It is not difficult for an unwise mother quite unintentionally to centre the heterosexual feelings of a young son upon herself, and it is true that, if this is done, the evil consequences pointed out by Freud will probably ensue. This is, however, much less likely to occur if the mother's sexual life is satisfying to her, for in that case she will not look to her child for a type of emotional satisfaction which ought to be sought only from adults. The parental impulse in its purity is an impulse to care for the young, not to demand affection from them, and if a woman is happy in her sexual life she will abstain spontaneously from all improper demands for emotional response from her child. Bertrand Russell
About This Quote

From the book "The Future of an Illusion" by Sigmund Freud, 1919. Feeling close to your partner when you can trust them is essential in order for a relationship to flourish. However, the danger in choosing the wrong person can lead to feelings of betrayal and despair. For this reason, it is vital that you only allow people in your life who are good for you; good in that they will bring out the best in you and help you grow as a person.

Source: Marriage And Morals

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More Quotes By Bertrand Russell
  1. Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.
  2. To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already 3-parts dead.
  3. Those who have never known the deep intimacy and the intense companionship of happy mutual love have missed the best thing that life has to give.
  4. Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a great ocean...
  5. Remember your humanity, and forget the rest.
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