Soren Kierkegaard (May 5, 1813 – November 11, 1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer, widely regarded as the father of existentialism. His works, including Fear and Trembling, Either/Or, The Sickness Unto Death, and Works of Love, explore themes of individuality, faith, despair, and the human condition. Writing often under pseudonyms, Kierkegaard challenged conventional thinking, emphasizing personal choice and the leap of faith in the face of life’s uncertainties. His profound insights continue to influence philosophy, theology, and literature.

Philosopher Albert Camus reflected on Kierkegaard’s impact, stating, “Kierkegaard’s voice, with its passionate clarity, awakens us to the absurd and the necessity of authentic existence.”

Below, we list some words of wisdom from Kierkegaard, drawn from his philosophical writings.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

“The function of souls is to help one another. This is the beginning of love.”

“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.”

“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.”

“Faith is the highest passion in a human being. Many in every generation may not come that far, but none comes further.”

“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”

“The most common form of despair is not being who you are.”

“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.”

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”

“Once you label me, you negate me.”

“The greatest hazard of all, losing oneself, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all.”

“What is a poet? An unhappy person who conceals profound anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that as sighs and cries pass over them they sound like beautiful music.”

“Truth always rests with the minority, because the minority is generally formed by those who really have an opinion.”

“Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.”

“The tyrant dies and his rule is over; the martyr dies and his rule begins.”

“Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.”

“To cheat oneself out of love is the most terrible deception; it is an eternal loss for which there is no reparation.”

“Life has its own hidden forces which you can only discover by living.”

“The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived.”

“Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.”

“People understand me so poorly that they don’t even understand my complaint about them not understanding me.”

“The self is a relation which relates itself to its own self.”

“Boredom is the root of all evil—the despairing refusal to be oneself.”

“God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners.”

“Trouble is the common denominator of living. It is the great equalizer.”

“It is so hard to believe because it is so hard to obey.”

“The task must be made difficult, for only the difficult inspires the noble-hearted.”

“Love is all, it gives all, and it takes all.”

“What I really need is to get clear about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as knowledge must precede every act.”

“Purity of heart is to will one thing.”

“The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.”

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”

“Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.”

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