Energy is neither good nor evil. Form decides.
Carl Jung, Two Essays (1928), I, ch. IV 'The Two Psychological Types'
Energy is neither good nor evil. Form decides.
Carl Jung, Two Essays (1928), I, ch. IV 'The Two Psychological Types'
What it means
Drive, anger and desire are raw power, not virtues or vices. What matters is the channel you give them. The same fire can build or burn.
The source
"Energy is neither good nor evil. Form decides." Carl Jung said it in Two Essays (1928), I, ch. IV 'The Two Psychological Types'. Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.
"Energy in itself is indeed neither good nor evil, neither useful nor hurtful, neither valuable nor valueless, but indifferent; because everything depends upon the form into which the energy passes. Form gives energy its quality."H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928, Two Essays (1928), I, ch. IV 'The Two Psychological Types'. 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 "Energy is neither good nor evil. Form decides." mean?
- Drive, anger and desire are raw power, not virtues or vices. What matters is the channel you give them. The same fire can build or burn.
- Who said "Energy is neither good nor evil. Form decides."?
- Carl Jung (1875–1961). Source: Two Essays (1928), I, ch. IV 'The Two Psychological Types'.
- What is the original wording?
- Energy in itself is indeed neither good nor evil, neither useful nor hurtful, neither valuable nor valueless, but indifferent; because everything depends upon the form into which the energy passes. Form gives energy its quality (H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.
- Is "Energy is neither good nor evil. Form decides." on a shirt?
- Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.
Cite this line
"Energy is neither good nor evil. Form decides." (Carl Jung, Two Essays (1928), I, ch. IV 'The Two Psychological Types', trans. H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/energy-is-neither-good-nor-evil-form-decides
Filed under Quotes about discipline and grit.
Wear it your way
The same line in every look it fits. Each one is printed to order on heavy cotton, same price.
Goes well with
A strong fire eats whatever you throw on it.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.1
from$44
What blocks the road helps you along it.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.20
from$44
Up. You were built for the work, not the blankets.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.1
from$44
Life is wrestling, not ballet. Stay braced.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.61
from$44
More from Carl Jung
- Your worst enemy lives inside your own chest.Two Essays (1928), I, ch. III 'The Other Point of View: The Will to Power'
- Only what is truly yourself has the power to heal.Two Essays (1928), II, Part I, ch. IV 'The Attempt to Free the Individuality from the Collective Psyche'
- Trade yourself for a mask and you will pay for it.Two Essays (1928), II, Part II, ch. II 'Anima and Animus'
- You and your job are two different things.Two Essays (1928), II, Part II, ch. II 'Anima and Animus'
- The persona is only a mask. At bottom, it is not real.Two Essays (1928), II, Part I, ch. III 'The Persona as a Part of the Collective Psyche'
- Some people come to believe they are their public face.Two Essays (1928), II, Part II, ch. II 'Anima and Animus'