Faith is the highest passion in a human being. Many in every generation may not come that far, but none comes further.
Soren KierkegaardRead
There is something almost cruel about the Christian's being placed in a world which in every way wants to pressure him to do the opposite of what God bids him to do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Kierkegaard suggests that living a Christian life is challenging due to the prevailing societal pressures against it.
This quote by Soren Kierkegaard reflects the struggle of a Christian individual in a world that often promotes values and actions contrary to their beliefs. Kierkegaard highlights the inherent cruelty of such a situation, where the faithful are constantly faced with societal temptations and pressures that seek to lead them away from what they believe is divinely ordained. This tension between personal conviction and external expectations emphasizes the inner conflict faced by those who strive to live according to spiritual principles in a secular world.
Themes
ChristianitySocietyPressureConflictBeliefs
In practice
Example use cases
During a sermon discussing the challenges of faith, this quote could illustrate the struggle of adhering to one's spiritual convictions.
More from Soren Kierkegaard
All quotes →Men 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.
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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 manager—I 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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