The-Conquest-of-Happiness-by-Bertrand-Russell

But the sense of sin in its most important forms is
something which goes deeper. It is something
which has its roots in the unconscious, and does
not appear in consciousness as fear of other
people’s disapproval. In consciousness certain
kinds of acts are labelled Sin for no reason visible
to introspection. When a man commits these acts he
feels uncomfortable without quite knowing why.
He wishes he were the kind of man who could
abstain from what he believes to be sin. He gives
moral admiration only to those whom he believes
to be pure in heart. He recognises with a greater or
less degree of regret that it is not for him to be a
saint; indeed, his conception of saintship is
probably one which it is nearly impossible to carry
out in an ordinary everyday life. Consequently he
goes through life with a sense of guilt, feeling that
the best is not for him, and that his highest moments
are those of maudlin penitence.
The source of all this in practically every case is
the moral teaching which the man received before
he was six years old at the hands of his mother or