Life tests every truth of the spirit. A truth that cannot live is nothing.

Carl Jung, Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Spirit and Life' (1926)

What it means

High ideals are easy on paper. Jung's test is whether they can be lived by real people without crushing them. An ideal that destroys life has failed the test.

The source

"Life tests every truth of the spirit. A truth that cannot live is nothing." Carl Jung said it in Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Spirit and Life' (1926). Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.

"Life is a test of the truth of the spirit. ... But life is essential to spirit, since its truth is nothing if it cannot live."

H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928, Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Spirit and Life' (1926). 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 "Life tests every truth of the spirit. A truth that cannot live is nothing." mean?: High ideals are easy on paper. Jung's test is whether they can be lived by real people without crushing them. An ideal that destroys life has failed the test.
Who said "Life tests every truth of the spirit. A truth that cannot live is nothing."?: Carl Jung (1875–1961). Source: Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Spirit and Life' (1926).
What is the original wording?: Life is a test of the truth of the spirit. ... But life is essential to spirit, since its truth is nothing if it cannot live (H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.
Is "Life tests every truth of the spirit. A truth that cannot live is nothing." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 6 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Life tests every truth of the spirit. A truth that cannot live is nothing." (Carl Jung, Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Spirit and Life' (1926), trans. H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/life-tests-every-truth-of-the-spirit-a