Faith is the highest passion in a human being. Many in every generation may not come that far, but none comes further.
Soren KierkegaardRead
to have faith is precisely to lose one's mind so as to win God.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Having faith often requires abandoning rational thought in pursuit of a deeper spiritual truth.
This quote by Soren Kierkegaard suggests that true faith involves a conscious decision to let go of logical reasoning and embrace the mysteries of belief. It implies that what might seem irrational or nonsensical in the realm of faith could ultimately lead to a more profound connection with the divine, representing a transformative experience where one 'loses' their conventional understanding but 'wins' a relationship with God.
Themes
FaithGodSpiritualityBeliefMindPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon about the nature of faith, I would quote Kierkegaard to emphasize the importance of trust beyond reason.
More from Soren Kierkegaard
All quotes βMen think that it is impossible for a human being to love his enemies, for enemies are hardly able to endure the sight of one another. Well, then, shut your eyes--and your enemy looks just like your neighbor.
Soren KierkegaardRead
How did I get into the world? Why was I not asked about it and why was I not informed of the rules and regulations but just thrust into the ranks as if I had been bought by a peddling shanghaier of human beings? How did I get involved in this big enterprise called actuality? Why should I be involved? Isn't it a matter of choice? And if I am compelled to be involved, where is the managerβI have something to say about this. Is there no manager? To whom shall I make my complaint?
Soren KierkegaardRead
A possibility is a hint from God. One must follow it.
Soren KierkegaardRead
And when the hourglass has run out, the hourglass of temporality, when the noise of secular life has grown silent and its restless or ineffectual activism has come to an end, when everything around you is still, as it is in eternity, then eternity asks you and every individual in these millions and millions about only one thing: whether you have lived in despair or not.
Soren KierkegaardRead
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.
Soren KierkegaardRead
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