Home > Author > Norbert Elias >

" To understand a person, one needs to know the primordial wishes he or she longs to fulfill. Whether or not people's lives make sense to them depends on whether or how far they are able to realise these wishes. But they are not embedded in advance of all experience. They evolve from early childhood in life with other people, and are fixed gradually, over the years, in the form that will determine the course of life; sometimes, however, this will happen suddenly, in conjunction with an especially momentous experience. "

Norbert Elias , Mozart: Portrait of a Genius


Image for Quotes

Norbert Elias quote : To understand a person, one needs to know the primordial wishes he or she longs to fulfill. Whether or not people's lives make sense to them depends on whether or how far they are able to realise these wishes. But they are not embedded in advance of all experience. They evolve from early childhood in life with other people, and are fixed gradually, over the years, in the form that will determine the course of life; sometimes, however, this will happen suddenly, in conjunction with an especially momentous experience.