The symbol is the middle way, where opposites unite and start moving.

Carl Jung, Psychological Types (1923), ch. V 'The Type Problem in Poetry'

What it means

For Jung a living symbol is an image that holds two things that seem incompatible, and lets energy flow again. Think of a flag, a cross or a recurring dream image. When nothing else reconciles a conflict, a symbol often can.

The source

"The symbol is the middle way, where opposites unite and start moving." Carl Jung said it in Psychological Types (1923), ch. V 'The Type Problem in Poetry'. Translated by H. Godwin Baynes, 1923.

"The symbol is the middle way, upon which the opposites unite towards a new movement, a water-course that pours forth fertility after long drought."

H. Godwin Baynes, 1923, Psychological Types (1923), ch. V 'The Type Problem in Poetry'. 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 "The symbol is the middle way, where opposites unite and start moving." mean?: For Jung a living symbol is an image that holds two things that seem incompatible, and lets energy flow again. Think of a flag, a cross or a recurring dream image. When nothing else reconciles a conflict, a symbol often can.
Who said "The symbol is the middle way, where opposites unite and start moving."?: Carl Jung (1875–1961). Source: Psychological Types (1923), ch. V 'The Type Problem in Poetry'.
What is the original wording?: The symbol is the middle way, upon which the opposites unite towards a new movement, a water-course that pours forth fertility after long drought (H. Godwin Baynes, 1923). Translated by H. Godwin Baynes, 1923.
Is "The symbol is the middle way, where opposites unite and start moving." 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

"The symbol is the middle way, where opposites unite and start moving." (Carl Jung, Psychological Types (1923), ch. V 'The Type Problem in Poetry', trans. H. Godwin Baynes, 1923). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/the-symbol-is-the-middle-way-where-opposites