; to try to live a regret-free life in which we feel satisfied in what we're doing; and to try to be kind to ourselves and not disappointed in ourselves. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
Were not teaching our students the importance of relationships with other people: how you work with them, what the relational pathology consists of, how you examine your own conscience, how you examine the inner world, how you examine your dreams. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
Living safely is dangerous. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
Though the physicality of death destroys us, the idea of death may save us. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
The ultimate goal of therapy... it's too hard a question. The words come to me like tranquility, like fulfillment, like realizing your potential. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom
I think all kinds of meanings in life transcend your self. They're linked to other generations of people around us, to our children and our family. We're passing on something of ourselves to others. I feel that's what makes our life full of meaning. (Irvin D. Yalom)
Therapists need to have a long experience in personal therapy to see what it's like to be on the other side of the couch and see what they find helpful or not helpful. View quote
Irvin D. Yalom