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Martin Seligman Quotes

Psychologist

Martin Seligman is a renowned psychologist born on August 12, 1942. He has made significant contributions to the field of positive psychology, often regarded as one of the pioneers in the discipline.

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All People Psychology Helplessness Ifs Optimism Positive Psychology Wells Believe Causes Produce Thinking Way Belief Emotion Feelings Findings Flow I Believe Life Is Optimistic

Famous Martin Seligman Quotes

“We deprive our children, our charges, of persistence. What I am trying to say is that we need to fail, children need to fail, we need to feel sad, anxious and anguished. If we impulsively protect ourselves and our children, as the feel-good movement suggests, we deprive them of learning-persistence skills.”

Ifs Needs Feels Trying Children Failing Movement Protect Skills Our Children Feel Good Persistence Anxious

Author:Martin Seligman

“To the scientists of the Renaissance, your critic was really your ally, helping you advance upon reality. Critics in science are not like drama critics, determining flops and successes. Criticism to scientists is just another means of finding out whether they're wrong, like running another experiment to see if it confirms or refutes a theory. Along with the advocacy principle of the courtroom, It is one of the best ways human beings have evolved to get closer to the truth.”

Ifs Way Humans Mean Helping Reality Running Human Beings Principles Theory Drama Findings Criticism Scientist Critics Experiments Best Way Openness Allies Renaissance Advocacy Courtroom

Author:Martin Seligman

“Positive thinking is the notion that if you think good thoughts, things will work out well. Optimism is the feeling of thinking things will be well and be hopeful.”

Ifs Thinking Wells Feelings Positive Thinking Optimism Notion Work Out Hopeful Good Thoughts Things Will Work Out

Author:Martin Seligman

“I believe that traditional wisdom is incomplete. A composer can have all the talent of Mozart and a passionate desire to succeed, but if he believes he cannot compose music, he will come to nothing. He will not try hard enough. He will give up too soon when the elusive right melody takes too long to materialize.”

Ifs Giving Trying Believe Long Hard Enough Desire I Believe Talent Succeed Giving Up Passionate Traditional Melody Composer Incomplete Elusive Desire To Succeed Passionate Desire

Book:Learned Optimism

Source: Learned Optimism

“So Positive Psychology takes seriously the bright hope that if you find yourself stuck in the parking lot of life, with few and only ephemeral pleasures, with minimal gratifications, and without meaning, there is a road out. This road takes you through the countryside of pleasure and gratification, up into the high country of strength and virtue, and finally to the peaks of lasting fulfillment: meaning and purpose”

Ifs Country Purpose Pleasure Virtue Psychology Stuck Fulfillment Finding Yourself Lasting Gratification Countryside Parking Ephemeral Positive Psychology Parking Lot

Book:Authentic Happiness

Source: Authentic Happiness

“On the relationship side, if you teach people to respond actively and constructively when someone they care about has a victory, it increases love and friendship and decreases the probability of depression.”

People Ifs Care Sides Teach Victory Increase Probability Decrease Love And Friendship

Author:Martin Seligman

“The good life consists in deriving happiness by using your signature strengths every day in the main realms of living. The meaningful life adds one more component: using these same strengths to forward knowledge, power, or goodness. A life that does this is pregnant with meaning, and if God comes at the end, such a life is sacred.”

Ifs Doe Ends Life Is Goodness Sacred Add Meaningful Realms Good Life Pregnant Components Meaningful Life Signatures Power Of Knowledge

Book:Authentic Happiness

Source: Authentic Happiness

“If we just wanted positive emotions, our species would have died out a long time ago.”

Ifs Long Wanted Emotion Long Time Died Species Long Time Ago Positive Emotions

Author:Martin Seligman

“One of the things psychologists used to say was that if you are depressed, anxious or angry, you couldn't be happy. Those were at opposite ends of a continuum. I believe that you can be suffering or have a mental illness and be happy - just not in the same moment that you're sad.”

Ifs Believe Ends Moments Used Suffering I Believe Opposites Angry Illness Mental Illness Anxious Psychologist Continuum

Author:Martin Seligman

About the Author

Born: August 12, 1942
Known for: Psychologist
Quotes: 65

Books & Sources

Authentic HappinessRelated source material

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your LifeRelated source material

FlourishRelated source material

Learned OptimismRelated source material

What You Can Change... and What You Can'tRelated source material

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