We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.
In this interview Erich Fromm describes the two opposite principles which are used by human beings to define themselves: "The having mode, which concentrates on material possessions, power, and aggression, and is the basis of the universal evils of greed, envy, and violence; and the being mode, which is based on love, the pleasure of sharing, and in productive activity." He talks about their empirical occurrence in individuals and the present and future problems of a world that is predominantly driven by the having mode.