Citation for leben, lieben, arbeiten? Freud, S. (1929). Civilization and its discontent perhaps?

In search of where leben, lieben, arbeiten come from, I came across this article or book. Think, shamefully, that it might be the first time I sat down to read Freud seriously. (Oops... sorry, Mr. Freud.)

Didn't think I would go to Freud's domain to find references for da 9-copy book ... not in my wildest imagination

Following are some of the quotes that I find interesting.

Freud, S. (1929). Civilization and its discontent (J. Riviere, Trans.). Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK: Chrysoma Associates Limited.

"Originally the ego includes everything, later it detaches itself from the external world. " (p. 3)

"We will not follow the changes the city went through any further, but will ask ourselves what traces of these early stages in its history a visitor to Rome may stil find today, if he goes equipped with the most complete historical and topographical knowledge." (p. 4)

What exact is Roma?  Reminds me of this set of pictures taken by the Princeton University Art Meseum.


 Is it a wall mosaic or floor mosaic in Roman time decorated with a trace of water pike running through?

The following could be considered as an excellent citation for the "other" category in my psychotic model. When the body really suffers, even the few can't do no nothing. Great excuse for me since them few can't even do no nothing when the body becomes a source of suffering.

"Another method of guarding against pain is by using the libido-displacement that our mental equipment allows of ... The task is then one of transferring the instinctual aims into such direction that they cannot be frustrated by the outer world ... Its success is greatest when a man knows how to heighten sufficiently his capacity for obtaining pleasure from mental and intellectual work.  Fate has little power against him then..... artist's joy in creation ... or the scientist's in solving problems or discovering truth.... The weak point of this method, however, is that is is not generally applicable; it is only available to the few. It presupposes special gifts and dispositions which are not very commonly found in a sufficient degree. And even to these few it does not secure complete protection against suffering; it gives no invulnerable armour against the arrows of fate, and it usually fails when a man's own body becomes a source of suffering to him."(p. 9)

Work could be considered a path to happiness although "world is not valued very highly by men." (p. 10)

"The goal towards which the pleasure-principle impels us -- of becoming happy --is not attainable; yet we may not-nay, cannot--give up the effort to come nearer to realization of it by some means or other." (p.11)

Without a prototype... absolutely creative!

"... the first acts of civilization were the use of tools, the gaining of power over fire, and the construction of dwellings.  Among these the acquisition of power over fire stands out as a quite exceptional achievement, without a prototype ..." (p. 14)

Can you imagine to be the first human form to successfully gained power over that first ball of fire? 8-O



Leben--arbeiten und lieben? This quote might do it...

"The life of human being in common therefore had a twofold foundation, i.e., the compulsion to work, created by external necessity, and the power of love ...." (p. 19)

A quote from Goethe's Mephistopheles on p. 28:

All entities that be Deserve their end-nonentity.

So all that you name sin, destruction -

Wickedness, briefly - proves to be

The native element for me

"The development of the individual is ordered according to the program laid down by the pleasure-principle, namely, the attainment of happiness ..." (p. 37)

"Individual development seems to us a product of the interplay of two trends, the striving for happiness, generally called egoistic, and the impulse towards merging with others in the community, which we calll altruistic." (p. 37)