Doing right Quote by Franz Kafka
““Nevertheless, the chief thing is: Whatever the others surrounding you in a wide circle may say about you, in superior wisdom, in bestial (except that beasts are not like that) denseness, in diabolical kindness, in homicidal love - I, I, Milena, know to my last fibre that whatever you do you will be doing right, whether you stay in Vienna, or do now this, now that. What, after all, should I be doing with you if I didn't know this? As in the deep sea there is no tiniest spot that isn't always under the heaviest pressure, so it is with you, but any other life is a disgrace and makes me sick to think of; until recently I thought I couldn't endure life, couldn't endure people, and was very ashamed of it, but you confirm to me now that it wasn't life that seemed undendurable to me.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Trial, Franz Kafka, 1925
The speaker asserts personal conviction despite external opinions, seeing all actions as right and life as pressure‑filled but meaningful.
In simple terms: Trust your own judgment; life feels pressured but is meaningful.
Key Takeaway
Embrace personal certainty.
Themes
self‑belief
existentialism
pressure
inner conflict
Mood
reflective
determined
Type
philosophical
existential
When to use this quote
- making decisions
- coping with criticism
- finding purpose
- navigating relationships
Key Concepts
subjectivity
existential authenticity
psychological resilience
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance inner certainty with external advice?
- What pressures shape your sense of right?
A Different Perspective
May overlook external feedback that could improve choices.
![“The tremendous world I have inside my head. But how [to] free myself and free it without being torn to pieces. And a thousand times [I'd] rather be torn to pieces than rather it in me or bury it. That, indeed, is why I am here, that is quite clear to me.” quote by Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f19/franz-kafka-214_freedom_the-tremendous-world-i-have-inside-my-he_5848.jpg)
