Memories, Dreams, Reflections (Flamingo)

""Memories, Dreams, Reflections" is the most insightful autobiography of Carl G. Jung's life and his humble experiences. I have read his other works, including "Man and His Symbols" and "Dreams," and never fully understand them until I read this last book of his to which brings it all together in terms of his scientific approach. This 400-page book is a window into his inner world, and it is such a remarkable read.

In this book, Jung revealed much wisdom and insights from his early years up to his remainder of his life. One even can learn about oneself from his life. It is very much worth reading. It is both fascinating and inspiring.

My favorite line of Jung from this book:

"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.""
~ Written on 2008-05-02

"Jung asserts that he is not a sage, but just a man who "once dipped a hatful of water from a stream". His modesty and humility, as well as his boundless wisdom, shines through in this revealing account of the life and thought of the greatest European mind of modern times. Jung was blessed with the good fortune to have profound access to the unconscious realm, enabling him to see right through mankind and the millenia of its existence. He helps us to understand where we as a species have reached and where we can go from here. Liberation only comes from within, and Jung, highly aware of that fact, is a key to its realisation. When other great minds have come and gone out of fashion, Jung's work will remain as a timeless insight into the constitution of the human being, stripped of all the accretions and distortions of that perhaps brief interlude in history known as modernity. While we say of a genius that he was "ahead of his time", it would not be inaccurate to say of Jung that he belongs to all times. In the unconscious, past, present and future are united. Throughout human history the wisest men and women have encouraged us to "know thyself", and Jung's work, culminating here in his autobiography written at the very end of his life, reinforces that message, which is all the more urgent in this perilous age.

This book is quite long, and usually I get bored of any book after 200 pages. Not this time. Each page is full of new and fascinating insights, the result of Jung's long and thorough exploration of the wisdom of many different cultures. Once you have read it, you are likely to want to read all the rest of his work, as if it is the first step on a long journey of discovery. You won't be wasting your time. Through Jung, like other masters of the soul, you may come to understand your self and your times far better. Then, as he would have wished, you will no longer need him. Genuine objective insight only comes through total subjectivity. Make sure you read this book."
~ Written on 2004-07-22

"Jung manages to explain very comprehensively, in just four hundred or so pages, the bulk of his ideas spanning a long and illustrious career in psychoanalysis. His relationship with Freud is documented and at which point the dichotomy of their friendship was affirmed. this book is particularly good if you are interested in the field but don't want to jump straight into 'the deep end'. He is a good writer, and occasionally parts can get slightly difficult to understand, but if you stick with it, the wealth of knowledge that this book contains will be imparted to you. Myself, I find that reading this book has changed my perspective on life and prompted a new age of psychoanalysis within and without."
~ Written on 2003-02-05

"In this book Jung has revealed his deep soul. This book is completly different from the rest of his many books. No wonder that he prohibited publishing this book before his death and only as edition separated from his collected works."
~ Written on 2001-03-24

"This book is an insight into the inner life of one of the world's greatest thinkers. Jung was a man who, by his implacable seeking after the truth of inner experience, uncovered and reinterpreted for modern people, the map of the soul. His influence is profound and will be felt and acknowledged for generations to come. This book is a must for anyone and everyone who is embarked on the only real journey, that of self knowledge."
~ Written on 2000-05-10