The 35 Best And Most Thoughtful Quotes From Fritz Perls

Fritz Perl’s quote is still a source of inspiration today. He was also the creator of gestalt therapy together with his wife Laura Perls and sociologist Paul Goodman. Perls felt that we can achieve well-being in many different areas of life by using a creative approach, acknowledging our emotions and our full attention.

Since Fritz started this therapy model in the 50’s through his New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy  , his approach has evolved and become even more strongly entrenched. We are unequivocally dealing with an integrative psychological model that is capable of helping many people focus on their thoughts, feelings and behaviors in order to stimulate enough self-awareness and broaden their perspective so that it gives rise to several positive changes.

Those who exercise shape daily describe this therapeutic model as lively, spontaneous and creative. In addition  , they succeed in establishing greater self-confidence in order to be able to handle the daily problems efficiently and successfully. In other words, it helps people reach their maximum potential.

However, we should  not confuse gestalt psychology with gestalt therapy.  They are not exactly the same thing. The first arose as a movement in psychology in the early 20th century from theorists such as Kurt Lewin, Max Wertheimer and Kurt Koffka. Its purpose was to establish another attitude as a reaction to the “elementalism” of structuralism by seeing man as a whole.

For its part,  gestalt therapy has its roots in humanistic psychology, and it seems to help people from the present moment, make them see the full spectrum of possibilities around them. One thing that Fritz Perls also succeeded in was equipping his therapeutic model with an authentic philosophy of life, capable of improving the quality of relationships, education and even providing the business world with new tools for investing in human potential in a better way.

Many say that  Fritz Perl’s quote is like a radiant spark of human wisdom,  theoretical essences that encourage our awakening. Whether we feel connected to gestalt therapy or not, books such as  “Dreams and Existence”   or  “The Practical Approach to Gestalt Therapy” are part of the history of psychology . Therefore, it is always interesting to take a deep dive into them to reflect.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some examples of those principles through those best Fritz quotes.

1. Everything flows when you find mental well-being

When we find that subtle balance in our existence, we stop seeing obstacles and instead we see our way clearly, we feel free and our existence flows. As we have shown before, gestalt therapy goes beyond the limited space shared by the therapist and the patient to give us a new focus on life.

Friz Perls placed gestalt therapy within the existential dimension where positive, receptive and committed attitudes allow us to flow and develop on our path.

To be present now is to unite our attention and our consciousness

This is one of the most famous Fritz Perls quotes and  one of the most important concepts in gestalt therapy is derived from it:  “consciousness”. This is an awakening where attention and awareness are united in the present moment in order to grow further as a person.

3. The body knows everything. We know very little. Intuition is the body’s intelligence

The human being is a result of the union between our body, our conscious mind and our cooperation with our environment. However, we spend most of our lives “shut down”, asleep, unable to establish this connection. Therefore, those who do not believe that we receive all the information from our senses, our heart, or our intuition will not attain the wisdom that Fritz Perls speaks of.

4. The therapist is constantly looking for ways to get in touch with the events that are going on in the present

When the therapist asks the client how they feel, it is common for them to answer “bad”, “confused”, “angry”…  But one of the specialist’s goals is to discern what it is that creates that feeling in the present, to clarify the feelings and insist on to communicate in the first person focused on the present.

6. I do not exist in this world to live up to the expectations of others, nor do I believe that the world should match my

Integrity, self-confidence, security and reflective awareness. These are the cornerstones of gestalt therapy. This is also one of the most popular Fritz Perls quotes

7. To mature means to take responsibility for your life, to be alone

This is another typical Fritz Perls quote for a fundamental reason. The gestalt approach to therapy deviated from psychoanalysis by focusing all its attention on the present  and not on the events of that time or in childhood for which the person can no longer feel responsible.

Personal responsibility lies in the present. Taking that step requires maturity. It brings with it the chance to enjoy ourselves while at the same time reconnecting to loneliness.

8. Learning is discovering that anything is possible

Moving forward, growing and developing enough self-awareness means realizing our full potential as human beings

10. The person who has the most control is the one who can give up control

Sometimes people develop such a high degree of self-control that they only manage to suppress their real needs. An example of this is when we bury our sorrows, disappointments and frustrations that others inflict on us.

None of these behaviors are healthy. In gestalt therapy, a healthier control means when the person is well aware of how she should react in each moment. I can control my anger or vent my frustration or my indignation in an intelligent, constructive way.

11. Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is like expecting a bull will not attack you because you are a vegetarian

A person who is fully responsible for taking care of you, representing you and valuing you for who you are. It’s not your employees, it’s not society, not even your family. Instead, you are the only one responsible for yourself. Not accepting or not realizing this is an endless source of suffering.

12. Dear ones, do not be a perfectionist. Perfectionism is a curse

Perfectionism is not good for your emotional health. It relates in kind to the rock-hard self-control we mentioned above and which sometimes makes us create unrealistic expectations.

13. It is very unusual for people to speak and listen. Very few listen without talking

All gestalt therapists are looking for something essential during therapy: to bring to the surface all those emotional processes  that people hide under their disturbed behaviors, habits, fears and attitudes.

In order to calm and center the disturbed mind, the therapist first invites the patient to listen to themselves, to become aware of how they are in that moment. They can describe their feelings highly aware that the therapist is there, and listen carefully.

Fritz Perls himself pointed out something that seems very simple: listening to oneself, communication and being listened to in silence is a dynamic that we have lost in our society. We have lost the ability to listen to ourselves and listen to others. 

14. Anxiety is arousal without breathing

Life creates uncertainty within us; Anxiety and fear can take over because we fear the future, because emotions take over and we do not realize their extent and let them take over us until we can not breathe.

If we want to move forward without demands, limitations and fears, gestalt therapy suggests that we first and foremost clarify our feelings. Knowing what is happening to us at different moments can help us calm our anxiety.

15. Be yourself, express yourself freely and without fear. After all, those who truly love you will not judge what you say or do

Unconditional acceptance and honesty towards yourself are the two most important foundations in gestalt therapy. If someone does not accept what we are or what we say, it is because they do not appreciate us, they are not tuned to our frequency.

16. Do not think so much… Feel

“Everything is worth it if it makes you feel.” This Fritz Perls quote gives us an important clue. Knowing is what makes us feel alive and so, instead fo r succumbing to excessive worrying,  we need to give ourselves permission to feel more, whether the feelings are positive or negative. Allowing them to come to us is also a way of understanding them.

18. We must learn to tolerate the truth, even when it hurts our pride

Truth is part of consciousness, and the complex capacity with which we “realize” it and that the importance of an inner awakening is to express the implied and to accept a truth even when it hurts our pride because it helps us in our process.

19. Nothing has any meaning without its context. Meaning does not exist

Meaning does not exist as an isolated entity but rather as bound to something that gives it meaning. We need to realize that no one feels fear, anger or happiness for no reason; our emotions always start with a context, a particular situation.

20. The fact that we live our lives and use such a small part of our potential shows that we do not accept ourselves as we are

Fritz Perls believes that human potential and its development is one of the cornerstones of gestalt therapy.

21. We do not allow ourselves – or are not allowed by others – to be entirely ourselves

This is another Fritz Perls quote that sums up his legacy well. Accepting ourselves as we are is unequivocally the first step towards well-being. Therefore, it is important that instead of blaming our discomfort on the environment,  we must learn to open our eyes, wake up to our own personal responsibility, clarify who we are and what we want.

22. If you refuse to remember your dreams, you are in fact denying your own existence

Our intentions, goals and desires are part of who we are. To deny them means to defragment the whole, that radiant part of our being that cannot be denied or abandoned.

23. Change is an opportunity

Few things can frighten us as much as a change of direction, uncertainties, shifts in our destiny. We need to be able to flow – to be able to allow ourselves to move forward on our path, to discover opportunities for improvement.

25. Everyone is responsible for directing their lives towards what they want

Fritz Perls offered us a very practical perspective on humanism, where each individual has the ultimate responsibility to acidify their lives towards their own goals.

26. We cannot escape the anxiety and discomfort of the present

To accept ourselves as we are means here is first and foremost to deal with the anxiety we have that bothers us in the present in what and now where gestalt therapy focuses all its interest.

27. The past robs ours now

In gestalt therapy, the past, which is an essential dimension of psychoanalysis, is less important than the present moment where everything happens and where our best chance to find answers, to heal ourselves and to grow lies.

28. Improving our lives means knowing how to prioritize

There is something else we tend to deny in our daily lives: our priorities. Knowing what is important, what it is we need and being ready with it so that it is not left without being ticked off on our to-do lists is important for our well-being.

29. Loneliness is actually the place where you can connect to the feeling of belonging

Those who are afraid of loneliness are afraid to rediscover themselves as well as their essence, needs and thoughts. Few things help us to become strong people so much as to sometimes look for those private places to be able to connect to our inner voice. 

30. Reconnecting with our emotions and learning to embrace them is healing

All your emotions fulfill an adaptable function in gestalt therapy. Therefore, it is important to know how to identify and understand them, it is the very key to the therapeutic process.

31. Distractions are also part of the journey of life

For Fritz Perls, “distracting himself” does not mean losing our capacity for attention. It is rather something fundamental that we allow ourselves to feel, to rest, flow, to be carried away by the calm, pleasure and these little creeps also increase our well-being.

33. There is great potential in people but knowing how to discover it requires talent

We all have great potential, but we do not always know how to discover it, feel it or use it. Therefore,  for Fritz Perls, the real talent also lies in knowing how we become aware of these dormant abilities.

34. Fear of death means fear of life

When we live with fear, it prevents us from living fully and that is undeniably the true motivation behind gestalt therapy: to make us happy in the path we choose.

35. Let the best plan for you arise from within yourself

It is ourselves and no one else who has the ultimate responsibility for our own life plan. Something like this develops from our ideals, dreams, values… Because it is unequivocally from the beautiful roots that the most beautiful flowers arise, those that we must have known to care for and nurture daily.

In summary, we can see how Fritz Perl’s quote comes from a conscious and sensitive mind. Perls was a key figure in the history of psychology. In addition, he offered new therapeutic tools to support personal development.

Bibliographic references:

Perls, Fritz (2001). Gestalt enfoque and testigos of the Gestalt. Madrid: Four Winds

Perls, Fritz (2002). People and existence: Gestalt therapy. Madrid: Four Winds

Perls, Fritz (1947). Ego, hunger and aggression. Gestalt Journal Press

Perls, Fritz (1969). Dentro y fuera del tarro de la basura: autobiography. Paidós