"What is it that distinguishes man from animals? It is not his upright posture. That was present in the apes long before the brain began to develop. Nor is it the use of tools. It is something altogether new, a previously unknown quality: self-awareness. Animals, too, have awareness. They are aware of objects; they know this is one thing and that another. But when the human being as such was born he had a new and different consciousness, a consciousness of himself; he knew that he existed and that he was something different, something apart from nature, apart from other people, too. He experienced himself. He was aware that he thought and felt. As far as we know, there is nothing analogous to this anywhere in the animal kingdom. That is the specific quality that makes human beings human."
React to this quote
More by Erich Fromm
See allResonant Thoughts
"What is it, when all is accomplished, that still binds the Masters to the world of men? Not anything that the world can offer Them. There is no knowledge on earth They have not; there is no power on e…"
"That's wild! I'll start off with five stars and work backwards from there. Now there, to me, is the most perfect band in existence, whether you're thinking of it orchestrationally or in terms of Duke'…"
Explore Further
Related Quotes
"Once we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our mind, our one duty is to furnish it well."
— Peter Ustinov"This reminded me of what Ignazio Silone said in 1945 soon after he returned to Italy from his Zurich exile:…"
— Ignazio Silone"Economics is a subject that really relates to core aspects of human well-being, and there’s a methodology f…"
— Janet Yellen"Ardently alert means that when the mind is staying with the breath, you try to be as sensitive as possible …"
— Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu"Sometimes I feel this summer as if I were walking through the green meadow again; idly, aimlessly, unthinki…"
— Kate Chopin"I think it should be like getting a pilot's license. I think you should require training to get a license t…"
— Sam Harris