Søren Kierkegaard Quotes
Most popular Søren Kierkegaard Quotes
![Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/50/26150A-anxiety-is-the-dizziness-of-freedom-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.
![Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/30/24130A-above-all-do-not-lose-your-desire-walk-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.
![I know the truth only when it becomes life in me. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/39/4239A-i-know-the-truth-only-when-it-becomes-life-me-soren-kierkegaard.png)
I know the truth only when it becomes life in me.
![Perfect love means to love the one through whom one became unhappy. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/36/18636A-perfect-love-means-to-love-the-one-through-whom-one-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Perfect love means to love the one through whom one became unhappy.
![Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/30/2030A-life-can-only-be-understood-backwards-but-it-must-be-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
![Philosophy is life's dry-nurse, who can take care of us—but not suckle us. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/99/37299A-philosophy-is-lifes-dry-nurse-who-can-take-care-us-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Philosophy is life's dry-nurse, who can take care of us—but not suckle us.
![It takes moral courage to grieve; it takes religious courage to be joyful. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/96/53896A-it-takes-moral-courage-to-grieve-it-takes-religious-courage-soren-kierkegaard.png)
It takes moral courage to grieve; it takes religious courage to be joyful.
![The tyrant dies and his rule is over; the martyr dies and his rule begins. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/76/35576A-the-tyrant-dies-and-his-rule-is-over-martyr-dies-soren-kierkegaard.png)
The tyrant dies and his rule is over; the martyr dies and his rule begins.
![Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/25/37125A-patience-is-necessary-and-one-cannot-reap-immediately-where-one-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.
![Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/89/14789A-most-men-pursue-pleasure-with-such-breathless-haste-that-they-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.
![Christendom has done away with Christianity without being quite aware of it. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/90/52790A-christendom-has-done-away-with-christianity-without-being-quite-aware-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Christendom has done away with Christianity without being quite aware of it.
![It requires moral courage to grieve; it requires religious courage to rejoice. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/49/7149A-it-requires-moral-courage-to-grieve-it-requires-religious-courage-soren-kierkegaard.png)
It requires moral courage to grieve; it requires religious courage to rejoice.
![Most people pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/34/3734A-most-people-pursue-pleasure-with-such-breathless-haste-that-they-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Most people pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.
![To dare is to lose your "foothold" for a moment. Not to dare is to lose yourself. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/82/11082A-to-dare-is-to-lose-your-foothold-moment-not-dare-soren-kierkegaard.png)
To dare is to lose your "foothold" for a moment. Not to dare is to lose yourself.
![Just tell me how you judge your childhood and youth, and I will tell you who you are. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/02/53902A-just-tell-me-how-you-judge-your-childhood-youth-i-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Just tell me how you judge your childhood and youth, and I will tell you who you are.
![People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/08/43008A-people-demand-freedom-of-speech-to-make-up-freedom-thought-soren-kierkegaard.png)
People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.
![This is the road we all must travel—over the Bridge of Sighs into the peace of eternity. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/54/29154A-this-is-the-road-we-all-must-travel-over-bridge-soren-kierkegaard.png)
This is the road we all must travel—over the Bridge of Sighs into the peace of eternity.
![Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. I have walked myself into the best thoughts. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/35/16635A-above-all-do-not-lose-your-desire-walk-i-have-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. I have walked myself into the best thoughts.
![Spiritually, a man's thoughts must be the building in which he lives—otherwise it is wrong. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/94/53894A-spiritually-a-mans-thoughts-must-be-building-which-he-lives-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Spiritually, a man's thoughts must be the building in which he lives—otherwise it is wrong.
![Truth is not introduced into the individual from without, but was within them all the time. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/38/4238A-truth-is-not-introduced-into-the-individual-from-without-but-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Truth is not introduced into the individual from without, but was within them all the time.
![If I have ventured wrongly, very well, life then helps me with its penalty. But if I haven't ventured at all, who helps me then? - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/25/1525A-if-i-have-ventured-wrongly-very-well-life-then-helps-soren-kierkegaard.png)
If I have ventured wrongly, very well, life then helps me with its penalty. But if I haven't ventured at all, who helps me then?
![Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as possibility! - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/65/37865A-pleasure-disappoints-possibility-never-and-what-wine-is-so-sparkling-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as possibility!
![From earliest childhood, an arrow of grief has been embedded in my heart. As long as it remains there, I am ironic—if it is drawn out, I will die. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/01/53901A-from-earliest-childhood-an-arrow-of-grief-has-been-embedded-soren-kierkegaard.png)
From earliest childhood, an arrow of grief has been embedded in my heart. As long as it remains there, I am ironic—if it is drawn out, I will die.
![Philosophy is perfectly right in saying that life must be understood backward. But then one forgets the other clause—that it must be lived forward. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/10/34810A-philosophy-is-perfectly-right-in-saying-that-life-must-be-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Philosophy is perfectly right in saying that life must be understood backward. But then one forgets the other clause—that it must be lived forward.
![During the first period of a man's life the greater danger is: not to take the risk. When once the risk has been really taken then the greatest danger is to risk too much. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/74/39074A-during-the-first-period-of-a-mans-life-greater-danger-soren-kierkegaard.png)
During the first period of a man's life the greater danger is: not to take the risk. When once the risk has been really taken then the greatest danger is to risk too much.
![If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/79/37879A-if-i-were-to-wish-for-anything-i-should-not-soren-kierkegaard.png)
If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible.
![Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life's relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/15/25415A-adversity-draws-men-together-and-produces-beauty-harmony-lifes-relationships-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life's relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth.
![There are many people who reach their conclusions about life like schoolboys; they cheat their master by copying the answer out of a book without having worked out the sum for themselves. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/09/34809A-there-are-many-people-who-reach-their-conclusions-about-life-soren-kierkegaard.png)
There are many people who reach their conclusions about life like schoolboys; they cheat their master by copying the answer out of a book without having worked out the sum for themselves.
![One should not think slightly of the paradoxical; for the paradox is the source of the thinker's passion, and the thinker without a paradox is like a lover without feeling: a paltry mediocrity. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/50/36950A-one-should-not-think-slightly-of-paradoxical-paradox-is-source-soren-kierkegaard.png)
One should not think slightly of the paradoxical; for the paradox is the source of the thinker's passion, and the thinker without a paradox is like a lover without feeling: a paltry mediocrity.
![There are many people who arrive at answers in life just like schoolboys; they cheat their teacher by copying the answer out of the arithmetic book without having worked the problem out themselves. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/99/53899A-there-are-many-people-who-arrive-at-answers-life-just-soren-kierkegaard.png)
There are many people who arrive at answers in life just like schoolboys; they cheat their teacher by copying the answer out of the arithmetic book without having worked the problem out themselves.
![The majority of people are subjective toward themselves and objective toward all others, terribly objective sometimes; but the real task is, in fact, to be objective toward oneself and subjective toward all others. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/74/8874A-the-majority-of-people-are-subjective-toward-themselves-objective-toward-soren-kierkegaard.png)
The majority of people are subjective toward themselves and objective toward all others, terribly objective sometimes; but the real task is, in fact, to be objective toward oneself and subjective toward all others.
![The greatest hazard of all, losing one's self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss—an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc.—is sure to be noticed. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/46/35046A-the-greatest-hazard-of-all-losing-ones-self-can-occur-soren-kierkegaard.png)
The greatest hazard of all, losing one's self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss—an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc.—is sure to be noticed.
![Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. - Søren Kierkegaard quote.](/img/q/63/41863A-above-all-do-not-lose-your-desire-walk-every-day-soren-kierkegaard.png)
Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.
Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.