--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And what nags me about this is that the…" description: "\"“And what nags me about this is that the source of my anxiety was exactly what Kierkegaard says the source of anxiety is, and what he praised in direct..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/daniel-b-smith-29619_change-things_and-what-nags-me-about-this-is-that-the_2740635.jpg" --- # And what nags me about this is that the source of my… ![“And what nags me about this is that the source of my anxiety was exactly what Kierkegaard says the source of anxiety is, and what he praised in direct proportion to the volume any person possesses: possibility. The awareness that life is a series of choices any one of which could be either…” quote by Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/daniel-b-smith-29619_change-things_and-what-nags-me-about-this-is-that-the_2740635.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/daniel-b-smith-29619_change-things_and-what-nags-me-about-this-is-that-the_2740635.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/daniel-b-smith-29619_change-things_and-what-nags-me-about-this-is-that-the_2740635.jpg) > ““And what nags me about this is that the source of my anxiety was exactly what Kierkegaard says the source of anxiety is, and what he praised in direct proportion to the volume any person possesses: possibility. The awareness that life is a series of choices any one of which could be either aggrandizing or disastrous. That this happens to be true I have no trouble signing on to. Any who has lived past the age of ten knows that even piddling actions can wind up having big consequences, and that even when you are super-conscious of your behaviors you can't know how things are going to turn out in the short- or the long-run. That's the drama of it all. On the one hand, your very existence means you can and will change things in your life and others. On the other hand, you aren't God, so everything is always going to be drenched in uncertainty and doubt.”” [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anxiety stems from the awareness of limitless possibilities and the responsibility of choice, creating both empowerment and uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Possibility causes anxiety because choices are endless and outcomes unknown. Key Takeaway Embrace choice but accept uncertainty. Themes anxiety choice possibility uncertainty responsibility Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - creative projects - financial planning Key Concepts existentialism free will risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance freedom of choice with the fear of unknown outcomes? - What strategies help you act despite uncertainty? A Different Perspective The quote may overstate that all anxiety comes from possibility, ignoring other factors like trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-things/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kierkegaard/) [Kierkegaard Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kierkegaard-says-3025137/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Source Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source-anxiety-2782015/) [Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty/) ## Related quotes > [“I record my life, sifting and trying to separate what is real from what I’ve dreamed. I have decided not to tell you what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-slater/i-record-my-life-sifting-and-trying-to-separate-what-is-real-from/) [Lauren Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-slater/) > [ That is the greatest source of my anxiety on this film \[The Hobbit\], is that I'm going to be lynched. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/that-is-the-greatest-source-of-my-anxiety-on-this-film-the-hobbit-is/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [No one wants to be a source of anxiety to everybody they know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/no-one-wants-to-be-a-source-of-anxiety-to-everybody-they-know/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [The current CEO of Wal-Mart says he has "no choice" but to sacrifice the welfare of his employees in order to serve his customers'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-o-toole/the-current-ceo-of-wal-mart-says-he-has-no-choice-but-to-sacrifice/) [James O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-o-toole/) > [“I would have liked to say, "I'm a doctor," to those who asked me what I did, doctors being the current purveyors of magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-would-have-liked-to-say-i-m-a-doctor-to-those-who-asked-me-what-i/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“As Kierkegaard said, “To venture causes anxiety; not to venture is to lose oneself.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-krech/as-kierkegaard-said-to-venture-causes-anxiety-not-to-venture-is-to/) [Gregg Krech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-krech/) > [What Kierkegaard said about love is also true of creativity: every person must start at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/what-kierkegaard-said-about-love-is-also-true-of-creativity-every/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [I ... had what Kierkegaard called 'the sickness of infinitude,' wandering from one path to another with no real recognition that I was embarked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/i-had-what-kierkegaard-called-the-sickness-of-infinitude-wandering/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“I venture to say Kierkegaard meant that truth has lost its force with us and horrible pain and evil must teach it to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-venture-to-say-kierkegaard-meant-that-truth-has-lost-its-force-with/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“It was not surprising that after the war Dostoevsky was linked to Kierkegaard as a prophet of social resignation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jay/it-was-not-surprising-that-after-the-war-dostoevsky-was-linked-to/) [Martin Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jay/) > [Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a paradox here! Kierkegaard's own indirect communication proposes that we start with the experience of those who don't believe and meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/perhaps-unsurprisingly-there-s-a-paradox-here-kierkegaard-s-own/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [“as in Heinrich Heine’s (a contemporary of Kierkegaard’s) well-known saying that one should value above everything else ‘freedom, equality and crab soup’. ‘Crab soup’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/as-in-heinrich-heine-s-a-contemporary-of-kierkegaard-s-well-known/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“What is particularly striking about his reconstruction and criticisms of the traditional account of friendship is that he finds it deficient not only by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-smith/what-is-particularly-striking-about-his-reconstruction-and-criticisms/) [Graham Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-smith/) > [“And therefore, all of those for whom authentic transformation has deeply unseated their souls must, I believe, wrestle with the profound moral obligation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/and-therefore-all-of-those-for-whom-authentic-transformation-has/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“I am poor—you are my riches; dark—you are my light; I own nothing, need nothing. And how could I own anything? After all, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/i-am-poor-you-are-my-riches-dark-you-are-my-light-i-own-nothing-need/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) ## More by Daniel B. Smith > [“This is why therapists go to such lengths to urge their anxious patients away from intellectualization: The first step toward peace is disarmament.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/this-is-why-therapists-go-to-such-lengths-to-urge-their-anxious/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“Freedom is anxiety's petri dish. If routine blunts anxiety, freedom incubates it. Freedom says, "Even if you don't want to make choices, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/freedom-is-anxiety-s-petri-dish-if-routine-blunts-anxiety-freedom/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“Singin' In the Rain might get you through an anxious week or two, but it won't get you through an anxious life. For that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/singin-in-the-rain-might-get-you-through-an-anxious-week-or-two-but/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“It's like I've had a stroke. Do you think I've had a stroke?" "I don't think you've had a stroke." "But how do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/it-s-like-i-ve-had-a-stroke-do-you-think-i-ve-had-a-stroke-i-don-t/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“I felt so skinless at times! Things hit me so hard!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/i-felt-so-skinless-at-times-things-hit-me-so-hard/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“By the tie I arrived at the clinic I was typically so demoralized I could barely stand. I was twenty-three years old and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/by-the-tie-i-arrived-at-the-clinic-i-was-typically-so-demoralized-i/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“One of the things anxiety educates you in is how deeply physical thought can be, how concrete. In anxiety, there is no time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/one-of-the-things-anxiety-educates-you-in-is-how-deeply-physical/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“...Anxiety and panic happen to be mundane phenomena, i.e., even when they are caused by extraordinary things like war and rape, they tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/anxiety-and-panic-happen-to-be-mundane-phenomena-i-e-even-when-they/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“If this all sounds melodramatic, well that, too, isn’t a bad metaphor for anxiety—as a kind of drama queen of the mind. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/if-this-all-sounds-melodramatic-well-that-too-isn-t-a-bad-metaphor/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“He isn’t trying to transform himself into something different; he’s trying to transform someone different back into himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/he-isn-t-trying-to-transform-himself-into-something-different-he-s/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“Freud was of the opinion that in fear a person is responding to a specific and immediate threat to physical safety while in anxiety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/freud-was-of-the-opinion-that-in-fear-a-person-is-responding-to-a/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“To be anxious wasn’t shameful, it was a high calling. It was to be alive to life’s contradictions, more receptive to the true nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/to-be-anxious-wasn-t-shameful-it-was-a-high-calling-it-was-to-be/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“Yet I also felt, for the first time, truly and sincerely pissed. It was enough already. Enough! I’d reached that point that comes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/yet-i-also-felt-for-the-first-time-truly-and-sincerely-pissed-it-was/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“Anxiety compels a person to think, but it is the type of thinking that gives thinking a bad name: solipsistic, self-eviscerating, unremitting, vicious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/anxiety-compels-a-person-to-think-but-it-is-the-type-of-thinking-that/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) > [“First, contrary to popular belief, Buddhists can actually be very anxious people. That’s often why they become Buddhists in the first place. Buddhism was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-b-smith/first-contrary-to-popular-belief-buddhists-can-actually-be-very/) [Daniel B. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) [Explore all 18 Daniel B. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-b-smith/) ## More Change things quotes > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [“I’m not saying Jesus won’t come back; I’ve just decided I can’t keep hoping to be rescued from my life. Maybe it’s up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-hartzler/i-m-not-saying-jesus-won-t-come-back-i-ve-just-decided-i-can-t-keep/) [Aaron Hartzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-hartzler/) > [What really distinguishes this generation in all countries from earlier generations ... is its determination to act, its joy in action, the assurance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/what-really-distinguishes-this-generation-in-all-countries-from/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“why would white dudes want to change things when they held all the cards?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/why-would-white-dudes-want-to-change-things-when-they-held-all-the/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“Gandhi is best remembered for his adherence to the principle of nonviolence; but no less important was his adherence to non-demonization. Even when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-truett-anderson/gandhi-is-best-remembered-for-his-adherence-to-the-principle-of/) [Walter Truett Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-truett-anderson/) > [Simply having rules does not change the things that people want to do. You have to change incentives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/simply-having-rules-does-not-change-the-things-that-people-want-to-do/) [Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/) > [I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I believe that prayer changes us and we change things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-used-to-believe-that-prayer-changes-things-but-now-i-believe-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You cannot change the things, so you don't need to stress if you're going to change them. So why complain? It looks so simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/you-cannot-change-the-things-so-you-don-t-need-to-stress-if-you-re/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [I'm always trying to change things - change my character, change my look, change my hair, change my facial hair, change my costumes, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jericho/i-m-always-trying-to-change-things-change-my-character-change-my-look/) [Chris Jericho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jericho/) > [When something doesn't go your way, never lose hope in Allah. That faith could be just enough for Him to change things around for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-something-doesn-t-go-your-way-never-lose-hope-in-allah-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're a black superhero, you can't erase the notion that you're black. 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Try to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-not-control-all-the-events-that-happen-to-you-but-you-can/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Browse all 661 Change things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And what nags me about this is that the source of my anxiety was exactly what Kierkegaard says the source of anxiety is, and what he praised in direct proportion to the volume any person possesses: possibility. The awareness that life is a series of choices any one of which could be either aggrandizing or disastrous. That this happens to be true I have no trouble signing on to. Any who has lived past the age of ten knows that even piddling actions can wind up having big consequences, and that even when you are super-conscious of your behaviors you can't know how things are going to turn out in the short- or the long-run. 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