Life's irrational possibilities have just as good a right to be lived.

Carl Jung, Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes'

What it means

A perfectly planned life shuts out everything that does not fit the plan. Jung says the unplanned, unreasonable parts of you also deserve a life. Leave room for them, or they will take it.

The source

"Life's irrational possibilities have just as good a right to be lived." Carl Jung said it in Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes'. Translated by Constance E. Long, 1917.

"The further we extend this rationally chosen direction, the surer we may be that we are thereby excluding the irrational possibilities of life, which have, however, just as good a right to be lived."

Constance E. Long, 1917, Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes'. Text read at gutenberg.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's irrational possibilities have just as good a right to be lived." mean?: A perfectly planned life shuts out everything that does not fit the plan. Jung says the unplanned, unreasonable parts of you also deserve a life. Leave room for them, or they will take it.
Who said "Life's irrational possibilities have just as good a right to be lived."?: Carl Jung (1875–1961). Source: Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes'.
What is the original wording?: The further we extend this rationally chosen direction, the surer we may be that we are thereby excluding the irrational possibilities of life, which have, however, just as good a right to be lived (Constance E. Long, 1917). Translated by Constance E. Long, 1917.
Is "Life's irrational possibilities have just as good a right to be lived." 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

"Life's irrational possibilities have just as good a right to be lived." (Carl Jung, Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes', trans. Constance E. Long, 1917). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/lifes-irrational-possibilities-have-just-as-good-a