--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I shall be as willing as the next man to…" description: "\"“I shall be as willing as the next man to fall down in worship before the System, if only I can manage to set eyes on it. Hitherto I have had no succes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/kierkegaard-40190_existence_i-shall-be-as-willing-as-the-next-man-to_3183933.jpg" --- # I shall be as willing as the next man to fall down in… ![“I shall be as willing as the next man to fall down in worship before the System, if only I can manage to set eyes on it. Hitherto I have had no success; and though I have young legs, I am almost weary from running back and forth... Once or twice I have been on the verge of bending the knee. But at…” quote by Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/kierkegaard-40190_existence_i-shall-be-as-willing-as-the-next-man-to_3183933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/kierkegaard-40190_existence_i-shall-be-as-willing-as-the-next-man-to_3183933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/kierkegaard-40190_existence_i-shall-be-as-willing-as-the-next-man-to_3183933.jpg) > ““I shall be as willing as the next man to fall down in worship before the System, if only I can manage to set eyes on it. Hitherto I have had no success; and though I have young legs, I am almost weary from running back and forth... Once or twice I have been on the verge of bending the knee. But at the last moment, when I already had my handkerchief spread on the ground, to avoid soiling my trousers, and I made a trusting appeal to one of the initiated who stood by: "Tell me now sincerely, is it entirely finished; for if so I will kneel down before it, even at the risk of ruining a pair of trousers (for on account of the heavy traffic to and from the system, the road has become quite muddy)," - I always receive the same answer: "No, it is not yet quite finished." And so there was another postponement - of the system, and of my homage. System and finality are pretty much one and the same, so much so that if the system is not finished, there is no system.”” [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker laments endless postponement of confronting a system that never feels complete, highlighting the paradox of seeking finality in an unfinished construct. **In simple terms:** Seeking a final system is impossible; we keep delaying commitment. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and act without waiting for perfection. Themes existentialism faith commitment paradox systems Mood anxious reflective determined Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - political activism - personal decision-making - career planning - spiritual practice - social movements Key Concepts absurdity ethical responsibility faith existential dread Questions to Reflect On - What would you commit to if you knew the system would never be perfect? - How does endless postponement affect your sense of purpose? A Different Perspective The system may be a metaphor for any goal that remains perpetually out of reach, making endless waiting counterproductive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Finality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finality/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) ## Related quotes > [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“I ask you again / You who watch / How can there ever be any ending but this? First silence / Then darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-power/i-ask-you-again-you-who-watch-how-can-there-ever-be-any-ending-but/) Ben Power > [There is never finality in the display terminal's screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-never-finality-in-the-display-terminal-s-screen-but-an/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [“There is no moment in which we say good-bye, there is no finality as he slips into peacefulness, he simply leaves us, and though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-o-donnell/there-is-no-moment-in-which-we-say-good-bye-there-is-no-finality-as/) [Lisa O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-o-donnell/) > [Imagine how different a world might be if more leaders took time to ponder the finality of death before racing off to war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/imagine-how-different-a-world-might-be-if-more-leaders-took-time-to/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [The bristling eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. Mesmerized. the boy watched them disappear under the hanging white thatch of hair. There, almost coyly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/the-bristling-eyebrows-shot-up-in-mock-surprise-mesmerized-the-boy/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [I love the finality of film. When you make a movie, you know the beginning, middle, and end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-banks/i-love-the-finality-of-film-when-you-make-a-movie-you-know-the/) [Elizabeth Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-banks/) > [The finality of Christs redemption for us is intimately tied to the finality of his revelation to us. . . . If we say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-finality-of-christs-redemption-for-us-is-intimately-tied-to-the/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“Impossible to say why childhood joy ends with such finality in so many things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franklin/impossible-to-say-why-childhood-joy-ends-with-such-finality-in-so/) [Dave Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franklin/) > ['Death with dignity' is our society's expression of the universal yearning to achieve a graceful triumph over the stark and often repugnant finality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/death-with-dignity-is-our-society-s-expression-of-the-universal/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [Just — just to be clear,” he said. “You want to leave Tonks at her parents’ house and come away with us?” “She’ll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-just-to-be-clear-he-said-you-want-to-leave-tonks-at-her-parents/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Unless death is made a lesson for the living, the life lived is wasted. Why should life come into existence only to be destroyed?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/unless-death-is-made-a-lesson-for-the-living-the-life-lived-is-wasted/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [That which rises and sinks is made up of what it rises from. The finality of the universe is the God Arunachala. Meditating on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/that-which-rises-and-sinks-is-made-up-of-what-it-rises-from-the/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The nearer a conception comes towards finality, the nearer does the dynamic relation, out of which this concept has arisen, draw to a close.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-nearer-a-conception-comes-towards-finality-the-nearer-does-the/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [It's all about constantly pursuing, constantly being perseverent, and never letting anybody tell you NO is the finality of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zayed-khan/it-s-all-about-constantly-pursuing-constantly-being-perseverent-and/) [Zayed Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zayed-khan/) ## More by Kierkegaard > [“To relate oneself expectantly to the possibility of the good is to hope. To relate oneself expectantly to the possibility of evil is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/to-relate-oneself-expectantly-to-the-possibility-of-the-good-is-to/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) > [“By seeing the multitude of people around it, by being busied with all sorts of worldly affairs, by being wise to the ways of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/by-seeing-the-multitude-of-people-around-it-by-being-busied-with-all/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) > [“Only the person who is essentially capable of remaining silent is capable of speaking essentially.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/only-the-person-who-is-essentially-capable-of-remaining-silent-is/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) > [“And although this (marital love) cannot be portrayed artistically, then let your consolation be, as it is mine, that we are not to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/and-although-this-marital-love-cannot-be-portrayed-artistically-then/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) > [“The surest of stubborn silences is not to hold one's tongue but to talk”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/the-surest-of-stubborn-silences-is-not-to-hold-one-s-tongue-but-to/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) > [“Ask me what you wish; just do not ask me for reasons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/ask-me-what-you-wish-just-do-not-ask-me-for-reasons/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) > [“If the ethical - that is, social morality - is the highest and if there is in a person no residual incommensurability in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/if-the-ethical-that-is-social-morality-is-the-highest-and-if-there-is/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) > [“What is a poet? A poet is an unhappy being whose heart is torn by secret sufferings, but whose lips are so strangely formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/what-is-a-poet-a-poet-is-an-unhappy-being-whose-heart-is-torn-by/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) > [“The greatest hazard of all, losing one's self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kierkegaard/the-greatest-hazard-of-all-losing-one-s-self-can-occur-very-quietly-4/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) [Explore all 10 Kierkegaard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kierkegaard/) ## More Existence quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I shall be as willing as the next man to fall down in worship before the System, if only I can manage to set eyes on it. Hitherto I have had no success; and though I have young legs, I am almost weary from running back and forth... Once or twice I have been on the verge of bending the knee. But at the last moment, when I already had my handkerchief spread on the ground, to avoid soiling my trousers, and I made a trusting appeal to one of the initiated who stood by: \"Tell me now sincerely, is it entirely finished; for if so I will kneel down before it, even at the risk of ruining a pair of trousers (for on account of the heavy traffic to and from the system, the road has become quite muddy),\" - I always receive the same answer: \"No, it is not yet quite finished.\" And so there was another postponement - of the system, and of my homage. 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