Quotes from Renata Salecl

Love is linked to the fact that in the end we know nothing about the object that attracts us in the Other, and that at the same time the Other knows nothing about this object that is in him more than himself, i.e. what makes someone attracted to him.

By working so hard at self-improvement we lose the energy and ability to participate in any form of social change

The idea of choice has deeply penetrated our perception of feelings, as though we can 'choose' whether or not to have them.

The ego (one's self-perception) is a very shaky structure, easily undermined by unconscious drives and desires. It is possible to repress those drives for a while and feel like a capable, rational subject, but eventually they will reveal themselves in the form of idiosyncratic behaviour, slips of the tongue, even illnesses. The perception that one can craft an identity by copying that of someone else has created particular problems in today's society.

The film nicely shows how a person may make a rational decision to achieve a goal while at the same time unconsciously doing everything possible to avoid it. It may be that what held this couple together was the very lack of sexual satisfaction or the mutual search for a solution, while the realisation of their quest proved unsatisfactory.

We aren't really the victims. After all, we created the system ourselves and as long as we keep consuming, it will continue to exist. Ultimately, capitalism only mirrors human nature.

Freud also said we choose our own neuroses. Capitalism is the neurosis of humanity.

I don't criticize political or electoral freedom, but capitalism's perversion of the concept: the illusion that I hold the power over my own life.

The position of the hysterical subject is that he or she always guesses what is behind the curtain, that is why such a subject usually ends up [...] giving up on love.

Love emerges at the point of a lacking word, and one offers one's being to fill the lack.

We still can't control the consequences our choices will bring. Not only do we want freedom of choice, but we also want a guarantee that whatever we choose will be exactly as we envisioned it.

I do have the power. I can decide for myself what I want, even if the thought stresses me out.