James Gilligan Quotes

It may be somewhat paradoxical to refer to shame as a 'feeling,' for while shame is initially painful, constant shaming leads to a deadening of feeling. Shame, like cold, is, in essence, the absence of warmth. And when it reaches overwhelming intensity, shame is experienced, like cold, as a feeling of numbness and deadness. [In Dante's Inferno] the lowest circle of hell was a region not of flames, but of ice---absolute coldness.

James Gilligan

The most dangerous men on earth are those who are afraid they are wimps

James Gilligan

All violence is an attempt to replace shame with self-esteem.

James Gilligan