/Quotes
13 quotes

Joseph Campbell

1904 - 1987

Joseph Campbell was an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and religion. He is renowned for his book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," in which he introduced the concept of the hero's journey, a recurring narrative structure found in myths and stories from cultures around the world.

  1. It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.

    Joseph CampbellThe Hero with a Thousand Faces, p. 195, 1949
    #abyss#recovery#life

  2. We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. -

    Joseph CampbellMyths to Live By, p. 7
    #change#growth#transformation

  3. Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.

    Joseph CampbellMyths to Live By, p. 254, 1972
    #life#meaning#existence

  4. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.

    Joseph CampbellThe Power of Myth, p. 151, 1988
    #hero#sacrifice#purpose

  5. The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

    Joseph CampbellMyths to Live By, p. 261, 1972
    #privilege#identity#authenticity

  6. I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.

    Joseph CampbellThe Power of Myth, p. 4, 1988
    #life#experience#meaning

  7. When you make the sacrifice in marriage, you're sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship.

    Joseph CampbellThe Power of Myth, p. 6, 1988
    #sacrifice#unity#relationship

  8. Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.

    Joseph CampbellThe Power of Myth, p. 227, 1988
    #joy#pain#healing

  9. God is a metaphor for that which transcends all levels of intellectual thought. It's as simple as that.

    Joseph CampbellThe Power of Myth, p. 55, 1988
    #god#transcendence#simplicity

  10. I think the person who takes a job in order to live - that is to say, for the money - has turned himself into a slave.

    Joseph CampbellThe Power of Myth, p. 5, 1988
    #work#freedom#autonomy

  11. We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.

    Joseph CampbellMyths to Live By, p. 8, 1972
    #life#acceptance#change

  12. To believe in the heroic makes heroes.

    Joseph CampbellThe Hero With a Thousand Faces, 1949
    #heroism#belief#inspiration

  13. If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.

    Joseph Campbellbarryraphael.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/joseph-campbell-march-26-1904-october-30-1987/
    #path#individuality#exploration