--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Against the new leviathan, whether in the…" description: "\"“Against the new leviathan, whether in the guise of universal suffrage, democracy, or of an equally fraudulent triumphant proletariat, he (Kierkegaard)..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dee/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_heaven-on-earth_against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the_720212.png" --- # Against the new leviathan, whether in the guise of… ![“Against the new leviathan, whether in the guise of universal suffrage, democracy, or of an equally fraudulent triumphant proletariat, he (Kierkegaard) pitted the individual human soul made in the image of a God who was concerned about the fate of every living creature. In contrast with the notion…” quote by Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dee/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_heaven-on-earth_against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the_720212.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dee/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_heaven-on-earth_against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the_720212.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dee/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_heaven-on-earth_against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the_720212.png) > ““Against the new leviathan, whether in the guise of universal suffrage, democracy, or of an equally fraudulent triumphant proletariat, he (Kierkegaard) pitted the individual human soul made in the image of a God who was concerned about the fate of every living creature. In contrast with the notion of salvation through power, he held out the hope of salvation through suffering. The Cross against the ballot box or clenched fist; the solitary pilgrim against the slogan-shouting mob; the crucified Christ against the demagogue-dictators promising a kingdom of heaven on earth, whether achieved through endlessly expanding wealth and material well-being, or through the ever greater concentration of power and its ever more ruthless exercise.”” [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kierkegaard argues that true salvation lies in personal suffering and authenticity, not in collective power or material wealth. **In simple terms:** Personal struggle can be more spiritual than political power. Key Takeaway Seek authentic personal growth over mass conformity. Themes individualism spirituality politics authenticity power Mood serious philosophical critical Type theoretical inspirational When to use this quote - political activism - personal crises - religious devotion - community organizing - academic study Key Concepts existentialism ethical philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - Is personal suffering always a path to truth? - Can collective action ever be spiritually authentic? A Different Perspective It may romanticize suffering, ignoring practical needs for societal change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heaven on earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-on-earth/) [Human soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-soul/) [Kingdom of heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdom-of-heaven/) [Salvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salvation/) ## Related quotes > [The trouble with kingdoms of heaven on earth is that they're liable to come to pass, and then their fraudulence is apparent for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-trouble-with-kingdoms-of-heaven-on-earth-is-that-they-re-liable/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Creating-that is the great salvation from suffering, and life's alleviation. But for the creator to appear, suffering itself is needed, and much transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/creating-that-is-the-great-salvation-from-suffering-and-life-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For some people there is no comfort without pain. Thus; we define salvation through suffering. Hence, why we choose people who we know aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/for-some-people-there-is-no-comfort-without-pain-thus-we-define/) [Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/) > [Creating-that is the great salvation from suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/creating-that-is-the-great-salvation-from-suffering/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [When we start at the center of ourselves, we discover something worthwhile extending toward the periphery of the circle. We find again some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/when-we-start-at-the-center-of-ourselves-we-discover-something/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [“John Wesley once said: “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God…such alone will shake the gates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/john-wesley-once-said-give-me-one-hundred-preachers-who-fear-nothing/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [“When we start at the centre of ourselves, we discover something worthwhile extending towards the periphery of the circle. We find again some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northumbria-community/when-we-start-at-the-centre-of-ourselves-we-discover-something/) Northumbria Community > [“My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds. I cannot marry all of them, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/my-life-cannot-implement-in-action-the-demands-of-all-the-people-to/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/give-me-one-hundred-preachers-who-fear-nothing-but-sin-and-desire-2/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [Creative experience foreshadows a new Heaven and a new Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/creative-experience-foreshadows-a-new-heaven-and-a-new-earth/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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 Malcolm Muggeridge > [It is only possible to succeed at second-rate pursuitslikebecoming a millionaire or a prime minister, winning a war, seducing beautiful women, flying thought the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/it-is-only-possible-to-succeed-at-second-rate-pursuitslikebecoming-a/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [He was not only a bore; he bored for England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/he-was-not-only-a-bore-he-bored-for-england/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-orgasm-has-replaced-the-cross-as-the-focus-of-longing-and-the/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Posterity will surely be amazed, and I hope vastly amused, that such slipshod and unconvincing theorizing should have so easily captivated twentieth-century minds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/posterity-will-surely-be-amazed-and-i-hope-vastly-amused-that-such/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [In politics, as in womanizing, failure is decisive. It sheds its retrospective gloom on earlier endeavor which at the time seemed full of promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/in-politics-as-in-womanizing-failure-is-decisive-it-sheds-its/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Marx and Freud are the two great destroyers of Christian civilization, the first replacing the gospel of love by the gospel of hate, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/marx-and-freud-are-the-two-great-destroyers-of-christian-civilization/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [I wouldn't have said that Anthony Eden was equipped by nature to deal with the situation in the world today. I would have said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/i-wouldn-t-have-said-that-anthony-eden-was-equipped-by-nature-to-deal/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [God, stay with me, let no word cross my lips that is not your word, no thoughts enter my mind that are not your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/god-stay-with-me-let-no-word-cross-my-lips-that-is-not-your-word-no/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [The monarchical institution in England is immensely valuable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-monarchical-institution-in-england-is-immensely-valuable/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Education, the great mumbo jumbo and fraud of the age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/education-the-great-mumbo-jumbo-and-fraud-of-the-age/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [This life in us; however low it flickers or fiercely burns, is still a divine flame which no man dare presume to put out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/this-life-in-us-however-low-it-flickers-or-fiercely-burns-is-still-a/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [As Man alone, Jesus could not have saved us; As God alone, He would not; Made flesh, He could and did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/as-man-alone-jesus-could-not-have-saved-us-as-god-alone-he-would-not/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [ I think it \[presidency of Dwight Eisenhower\] came too late and I think that he is not on the wavelength of this dreadful time… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/i-think-it-presidency-of-dwight-eisenhower-came-too-late-and-i-think/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Future historians will surely see us as having created in the media a Frankenstein monster whom no one knows how to control ordirect, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/future-historians-will-surely-see-us-as-having-created-in-the-media-a/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [ I think that President \[Dwight\] Eisenhower was... did the most marvelous job in the war, not really a military job: a public relations job,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/i-think-that-president-dwight-eisenhower-was-did-the-most-marvelous/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) [Explore all 168 Malcolm Muggeridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) ## More Heaven on earth quotes > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“-We need more love, to supersede hatred, -We need more strength, to resist our weaknesses, -We need more inspiration, to lighten up our innermind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/we-need-more-love-to-supersede-hatred-we-need-more-strength-to-resist/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“Then the shimmering opened like a door to the other side, and I saw that the gate led to another dimension of heaven on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-c-loren/then-the-shimmering-opened-like-a-door-to-the-other-side-and-i-saw/) [Julia C. Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-c-loren/) > [“Live because it is heaven on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-lawrence/live-because-it-is-heaven-on-earth/) Samantha Lawrence > [Every time we remember to say "thank you", we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/every-time-we-remember-to-say-thank-you-we-experience-nothing-less/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“I suddenly realised that the devout Russian people no longer needed priests to pray them into heaven. On earth they were building a kingdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-reed/i-suddenly-realised-that-the-devout-russian-people-no-longer-needed/) [John Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-reed/) > [“Surely I write not for the hopeful young, Or those who deem their happiness of worth, Or such as pasture and grow fat among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomson/surely-i-write-not-for-the-hopeful-young-or-those-who-deem-their/) [James Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomson/) > [“Q: What is dark chocolate?" "A: Heaven on Earth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pseudonymous-bosch/q-what-is-dark-chocolate-a-heaven-on-earth/) [Pseudonymous Bosch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pseudonymous-bosch/) > [When you awaken, you will see that this is Heaven on Earth, and everything in physical form is the body of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-jacobson/when-you-awaken-you-will-see-that-this-is-heaven-on-earth-and/) [Leonard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-jacobson/) > [Agar Firdaus bar ru-e-zamin ast, Hami ast o- hami ast o- hami ast. If there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal/agar-firdaus-bar-ru-e-zamin-ast-hami-ast-o-hami-ast-o-hami-ast-if/) [Bilal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal/) > [“Imagination is paradise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/imagination-is-paradise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth. Â Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance-2/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Youve gotta dance like theres nobody watching, Love like youll never be hurt, Sing like theres nobody listening, And live like its heaven on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/youve-gotta-dance-like-theres-nobody-watching-love-like-youll-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Anyone nuts enough to try building heaven on earth is bound for a hell of his own making”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jennings/anyone-nuts-enough-to-try-building-heaven-on-earth-is-bound-for-a/) Chris Jennings [Browse all 212 Heaven on earth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-on-earth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Against the new leviathan, whether in the guise of universal suffrage, democracy, or of an equally fraudulent triumphant proletariat, he (Kierkegaard) pitted the individual human soul made in the image of a God who was concerned about the fate of every living creature. In contrast with the notion of salvation through power, he held out the hope of salvation through suffering. The Cross against the ballot box or clenched fist; the solitary pilgrim against the slogan-shouting mob; the crucified Christ against the demagogue-dictators promising a kingdom of heaven on earth, whether achieved through endlessly expanding wealth and material well-being, or through the ever greater concentration of power and its ever more ruthless exercise.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Muggeridge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the-guise-of-universal-suffrage/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heaven on earth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the-guise-of-universal-suffrage/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dee/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_heaven-on-earth_against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the_720212.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dee/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_heaven-on-earth_against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the_720212.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dee/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_heaven-on-earth_against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the_720212.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Against the new leviathan, whether in the guise of universal suffrage, democracy, or of an equally…” — Malcolm Muggeridge", "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": "Malcolm Muggeridge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Against the new leviathan, whether in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the-guise-of-universal-suffrage/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/against-the-new-leviathan-whether-in-the-guise-of-universal-suffrage/#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 } } ] } ```