17 Insightful Carl Jung Quotes on Individuality and Mental Health

Written by Justin Mitchell

Carl Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who had a profound impact on the field of psychology and philosophy. Central to his work is the exploration of the "Self" and the proposition that developing a deep understanding, love and acceptance of ourselves will lead to a well-rounded, healthy life. Jung referred to this process as "individuation." He pioneered many psychological concepts such as archetypal phenomenon, the collective unconscious, synchronicity, and even the now ubiquitous concepts of introversion and extroversion. Studying Jung is highly recommended on the path to achieving psychological wholeness and becoming the best version of yourself.


"Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people." - Carl Jung


We all have aspects of ourselves that we don't particularly like. What's worse, is that most people are blatantly unaware of their own negative traits. Jung refers to these dark traits as our "shadow", which represents traits that we are unconscious of having.

Jung believes that we should seek to understand our own dark side in order to better understand other people. If you understand and can recognize the darkness of your own mind, you will be more empathetic and knowledgeable when dealing with the dark side of others.

It's not that some people have a shadow and others do not. We all do, but by casting a light on our unconscious aspects, seeking to understand them, we become more whole as a person. We realize that there's not only one energy swimming around in our minds, but thousands of competing energies.


"Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain." - Carl Jung


You can only get so far by thinking. Many problems can only be solved by physical action. Ruminating about a problem endlessly, in all of its complexity, is not helpful after a certain point. 

If we seem to be at a dead end thinking about our problems, maybe it's time to get up and do something about them. 

You cannot think your way toward the life you want to live, you must take action as well.


"Dreams are the guiding words of the soul. Why should I henceforth not love my dreams and not make their riddling images into objects of my daily consideration?" - Carl Jung


Have you ever noticed that during significant life events, you dream more? Do you think this means anything? Jung thought that our dreams allowed a glimpse into our unconscious mind, and that by studying them, we could better understand these obfuscated parts of ourselves we can't directly see.

On the path of becoming a psychologically whole person and shining light toward your unconscious, you should log and analyze your dreams to better understand what's going on underneath the surface in your mind.

You may uncover some truths about your life that guide you in times of need.


"Resistance to the organized mass can be affected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself." - Carl Jung


Conformity has always been the norm for humans. We naturally want to be a part of the herd, to be like others. There are some positive aspects to this, but it can cause us to suppress the unique aspects of ourselves in order to fit in. 

When we mute the parts of ourselves that we don't fully love and accept in order to be more like others, we suppress our natural instincts. We become more average. We kill off a part of ourselves to be more like other people.

To be normal is the chief aim of an insecure mind. Once we love and accept all parts of ourselves, we no longer care to fit the restricted mold that society seeks to cast us in.


"We deem those happy who from the experience of life have learnt to bear its ills without being overcome by them." - Carl Jung


The mark of a psychologically whole person is someone who despite having been through many hardships, remains themselves. They shine through the pain, suffering and misfortune they have come across in their lives. They may experience these things, but they are not defined by them.

Happiness is the ability to not be torn down by a difficult life. It's a skill and a strength which may be cultivated.


"Masses are always breeding grounds of psychic epidemics." - Carl Jung


What comes to mind first after reading this quote? I think about the Covid pandemic in 2020. Mental health issues ran rampant during these times. Many were incredibly pessimistic, fearful, depressed, and they sought to cut themselves off from the world, demanding that everyone get a jab of chemicals in their arms. They claimed that anyone not vaccinated was a murderer. This was the product of an ill mind.

Mass movements are rarely reasonable. They are often led by ignorance, fear and the desire to force everyone else into a shape. These movements are suffocating if you do not fit perfectly into their mold.

One may seek refuge in themselves amidst the mental health problems of the masses. We do not owe it to anyone to think or to be like them. We owe it to ourselves to think and be like our true selves.


"If one does not understand a person, one tends to regard him as a fool." - Carl Jung


It's easy to label those who we do not understand as ignorant. The more we understand ourselves, the more we can understand others. 

The ignorant mind only sees irrationality in those unlike himself, but the educated mind sees the reason behind one's thinking, even if it is completely opposite of his own. 

There is logic to madness, and we can all become mad. Therefore, one should be careful in regarding those he does not understand as foolish.


"Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also." - Carl Jung


The path toward knowledge is not only built on facts. Anyone successful at something has not only a mountain of truth they've discovered, but also an equally large mountain of errors. 

Error is just as useful as truth, because it points to where truth is not.


"Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune." - Carl Jung


Some level of pride and ego is healthy in life. However, it can swallow us. A man swallowed by his own ego and pride will not take into consideration the opinions of others. He is all consumed in himself. He views himself as on top of a mountain, while everyone else is below. In reality, that's just an illusion created by a psychosis.

A total lack of pride can lead to a lack of belief in oneself. But an excessive pride can lead to great falls, because it causes detachment from reality. In quiet moments, we may be able to expose our own pride and pierce through its appearance, realizing that it's completely superficial and lacking grounding to reality. Only then can we work to become more grounded.


"Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other." - Carl Jung


Love is not concerned with the illusion of status. It's unconditional, whereas power is always seeking more and comparing. They are the opposites of each other. Love is satiated in and of itself, and power is hungry. 

Becoming a more loving person entails a radical acceptance and empathy for things, and people, as they are, not how you think they should be. 


"We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses." - Carl Jung


In ourselves, there are unconscious energies that lie dormant due to our rejection of them. Sometimes this can manifest as projection, where we constantly judge others for traits that we ourselves are unconscious of having.

If we look objectively at the traits we hate, we may also find that those things are in ourselves. The difference is that in ourselves, we've suppressed them, but in others, we see them clearly.

The path of individuation entails becoming more aware of our shadow traits, and eventually accepting them. The goal is to accept and love all parts of ourselves, rather than pushing the parts away that we do not like. It's a matter of confrontation, humility, and honesty.

The result of this radical acceptance may allow you to heal trauma, relieve distress, improve creativity, and cultivate better relationships with others.



"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being." - Carl Jung


Life is naturally difficult. The experience of being human can easily become overwhelming, stressful and debilitating. In order to not be overcome by life's difficulties, we must seek to keep a torch lit in our very soul. 

This torch will serve as a guide through anything life may throw at us. It will allow us to pierce through the superficial experiences we have, and accept them fully, rather than judging them as good or bad.

In a way we are like a ship cast out to sea, and if we lose sight of the lighthouse on the horizon, we may lose our way. One should strive to be aware of where their lighthouse is, and what direction they must go to find it.


"The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases." - Carl Jung


We are all uniquely suited for certain things in life. One person may excel in a given set of circumstances, where another will fail. One may be extremely comfortable with a situation, where another will be debilitated. 

It's up to us to find our unique pair of shoes in life, and wear them every day. This involves finding our true purpose, which puts our natural strengths to great use, both for ourselves and those around us.


"Nobody, as long as he moves about among the chaotic currents of life, is without trouble." - Carl Jung


Everyone has their own set of challenges in life. We're all dealt a different hand of cards. 

The point is not to avoid the chaos, but to embrace it. The ability to find joy in the uncertainty and chaos of life is a superpower.


"A psychoneurosis must be understood, ultimately, as the suffering of a soul which has not discovered its meaning." - Carl Jung


Amid the modern mental health pandemic, where many are more aware of their internal struggles, placing labels on them, there's a problem. Many are loaded down with several diagnoses like depression and anxiety, and they are told that it's a chemical imbalance or something genetic.

Big pharma is quick to give out pills to solve the problems that we have not yet confronted within ourselves. Often, it's an unresolved psychological issue in ourselves from which the ailments of depression and anxiety arise. It's our very soul, letting us know that something is out of tune. It's our mind's check engine light.

That doesn't mean that we always need medical intervention. Sometimes, we just need to delve deep into ourselves and be honest about our lives, and the potentially much deeper issue - the lack of a purpose. 


"The greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown." - Carl Jung


The nature of our minds leads us to never be fully satisfied in any given situation. We may have glimpses of it, but it's eternally fleeting. 

The problems will never go away, they will just change in nature. As we grow mentally and spiritually, we move past certain problems and onto new ones. 


"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." - Carl Jung


A life can easily be squandered by pretending to be someone you are not. The ultimate desire of our being seems to want to express the most authentic version of ourselves it can, whatever that may look like.

We should lean into this energy and accept this challenge, for there is no greater satisfaction than in becoming who you were truly meant to be.


Carl Jung is an incredibly relevant figure in our modern world, where mental health issues run rampant. Doctors are prescribing medications to healthy people who have yet to find their purpose in life. The emergence of a neurosis is typically an indicator that something needs to change either in yourself, or in your life. It's just a matter of figuring out what that is, and going for it passionately. Rather than using medicine to suppress negative energies in our minds, we should listen to them and take them seriously.