--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sartre is one example of someone who does…" description: "\"Sartre is one example of someone who does just this. Every text is, after all, a human document and whatever Kierkegaard thought about God was clearly ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/george-pattison-17005_adages_sartre-is-one-example-of-someone-who-doe_2498916.jpg" --- # Sartre is one example of someone who does just this. Every… ![“Sartre is one example of someone who does just this. Every text is, after all, a human document and whatever Kierkegaard thought about God was clearly a matter of human thought that can, in principle, be retrieved and interpreted by other human beings. A phenomenological approach to religion must…” quote by George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/george-pattison-17005_adages_sartre-is-one-example-of-someone-who-doe_2498916.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/george-pattison-17005_adages_sartre-is-one-example-of-someone-who-doe_2498916.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/george-pattison-17005_adages_sartre-is-one-example-of-someone-who-doe_2498916.jpg) > “Sartre is one example of someone who does just this. Every text is, after all, a human document and whatever Kierkegaard thought about God was clearly a matter of human thought that can, in principle, be retrieved and interpreted by other human beings. A phenomenological approach to religion must, it seems to me, adopt the old adage: nothing human is alien to me.” [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human texts reflect human experience; interpreting them requires acknowledging shared humanity and the capacity to retrieve meaning across individuals. **In simple terms:** Human writings are understandable because they come from humans. Key Takeaway Recognize shared humanity in interpreting religious texts. Themes interpretation humanity religion phenomenology Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - Academic study - interfaith dialogue - personal reflection - textual analysis Key Concepts Hermeneutics existentialism theology Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing shared humanity affect your reading of sacred texts? - What challenges arise when interpreting across cultures? A Different Perspective Interpretation can be limited by cultural bias and differing presuppositions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adages/) [Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Human thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-thought/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Of course, if one's reading Kierkegaard for personal interest that's fine - but it's sloppy scholarship just to cherry pick what suits one from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/of-course-if-one-s-reading-kierkegaard-for-personal-interest-that-s/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [ But, inevitably, as he \[Kierkegaard\] approaches what we might call his Christocentric climax many readers drop off. Many scholars just leave that part of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/but-inevitably-as-he-kierkegaard-approaches-what-we-might-call-his/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [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/) > [Kierkegaard was by far the most profound thinker of the last century. Kierkegaard was a saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/kierkegaard-was-by-far-the-most-profound-thinker-of-the-last-century/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [“I never really saw the celerity of your heart When steadily fighting off the Kierkegaardian part I listened to Plutarch While you threw out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/i-never-really-saw-the-celerity-of-your-heart-when-steadily-fighting/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [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 > [“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 > [“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 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 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/) > [“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/) > [“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 George Pattison > [I'm not sure if Cupitt himself still uses this term, but it's useful in suggesting that, actually, there are more choices than the choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/i-m-not-sure-if-cupitt-himself-still-uses-this-term-but-it-s-useful/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [When I'm on the operating table, I'm happy for the surgeon to treat me as a machine, but the moment I return to consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/when-i-m-on-the-operating-table-i-m-happy-for-the-surgeon-to-treat-me/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [But why should a religious person be interested in a work like Heidegger's that many regard as the epitome of nihilism? For a start,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/but-why-should-a-religious-person-be-interested-in-a-work-like/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [And perhaps this has to do with what I sense is a turning away from the idea of religion as being about conserving a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/and-perhaps-this-has-to-do-with-what-i-sense-is-a-turning-away-from/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [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/) > [ I think he \[Heidegger\] sets the question up in a useful way and, despite appearances, he's not 'against' technology. He just wants us to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/i-think-he-heidegger-sets-the-question-up-in-a-useful-way-and-despite/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [I still read a lot about teenage angst! Of course, any kind of mourning CAN become pathological and then it 'has to stop', but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/i-still-read-a-lot-about-teenage-angst-of-course-any-kind-of-mourning/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [But my point is that 'the death of God' is not something like the Battle of Waterloo or Magna Charta. It's not a historic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/but-my-point-is-that-the-death-of-god-is-not-something-like-the/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [Barth's approach tears up any possibility of dialogue between faith and unfaith or between theology and other human sciences. Theology just says what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/barth-s-approach-tears-up-any-possibility-of-dialogue-between-faith/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [ But, inevitably, as he \[Kierkegaard\] approaches what we might call his Christocentric climax many readers drop off. Many scholars just leave that part of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/but-inevitably-as-he-kierkegaard-approaches-what-we-might-call-his/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [Essentially I see the new atheism as largely part of the crisis of the left. Having failed to carry through its agenda in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/essentially-i-see-the-new-atheism-as-largely-part-of-the-crisis-of/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [In brief, I regard love as a more decisive focus of meaning than death. In terms of Heidegger's argument, this is because I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/in-brief-i-regard-love-as-a-more-decisive-focus-of-meaning-than-death/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [It seems that just Being, the sheer fact of existence, that there is something rather than nothing, already inspires a wonder akin to religion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/it-seems-that-just-being-the-sheer-fact-of-existence-that-there-is/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [ Positively, he \[Heidegger\] shows that the prospect of death doesn't of itself destroy all possibilities of meaning but calls instead for these to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/positively-he-heidegger-shows-that-the-prospect-of-death-doesn-t-of/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [Schleiermacher, however, starts by attempting to find what he takes to be a basic element of the human condition as such, namely, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/schleiermacher-however-starts-by-attempting-to-find-what-he-takes-to/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) [Explore all 38 George Pattison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) ## More Adages quotes > [It’s not just the adage ‘write what you know,’ it’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you’ve collected up to now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/it-s-not-just-the-adage-write-what-you-know-it-s-about-gathering-up/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Wise is the tongue, wet of perfect thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-francis/wise-is-the-tongue-wet-of-perfect-thought/) [Black Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-francis/) > [Another lesson about a naive fool who came to Babylon, and found out that the pie don't taste so sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-yoakam/another-lesson-about-a-naive-fool-who-came-to-babylon-and-found-out/) [Dwight Yoakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-yoakam/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If you need somebody you can trust, trust yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/if-you-need-somebody-you-can-trust-trust-yourself/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Something happens when your subconscious goes to work... That's why 'Sleep on it' is an adage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-voight/something-happens-when-your-subconscious-goes-to-work-that-s-why/) [Jon Voight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-voight/) > [There's an adage that a lot of coaches have, that I completely disagree with, is if you make the Olympic team too early you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-coughlin/there-s-an-adage-that-a-lot-of-coaches-have-that-i-completely/) [Natalie Coughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-coughlin/) > [An ancient adage warns, "Never go to sea with two chronometers; take one or three."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/an-ancient-adage-warns-never-go-to-sea-with-two-chronometers-take-one/) [Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/) > [Don't judge the picture by the frame, every man is not the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/don-t-judge-the-picture-by-the-frame-every-man-is-not-the-same/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [Failure isn't failure if a lesson from it's learned. 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Fool you twice, you're just a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-chapin-carpenter/fool-you-once-you-are-forgiven-fool-you-twice-you-re-just-a-fool/) [Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-chapin-carpenter/) [Browse all 340 Adages quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adages/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sartre is one example of someone who does just this. Every text is, after all, a human document and whatever Kierkegaard thought about God was clearly a matter of human thought that can, in principle, be retrieved and interpreted by other human beings. 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