The ever increasing intensity of despair depends upon the degree of consciousness or is proportionate to this increase the greater the degree of consciousness, the more intensive the despair. This is everywhere apparent, most clearly in despair at its maximum and minimum. The devil's despair is the most intensive despair, for the devil is sheer spirit and hence unqualified consciousness and transparency there is no obscurity in the devil that could serve as a mitigating excuse. Therefore, his despair is the most absolute defiance....
More Quotes from Søren Aabye Kierkegaard:
And if something should be found, particularly in the first part of the dissertation, that one is generally not accustomed to come across in scholarly writings, the reader must forgive my jocundity, just as I, in order to lighten the burden, sometimes sing at my work.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
People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
There are two kinds of geniuses. The characteristic of the one is roaring, but the lightning is meagre and rarely strikes the other kind is characterized by reflection by which it constrains itself or restrains the roaring. But the lightning is all the more intense with the speed and sureness of lightning it hits the selected particular points and is fatal.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
Compared with the person who is conscious of his despair, the despairing individual who is ignorant of his despair is simply a negativity further away from the truth and deliverance.... Yet ignorance is so far from breaking the despair or changing despair to nondespairing that it can in fact be the most dangerous form of despair.... An individual is furthest from being conscious of himself as spirit when he is ignorant of being in despair. But precisely thisnot to be conscious of oneself as spiritis despair, which is spiritlessness....
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
I am so stupid that I cannot understand philosophy the antithesis of this is that philosophy is so clever that it cannot comprehend my stupidity. These antitheses are mediated in a higher unity in our common stupidity.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
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Based on Topics: Devils Quotes, Excuse QuotesBased on Keywords: mitigating, proportionate, unqualified
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It wasn't poverty that drove me on.
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