Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
romantic · existentialism
Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard · 1813–1855
Copenhagen's knight of resignation and irony. Life lived forward, understood backward, and regretted either way.
Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.
Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts.
The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.
The only intelligent tactical response to life's horror is to laugh defiantly at it.
Marry, and you will regret it; don't marry, you will also regret it; marry or don't marry, you will regret it either way.
A fire broke out backstage in a theatre. The clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded. He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater. I think that's just how the world will come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it's a joke.
If I were a father and had a daughter who became a prostitute, I should not despair over her; I would continue to hope for her salvation. But if I had a son who became a journalist and continued to be one for five years, I would give him up.
Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.
The most common form of despair is not being who you are.
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.