This quote by Carl Jung delves into the concept of projection, which suggests that often, what we find irritating or bothersome in others reflects something within ourselves that we may not fully recognize or accept. Essentially, our reactions to others can serve as mirrors reflecting our own unresolved issues, insecurities, or aspects of our personality that we may be projecting onto them.

For example, if a parent says that they can’t bear their child’s behaviour, it has nothing to do with the child’s innocent actions but everything to do with the unresolved anger issues inside the parent. Similarly, if we find someone’s behaviour to be overly critical, it might be because we have unresolved feelings of self-criticism or perfectionism within ourselves.

This can also be referred to as the mirror effect wherein we can find our own flaws by looking at what bothers us in others. It’s like saying, what bugs us probably bugs them too. It’s very convenient to judge what’s wrong with others, but it’s very difficult to look within ourselves and find out the underlying triggers causing those reactions and understand and release them. These things that bother us in others reflect something about ourselves that we don’t like or haven’t fully accepted.

By taking cues from such actions and projections, we can find our own issues, and can use these opportunities for self-reflection to become more aware and gain a deeper understanding of self. Such emotional reactions and triggers can provide valuable insights into our own inner workings and areas for personal growth.