“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. They will practice Indian yoga and all its exercises, observe a strict regimen of diet, learn the literature of the whole world—all because they cannot get on with themselves and have not the slightest faith that anything useful could ever come out of their own souls.”
— Carl Gustav Jung · 1875 – 1961Source: Psychology and Alchemy, Collected Works vol. 12, para. 126 (1944/1953) · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The sentence is published in Psychology and Alchemy (Collected Works, vol. XII), paragraph 126, and is traceable in standard editions of Jung’s writings.
Understanding the quote
Jung criticizes using external practices as a shield: disciplines, diets and exotic techniques can mask a refusal to explore one’s own psyche. The line appears in Psychology and Alchemy and underlines that inner work, not technique, produces genuine change.
The story behind it
Jung actually continues the image with a sharp line about the soul becoming a "Nazareth from which nothing good can come," a stark metaphor often omitted in quotes.
Going further
- The era
- In 1944 (English ed. 1953), during Jung’s study of alchemy as a symbol of inner transformation.
- The thinking
- Jung’s approach asks you to face and integrate denied feelings and impulses; real growth comes from honest self-examination, not collecting doctrines.
- Key word
- Individuation: the inner work that makes a person more whole and psychologically integrated.
- Who quoted it
- Widely reprinted in Jung anthologies and online, frequently cited in critiques of modern wellness and spiritual consumerism.
Three challenges to live it
In the app, you pick the one that fits your day, and in the evening you say how it went.
Write a 15-minute letter to your 'soul': tell it what you avoid, what you fear hearing, and one honest question you want to ask.
Jung criticizes hiding behind external practices; writing a direct letter forces you to face avoided inner material and begins real inner work.
Sit quietly for 10 minutes without screens, focus on bodily sensations and mentally name three emotions that arise without trying to fix them.
Jung warns against substituting practices for inner work; a short mindful pause lets feelings surface and be acknowledged rather than masked by techniques.
Make a 10-minute drawing, collage, or voice recording that expresses the inner landscape you avoid — no polish, just spontaneous expression.
Jung argues for expressing the soul rather than piling up external fixes; spontaneous creation gives form to what's repressed and starts an inner dialogue.
How do your habits help you avoid facing uncomfortable inner truths?
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