Quotes from Albert Ellis

Zettle notes, we misuse many nouns in psychology instead of verbs and thereby create semifictional entities that Kevin Everett FitzMaurice (1997) calls "thought things." Thus we say, "My feelings upset me when panic overwhelms me when I am in closed spaces" instead of, "I upset myself by panicking when I am in closed spaces.

When your heart begins to pound, your face gets hot, your thoughts race, your blood pressure skyrockets, and adrenaline surges through your body, you will seldom act in a rational way. Your rage may lead to a constant struggle to control your actions. Your fury itself may feel very uncomfortable and be a constant reminder that you are not dealing effectively with the world around you.

The relationships that are damaged are often your best.

The goal of all life is to have a ball.

I had a great many sex and love cases where people were absolutely devastated when somebody with whom they were compulsively in love didn't love them back. They were killing themselves with anxiety and depression.

Rational beliefs bring us closer to getting good results in the real world.

There's no evidence whatsoever that men are more rational than women. Both sexes seem to be equally irrational.

I started to call myself a rational therapist in 1955; later I used the term rational emotive. Now I call myself a rational emotive behavior therapist.

You largely constructed your depression. It wasn't given to you. Therefore, you can deconstruct it.

Let's suppose somebody abused you sexually. You still had a choice, though not a good one, about what to tell yourself about the abuse.

People could rationally decide that prolonged relationships take up too much time and effort and that they'd much rather do other kinds of things. But most people are afraid of rejection.

Most people would have given up when faced with all the criticism I've received over the years.

Acceptance is not love. You love a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you accept everybody just because they're alive and human.

Unless, of course, you insist on identifying yourself with the people and things you love; and thereby seriously disturb yourself.

The world consists mainly of love slobs who need other people's approval. Most people don't live their own lives very well.

For that again, is what all manner of religion essentially is: childish dependency.

Freud had a gene for inefficiency, and I think I have a gene for efficiency.

People got insights into what was bothering them, but they hardly did a damn thing to change.

I thought foolishly that Freudian psychoanalysis was deeper and more intensive than other, more directive forms of therapy, so I was trained in it and practiced it.

Happiness is experienced largely in striving towards a goal, not in having attained things, because our nature is always to want to go on to the next endeavor.

As a result of my philosophy, I wasn't even upset about Hitler. I was willing to go to war to knock him off, but I didn't hate him. I hated what he was doing.

People have motives and thoughts of which they are unaware.

Religious fanaticism has clearly produced, and in all probability will continue to produce, enormous amounts of bickering, fighting, violence, bloodshed, homicide, feuds, wars, and genocide.

As a matter of fact, as a result of my philosophy, I wasn't even upset about Hitler. I was willing to go to war to knock him off, but I didn't hate him. I hated what he was doing.