Søren Kierkegaard
Danish · 1813–1855
Danish philosopher, theologian, and poet, widely considered the father of existentialism.
Wikipedia ↗“Mennesker forlanger Ytringsfrihed som Erstatning for den Tænkefrihed, som de sjældent bruger.”
Dansk
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”
“Kjedsommelighed er Roden af alt Ondt.”
Dansk
“Boredom is the root of all evil.”
From the "Crop Rotation" section of Either/Or. The phrase "the despairing refusal to be oneself" is from a different work (The Sickness Unto Death, 1849) and was previously conflated with this quote.
“Livet kan kun forstås baglæns, men det må leves forlæns.”
Dansk
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
“At vove er at miste Fodfæste for en Stund. Ikke at vove er at miste sig selv.”
Dansk
“To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.”
“Angest er Frihedens Svimmelhed.”
Dansk
“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.”
“Tyrannen dør og hans Herredømme er forbi; Martyren dør og hans Herredømme begynder.”
Dansk
“The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins.”
“Bønnens Virkning er ikke at paavirke Gud, men at forandre den Bedendes Natur.”
Dansk
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
“Der er to Maader at narre paa. Den ene er at tro det, der ikke er sandt; den anden er at nægte at tro det, der er sandt.”
Dansk
“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
“Stå Ansigt til Ansigt med det, at Du er hvad Du er, thi det forandrer hvad Du er.”
Dansk
“Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.”
“Den mest udbredte Form af Fortvivlelse er den, ikke at være sig selv.”
Dansk
“The most common form of despair is not being who you are.”
“Naar man mærker mig, negerer man mig.”
Dansk
“What labels me, negates me.”
No verified primary source in Kierkegaard's published works or journals. Widely circulated online but scholars have not located the original passage.