Philosophy Quote by Soren Kierkegaard — Inspiring Words on Life, Love & Wisdom

“I feel as if I were a piece in a game of chess, when my opponent says of it: That piece cannot be moved.”

“What is existence for but to be laughed at if men in their twenties have already attained the utmost?”

“The stone that was rolled before Christ's tomb might appropriately be called the philosopher's stone because its removal gave not only the pharisees but, now for 1800 years, the philosophers so much to think about.”

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

“Listen to the cry of a woman in labor at the hour of giving birth — look at the dying man’s struggle at his last extremity, and then tell me whether something that begins and ends thus could be intended for enjoyment.”

“A 'no' does not hide anything, but a 'yes' very easily becomes a deception.”

“It doesn't matter how smart you are unless you stop and think.”

“Living well is an art that can be developed: a love of life and ability to take great pleasure from small offerings and assurance that the world owes you nothing and that every gift is exactly that, a gift.”

“It has gradually become clear to me what every great philosophy up till now has consisted of – namely, the confession of its originator, and a species of involuntary and unconscious autobiography; and moreover that the moral (or immoral) purpose in every philosophy has constituted the true vital germ out of which the entire plant has always grown.”

“If your desire is for good, the people will be good.”

“Only God may be adored, because only God is unlimited goodness, truth, and beauty, and thus only God deserves unlimited love.”

“For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.”