A living form needs deep shadows.

What it means

A painting needs shadow to look solid, and so does a person. Explain away every dark impulse and you become flat and unreal. Your shadow, the side you would rather not show, is part of what makes you whole.

The source

"A living form needs deep shadows." Carl Jung said it in Two Essays (1928), II, Part II, ch. IV 'The Mana Personality'. Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.

"The 'living form' needs deep shadows in order to appear plastic. Without shadows it remains a two-dimensional phantom or - a more or less well brought-up child."

H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928, Two Essays (1928), II, Part II, ch. IV 'The Mana Personality'. Text read at archive.org.

Who said it

Carl Jung (1875–1961). Swiss psychiatrist who broke with Freud and founded analytical psychology. He mapped the persona, the shadow, the collective unconscious and the lifelong work of becoming yourself, which he called individuation. Our lines come only from his writings published before 1931, in our own translations from the German or in English translations of the time.

Questions

What does "A living form needs deep shadows." mean?

A painting needs shadow to look solid, and so does a person. Explain away every dark impulse and you become flat and unreal. Your shadow, the side you would rather not show, is part of what makes you whole.

Who said "A living form needs deep shadows."?

Carl Jung (1875–1961). Source: Two Essays (1928), II, Part II, ch. IV 'The Mana Personality'.

What is the original wording?

The 'living form' needs deep shadows in order to appear plastic. Without shadows it remains a two-dimensional phantom or - a more or less well brought-up child (H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.

Is "A living form needs deep shadows." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"A living form needs deep shadows." (Carl Jung, Two Essays (1928), II, Part II, ch. IV 'The Mana Personality', trans. H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/a-living-form-needs-deep-shadows