--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was interested in transcendence from a…" description: "\"I was interested in transcendence from a very early age. I was interested in what was over there, what was behind life. So when I had my first communio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/anselm-kiefer-19043_age_i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a_1569278.png" --- # I was interested in transcendence from a very early age. I… ![“I was interested in transcendence from a very early age. I was interested in what was over there, what was behind life. So when I had my first communion I was very disappointed. I had expected something amazing and surprising and spiritual. Instead all I got was a bicycle. That wasn't what I was…” quote by Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/anselm-kiefer-19043_age_i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a_1569278.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/anselm-kiefer-19043_age_i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a_1569278.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/anselm-kiefer-19043_age_i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a_1569278.png) > “I was interested in transcendence from a very early age. I was interested in what was over there, what was behind life. So when I had my first communion I was very disappointed. I had expected something amazing and surprising and spiritual. Instead all I got was a bicycle. That wasn't what I was after at all.” [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early spiritual expectations can clash with mundane reality, leading to disappointment when profound experiences are replaced by ordinary objects. **In simple terms:** Spiritual hopes may meet ordinary outcomes. Key Takeaway Adjust expectations to find meaning in everyday life. Themes spirituality disappointment expectation meaning growth Mood contemplative melancholic inquisitive Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - religious rituals - personal milestones - art exhibitions - educational settings Key Concepts existentialism psychology of belief artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What does the bicycle symbolize for you? - How can ordinary moments become transcendent? A Different Perspective Not all spiritual quests end in disappointment; some find depth in the ordinary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Amazing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amazing/) [Bicycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bicycle/) [Communion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communion/) [Disappointed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointed/) [First communion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-communion/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Transcendence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendence/) ## Related quotes > [“A few years ago, one who was generally believed to be a racketeer and murderer met death at the hands of his fellow criminals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venerable-fulton-j-sheen/a-few-years-ago-one-who-was-generally-believed-to-be-a-racketeer-and/) [Venerable Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venerable-fulton-j-sheen/) > [It is tradition in Ireland that you're given money for your first communion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roma-downey/it-is-tradition-in-ireland-that-you-re-given-money-for-your-first/) [Roma Downey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roma-downey/) > [Eyes wide and blank as the buttons on a first Communion coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/eyes-wide-and-blank-as-the-buttons-on-a-first-communion-coat/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [One of my favorite titles of an art piece is "Première Communion de Jeunes Filles Chlorotiques Par Un Temps De Neige" or "First Communion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/one-of-my-favorite-titles-of-an-art-piece-is-premi-re-communion-de/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [“Increasingly, Jung came to see that while his father and his uncles, six of whom were pastors, spoke to him about dogma and belief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-valentine-lachman/increasingly-jung-came-to-see-that-while-his-father-and-his-uncles/) [Gary Valentine Lachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-valentine-lachman/) > [“My family’s pretty intense. Like every other day, someone’s having a first Communion or a christening or a baby. My mother calls me four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristan-higgins/my-family-s-pretty-intense-like-every-other-day-someone-s-having-a/) [Kristan Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristan-higgins/) > [“Nick and the Candlestick I am a miner. The light burns blue. Waxy stalactites Drip and thicken, tears The earthen womb Exudes from its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/nick-and-the-candlestick-i-am-a-miner-the-light-burns-blue-waxy/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“No one was more stunned by the choice than her mother, who claimed to the saleswoman that she hadn't seen Danielle that dressed up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siobhan-vivian/no-one-was-more-stunned-by-the-choice-than-her-mother-who-claimed-to/) [Siobhan Vivian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siobhan-vivian/) > [“In the parlor was a huge camera on wheels like the ones used in public parks, and the backdrop of a marine twilight, painted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/in-the-parlor-was-a-huge-camera-on-wheels-like-the-ones-used-in/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Can there be anything more sad than a girl dying on the day of her first communion, in her new dress. A little bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/can-there-be-anything-more-sad-than-a-girl-dying-on-the-day-of-her/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“You felt, in spite of all bureaucracy and inefficiency and party strife something that was like the feeling you expected to have and did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-felt-in-spite-of-all-bureaucracy-and-inefficiency-and-party/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“The memory of his childhood suddenly grew dim. He tried to call forth some of its vivid moments but could not. He recalled only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/the-memory-of-his-childhood-suddenly-grew-dim-he-tried-to-call-forth/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Gaia's main problems are not industrialization, ozone depletion, overpopulation, or resource depletion. Gaia's main problem is the lack of mutual understanding and mutual agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/gaia-s-main-problems-are-not-industrialization-ozone-depletion/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [What is wrong with looking muscular? Muscles are beautiful. Strength is beautiful. Muscle tissue is beautiful. It is metabolically, medically, and philosophically beautiful. Muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-angier/what-is-wrong-with-looking-muscular-muscles-are-beautiful-strength-is/) [Natalie Angier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-angier/) > [“the entirety of human society and moral progress represents an explicit transcendence of what’s “natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/the-entirety-of-human-society-and-moral-progress-represents-an/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## More by Anselm Kiefer > [Art really is something very difficult. It is difficult to make, and it is sometimes difficult for the viewer to understand. It is difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/art-really-is-something-very-difficult-it-is-difficult-to-make-and-it/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [What does the artist do? He draws connections. He ties the invisible threads between things. He dives into history, be it the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/what-does-the-artist-do-he-draws-connections-he-ties-the-invisible/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [History is formed by the people, those who have power and those without power. Each one of us makes history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/history-is-formed-by-the-people-those-who-have-power-and-those/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [Art is difficult. It's not entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/art-is-difficult-it-s-not-entertainment/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [Art is difficult. It's not entertainment. There are only a few people who can say something about art - it's very restricted. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/art-is-difficult-it-s-not-entertainment-there-are-only-a-few-people/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [When knowledge becomes rigid, it stops living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/when-knowledge-becomes-rigid-it-stops-living/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [I might have been born into a very literal sense of chaos, but in fact that state is true of all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-might-have-been-born-into-a-very-literal-sense-of-chaos-but-in-fact/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [I am against the idea of the end, that everything culminates in paradise or judgment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-am-against-the-idea-of-the-end-that-everything-culminates-in/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [Ruins, for me, are the beginning. With the debris, you can construct new ideas. They are symbols of a beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/ruins-for-me-are-the-beginning-with-the-debris-you-can-construct-new/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [I believe art has to take responsibility but it should not give up being art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-believe-art-has-to-take-responsibility-but-it-should-not-give-up/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [I am of the opinion that there are artists and non-artists. I think that this is the way it always was and always will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-am-of-the-opinion-that-there-are-artists-and-non-artists-i-think/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [Art maybe the only space where an indvidual can be utterly free to question himself, as well as his relationship to his God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/art-maybe-the-only-space-where-an-indvidual-can-be-utterly-free-to/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [If I do something that depresses, it's not because I'm depressed, but because political life and history is depressing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/if-i-do-something-that-depresses-it-s-not-because-i-m-depressed-but/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [Because of my Calvinistic upbringing, I was trained to think that what you do has to have a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/because-of-my-calvinistic-upbringing-i-was-trained-to-think-that-what/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) > [I never see a forest that does not bear a mark or a sign of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-never-see-a-forest-that-does-not-bear-a-mark-or-a-sign-of-history/) [Anselm Kiefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) [Explore all 33 Anselm Kiefer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was interested in transcendence from a very early age. I was interested in what was over there, what was behind life. So when I had my first communion I was very disappointed. I had expected something amazing and surprising and spiritual. Instead all I got was a bicycle. That wasn't what I was after at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anselm Kiefer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a-very-early-age-i-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a-very-early-age-i-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/anselm-kiefer-19043_age_i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a_1569278.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/anselm-kiefer-19043_age_i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a_1569278.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/anselm-kiefer-19043_age_i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a_1569278.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was interested in transcendence from a very early age. I was interested in what was over there, what was…” — Anselm Kiefer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anselm Kiefer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-kiefer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was interested in transcendence from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a-very-early-age-i-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-kiefer/i-was-interested-in-transcendence-from-a-very-early-age-i-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```