The case with most men is that they go out into life with one or another accidental characteristic of personality of which they say Well, this is the way I am. I cannot do otherwise. Then the world gets to work on them and thus the majority of men are ground into conformity. In each generation a small part cling to their 'I cannot do otherwise' and lose their minds. Finally there are a very few in each generation who in spite of all life's terrors cling with more and more inwardness to this 'I cannot do otherwise'. They are the geniuses. Their 'I cannot do otherwise' is an infinite thought, for if one were to cling firmly to a finite thought, he would lose his mind.
More Quotes from Søren Aabye Kierkegaard:
Had I to carve an inscription on my tombstone I would ask for none other than 'The Individual.'Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
People hardly ever make use of the freedom they have, for example, freedom of thought instead they demand freedom of speech as a compensation.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
So to be sick unto death is, not to be able to dieyet not as though there were hope of life no, the hopelessness in this case is that even the last hope, death, is not available. When death is the greatest danger, one hopes for life but when one becomes acquainted with an even more dreadful danger, one hopes for death. So when the danger is so great that death has become one's hope, despair is the disconsolateness of not being able to die.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
The majority of men 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 Aabye Kierkegaard
The difference between a man who faces death for the sake of an idea and an imitator who goes in search of martyrdom is that the former expresses his idea most fully in death while the latter really enjoys the bitterness of failure.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
In the New Testament the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, represents the situation thus The way that leads to life is straight, the gate narrowfew be they who find itnow, on the contrary, to speak only of Denmark, we are all Christians, the way is as broad as it possibly can be, the broadest in Denmark, since it is the way in which we all are walking, besides being in all respects as convenient, as comfortable, as possible and the gate is as wide as it possibly can be, wider surely a gate cannot be than that through which we all are going en masse.... Ergo the New Testament is no longer truth.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
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Based on Topics: Conformity Quotes, Genius Quotes, Infinity Quotes, Majority & Minority Quotes, Man Quotes, Mind Quotes, Thought & Thinking Quotes, World QuotesBased on Keywords: inwardness
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