--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The dynamic element in my philosophy…" description: "\"The dynamic element in my philosophy, taken as a whole, can be seen as an obstinate and untiring battle against the spirit of abstraction.\" — Gabriel M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/gabriel-marcel-23278_abstraction_the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-tak_500353.png" --- # The dynamic element in my philosophy, taken as a whole… ![“The dynamic element in my philosophy, taken as a whole, can be seen as an obstinate and untiring battle against the spirit of abstraction.” quote by Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/gabriel-marcel-23278_abstraction_the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-tak_500353.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/gabriel-marcel-23278_abstraction_the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-tak_500353.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/gabriel-marcel-23278_abstraction_the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-tak_500353.png) > “The dynamic element in my philosophy, taken as a whole, can be seen as an obstinate and untiring battle against the spirit of abstraction.” [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He opposes abstract thinking, favoring concrete, lived experience in a relentless struggle against emptiness. **In simple terms:** Fights abstract ideas with concrete life. Key Takeaway Engage fully with lived reality. Themes philosophy existentialism concrete experience struggle Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal reflection - academic discussion - creative writing - spiritual practice Key Concepts Abstraction spiritual battle authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you confront abstract ideas in daily life? - What concrete actions embody your philosophy? A Different Perspective Abstract concepts can still guide insight when balanced with experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstraction/) [Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Obstinate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstinate/) [Obstinate Untiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstinate-untiring-4261739/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-taken-3521731/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirit Abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit-abstraction-4261740/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Untiring Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untiring-battle-4261741/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [“Always marveling at how New Age pseudo-philosophy had taken over the Internet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/always-marveling-at-how-new-age-pseudo-philosophy-had-taken-over-the/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Hence my obstinate emphasis on stylistic continuity from work to work rather than specific sibling relationships between the individual work and other members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/hence-my-obstinate-emphasis-on-stylistic-continuity-from-work-to-work/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [I've been called 'hardheaded,' 'obstinate,' 'unreasonable,' etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benigno-aquino-iii/i-ve-been-called-hardheaded-obstinate-unreasonable-etc/) [Benigno Aquino III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benigno-aquino-iii/) > [It's only by being obstinate that anything is got, or done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/it-s-only-by-being-obstinate-that-anything-is-got-or-done/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [Narrowness of mind is often the cause of obstinacy; we do not easily believe beyond what we see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/narrowness-of-mind-is-often-the-cause-of-obstinacy-we-do-not-easily/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The pastoral labours of the archbishop of Constantinople provoked and gradually united against him two sorts of enemies; the aspiring clergy, who envied his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-pastoral-labours-of-the-archbishop-of-constantinople-provoked-and/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [A powerful portfolio of physiological and behavioural evidence now exists to support the case that fish feel pain and that this feeling matters. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-webster/a-powerful-portfolio-of-physiological-and-behavioural-evidence-now/) [John Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-webster/) > [Avarice, the spur of industry, is so obstinate a passion, and works its way through so many real dangers and difficulties, that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/avarice-the-spur-of-industry-is-so-obstinate-a-passion-and-works-its/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Few men are so obstinate in their atheism, that a pressing danger will not compel them to acknowledgment of a divine power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/few-men-are-so-obstinate-in-their-atheism-that-a-pressing-danger-will/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Those obstinate questionings Of sense and outward things, Fallings from us, vanishings; Blank misgivings of a Creature Moving about in worlds not realised, High…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/those-obstinate-questionings-of-sense-and-outward-things-fallings/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Presumption will be easily corrected; but timidity is a disease of the mind more obstinate and fatal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/presumption-will-be-easily-corrected-but-timidity-is-a-disease-of-the/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I remain convinced that obstinate addiction to ordinary language in our private thoughts is one of the main obstacles to progress in philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-remain-convinced-that-obstinate-addiction-to-ordinary-language-in/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Charlotte slammed the paper down onto her desk with an exclamation of rage. “Aloysius Starkweather is the most stubborn, hypocritical, obstinate, degenerate—” She broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/charlotte-slammed-the-paper-down-onto-her-desk-with-an-exclamation-of/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Many are obstinate with regard to the pathway once they have set upon it, few with regard to the goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/many-are-obstinate-with-regard-to-the-pathway-once-they-have-set-upon/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## More by Gabriel Marcel > [A mystery is a problem that encroaches upon itself because the questioner becomes the object of the question. Getting to Mars is a problem.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/a-mystery-is-a-problem-that-encroaches-upon-itself-because-the/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [It is right that we be concerned with the scientific probity of metaphysics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/it-is-right-that-we-be-concerned-with-the-scientific-probity-of/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [“The atheist relies not on an experience but on an idea, or pseudo idea, of God: if God existed, He would have such and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/the-atheist-relies-not-on-an-experience-but-on-an-idea-or-pseudo-idea/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [But however measurable, there is much more life in music than mathematics or logic ever dreamed of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/but-however-measurable-there-is-much-more-life-in-music-than/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [But a science is exact to the extent that its method measures up to and is adequate to its object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/but-a-science-is-exact-to-the-extent-that-its-method-measures-up-to/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [... freedom is a conquest, always partial, always precarious, always challenged. ... the freest person is the one with the most hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/freedom-is-a-conquest-always-partial-always-precarious-always/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [You know you have loved someone when you have glimpsed in them that which is too beautiful to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/you-know-you-have-loved-someone-when-you-have-glimpsed-in-them-that/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [On a grassroots level we say that man can touch more than he can grasp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/on-a-grassroots-level-we-say-that-man-can-touch-more-than-he-can-grasp/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [I not only have a body; I am this body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/i-not-only-have-a-body-i-am-this-body/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [The wise man knows how to run his life so that contemplation is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/the-wise-man-knows-how-to-run-his-life-so-that-contemplation-is/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [Hope consists in asserting that there is at the heart of being, beyond all data, beyond all inventories and all calculations, a mysterious principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/hope-consists-in-asserting-that-there-is-at-the-heart-of-being-beyond/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [Being and having in our society teaches us how to take possession of things, when it should rather initiate us in the art of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/being-and-having-in-our-society-teaches-us-how-to-take-possession-of/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [An individual is not distinct from his place. He is his place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/an-individual-is-not-distinct-from-his-place-he-is-his-place/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [I almost think that hope is for the soul what breathing is for the living organism. Where hope is lacking the soul dries up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/i-almost-think-that-hope-is-for-the-soul-what-breathing-is-for-the/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) > [Music at times is more like perfume than mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/music-at-times-is-more-like-perfume-than-mathematics/) [Gabriel Marcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) [Explore all 24 Gabriel Marcel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/) ## More Abstraction quotes > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [The premises from which we begin are not arbitrary ones, not dogmas, but real premises from which abstraction can only be made in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/the-premises-from-which-we-begin-are-not-arbitrary-ones-not-dogmas/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Two elements are needed to form a truth - a fact and an abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/two-elements-are-needed-to-form-a-truth-a-fact-and-an-abstraction/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [But we must not underestimate the potency of the mathematical process of abstraction. A surprising variety of things happen to have both magnitude and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banesh-hoffmann/but-we-must-not-underestimate-the-potency-of-the-mathematical-process/) [Banesh Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banesh-hoffmann/) > [Sometimes I start in a very realistic fashion, and as I go on from one painting to another of the same kind, it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/sometimes-i-start-in-a-very-realistic-fashion-and-as-i-go-on-from-one/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I like residing in abstraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-like-residing-in-abstraction/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Cancer begins and ends with people. In the midst of scientific abstraction, it is sometimes possible to forget this one basic fact. Doctors treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-goodfield/cancer-begins-and-ends-with-people-in-the-midst-of-scientific/) [June Goodfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-goodfield/) > [Yes, there was an element of abstraction and unreality in misfortune. But when an abstraction starts to kill you, you have to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/yes-there-was-an-element-of-abstraction-and-unreality-in-misfortune/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate mechanizable techniques to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-aho/computer-science-is-a-science-of-abstraction-creating-the-right-model/) [Alfred Aho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-aho/) > [In 'Self Comes to Mind' I pay a lot of attention to simple creatures without brains or minds, because those 'cartooned abstractions of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/in-self-comes-to-mind-i-pay-a-lot-of-attention-to-simple-creatures/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Don't get stuck on the level of words. A word is no more than a means to an end. It's an abstraction. Not unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/don-t-get-stuck-on-the-level-of-words-a-word-is-no-more-than-a-means/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Holidays are in no sense an alternative to the congestion and bustle of the cities and work. Quite the contrary. People look to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/holidays-are-in-no-sense-an-alternative-to-the-congestion-and-bustle/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [ I'd say that \[Louis\] Brandeis practiced a kind of a "living originalism," to use the title of Jack Balkin's great book. He said you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rosen/i-d-say-that-louis-brandeis-practiced-a-kind-of-a-living-originalism/) [Jeffrey Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rosen/) > [When novels deal in abstractions, they generally go off the rails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/when-novels-deal-in-abstractions-they-generally-go-off-the-rails/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) [Browse all 562 Abstraction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstraction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The dynamic element in my philosophy, taken as a whole, can be seen as an obstinate and untiring battle against the spirit of abstraction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gabriel Marcel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-taken-as-a-whole-can-be-seen-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstraction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-taken-as-a-whole-can-be-seen-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/gabriel-marcel-23278_abstraction_the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-tak_500353.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/gabriel-marcel-23278_abstraction_the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-tak_500353.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/gabriel-marcel-23278_abstraction_the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-tak_500353.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The dynamic element in my philosophy, taken as a whole, can be seen as an obstinate and untiring battle…” — Gabriel Marcel", "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": "Gabriel Marcel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-marcel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The dynamic element in my philosophy,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-taken-as-a-whole-can-be-seen-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-marcel/the-dynamic-element-in-my-philosophy-taken-as-a-whole-can-be-seen-as/#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 } } ] } ```