AtomicQuote

Erich Fromm Quote

What kind of men, then, does our society need? What is the social character suited to twentieth century Capitalism? It needs men who co-operate smoothly in large groups; who want to consume more and more, and whose tasks are standardized and can easily be influenced and anticipated. It needs men who feel free and independent, not subject to any authority, or principle, or conscience - yet willing to be commanded, to do what is expected, to fit into the social machine without friction.

Erich Fromm

What kind of men, then, does our society need? What is the social character suited to twentieth century Capitalism? It needs men who co-operate smoothly in large groups; who want to consume more and more, and whose tasks are standardized and can easily be influenced and anticipated. It needs men who feel free and independent, not subject to any authority, or principle, or conscience - yet willing to be commanded, to do what is expected, to fit into the social machine without friction.

Tags: conformity, groupthink, herd mentality

Related Quotes

Plants are more courageous than almost all human beings: an orange tree would rather die than produce lemons, whereas instead of dying the average person would rather be someone they are not.

Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Plants are more courageous than almost all human beings: an orange tree would rather die than produce lemons, whereas instead of dying the average person would rather be someone they are not.

Tags: act, acting, actor, actors, adage, adages, animal, animals, aphorism, aphorisms

If we had to earn our age by thinking for ourselves at least once a year, only a handful of people would reach adulthood.

Mokokoma Mokhonoana

If we had to earn our age by thinking for ourselves at least once a year, only a handful of people would reach adulthood.

Tags: adult, adults, age, age is nothing but a number, aphorism, aphorisms, aphorist, aphorists, child, childhood

We live in a world that has so many people striving to look normal to a bunch of people that are abnormal, in order to be accepted. What is normal is realizing that being accepted comes at a price tha...

Shannon L. Alder

We live in a world that has so many people striving to look normal to a bunch of people that are abnormal, in order to be accepted. What is normal is realizing that being accepted comes at a price tha...

Tags: abnormal, abnormalness, be different, be unique, be you, caring too much, confidence, conformity, divergent, freedom

Most human beings would have never been pained by the death of a human being if they had never seen a human being or pretending to be pained by that.

Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Most human beings would have never been pained by the death of a human being if they had never seen a human being or pretending to be pained by that.

Tags: adage, adages, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, axiom, axioms, casket, caskets

The uncertainties in life are so uncertain for us to determine the kind woe we shall be entangled in in the next future. When you stay dormant, your life is at risk; when you dare to take a step, you...

Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

The uncertainties in life are so uncertain for us to determine the kind woe we shall be entangled in in the next future. When you stay dormant, your life is at risk; when you dare to take a step, you...

Tags: boldness and attitude, choices and attitude, choices and consequences, conformity, conformity and attitude, fortitude, life issues, life lessons, mediocrity, risk

Most people do not have a problem with you thinking for yourself, as long as your conclusions are the same as or at least compatible with their beliefs.

Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Most people do not have a problem with you thinking for yourself, as long as your conclusions are the same as or at least compatible with their beliefs.

Tags: beliefs, brainwashed, brainwashing, compatibility, conclusions, conform, conformist, conformity, critical thinking, herd mentality

One must conform to the baseness of an age or become neurotic.

Robert Musil

One must conform to the baseness of an age or become neurotic.

Tags: conforming, conforming and attitude, conformity, fitting in, immorality, individual vs society, morality, neurosis, neuroticism, societal expectations

Societal peer pressure to conform runs strong, but as more of us continue to think and act for ourselves, rather than be under the influence of group-think, we begin to make more effective choices.

Evita Ochel

Societal peer pressure to conform runs strong, but as more of us continue to think and act for ourselves, rather than be under the influence of group-think, we begin to make more effective choices.

Tags: choice, choices, conform, conforming, conformity, conscious, consciousness, free will, group think, herd mentality

Many people are not conforming with theism, but they are comfortable with spiritualism.

Debasish Mridha

Many people are not conforming with theism, but they are comfortable with spiritualism.

Tags: conforming, conformity, debasish mridha, debasish mridha m d, inspirational, philosophy, spiritualism, theism

But human beings are not machines, and however powerful the pressure to conform, they sometimes are so moved by what they see as injustice that they dare to declare their independence. In that histori...

Howard Zinn

But human beings are not machines, and however powerful the pressure to conform, they sometimes are so moved by what they see as injustice that they dare to declare their independence. In that histori...

Tags: conformity, declaration of independence, hope, individuality, non conformity, resolves, self assurance
About Erich Fromm

Erich Seligmann Fromm (; German: [fʁɔm]; March 23, 1900 – March 18, 1980) was a German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was a German Jew who fled the Nazi regime and settled in the United States. He was one of the founders of The William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis and Psychology in New York City and was associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory.