--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my formative years the people who…" description: "\"In my formative years the people who influenced me most were the Christian existentialists, I mean men like Munier and Kierkegaard and perhaps most of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/pierre-trudeau-3495_christian_in-my-formative-years-the-people-who-inf_2640275.jpg" --- # In my formative years the people who influenced me most… ![“In my formative years the people who influenced me most were the Christian existentialists, I mean men like Munier and Kierkegaard and perhaps most of all Nicholas Berdyaev and in my travels I looked for one thing more than anything. I rarely discussed, probably mainly because of language…” quote by Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/pierre-trudeau-3495_christian_in-my-formative-years-the-people-who-inf_2640275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/pierre-trudeau-3495_christian_in-my-formative-years-the-people-who-inf_2640275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/pierre-trudeau-3495_christian_in-my-formative-years-the-people-who-inf_2640275.jpg) > “In my formative years the people who influenced me most were the Christian existentialists, I mean men like Munier and Kierkegaard and perhaps most of all Nicholas Berdyaev and in my travels I looked for one thing more than anything. I rarely discussed, probably mainly because of language difficulties, metaphysics with the various religious people of other groups I'd meet with. But I'd very much try to see how they were incarnated, how their particular soul was incarnated or took roots into reality.” [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He was shaped by Christian existentialists and sought how their ideas lived in reality despite language barriers. **In simple terms:** Philosophical ideas guided his worldview, seeking practical embodiment. Key Takeaway Explore how ideas manifest in everyday life. Themes philosophy religion existentialism culture language Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - traveling for insight - discussing metaphysics - observing lived faith Key Concepts existential thought cultural integration practical ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do abstract ideas become lived experience? - What barriers arise when discussing metaphysics across cultures? A Different Perspective Language can limit deep philosophical exchange. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Existentialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialist/) [Formative years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formative-years/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Metaphysics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysics/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-people/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [Political operatives don't tend to be existentialists. They do know, however, that if a supporter doesn't vote, then his or her opinion does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/political-operatives-don-t-tend-to-be-existentialists-they-do-know/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [We knew of Sartre and we dressed like the French existentialists. Our philosophy then, and remember we were only little kids, was more in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astrid-kirchherr/we-knew-of-sartre-and-we-dressed-like-the-french-existentialists-our/) [Astrid Kirchherr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astrid-kirchherr/) > [There are two kinds of existentialist; first, those who are Christian...and on the other hand the atheistic existentialists, among whom...I class myself. What they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-are-two-kinds-of-existentialist-first-those-who-are-christian/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“As existentialists as Jean-Paul Sarte learned, radical individualism can be a dead end for social justice. It is not easy to establish a coherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/as-existentialists-as-jean-paul-sarte-learned-radical-individualism/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“This is one of the reasons atheistic existentialists have been so at odds with the church. 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I’m talking about the individual US citizen’s deep fear, the same basic fear that you and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/maybe-it-s-not-metaphysics-maybe-it-s-existential-i-m-talking-about/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Existentialists try to find the answer to something so simple and that is what nothing is. Nothing is nothing, and if he or she,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/existentialists-try-to-find-the-answer-to-something-so-simple-and/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [I was keen to dispel a familiar misunderstanding: that existentialists somehow relish the alienation of human beings from the world. This may have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-cooper/i-was-keen-to-dispel-a-familiar-misunderstanding-that-existentialists/) [David E. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-cooper/) > [“the existentialists did say that life was all about pulling the victory of meaning from the jaws of senseless absurdity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathew-mather/the-existentialists-did-say-that-life-was-all-about-pulling-the/) Mathew Mather > [“If you learn only one thing from this book, let it be that: that an Indian man 2,600 years ago came up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-francon/if-you-learn-only-one-thing-from-this-book-let-it-be-that-that-an/) [Dominique Francon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-francon/) > [“Mma Ramotswe had listened to a World Service broadcast on her radio one day which had simply taken her breath away. It was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/mma-ramotswe-had-listened-to-a-world-service-broadcast-on-her-radio/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Spirit and soul is horseshit of the worst sort. Obviously there are no fairies, no Santa Clauses, no spirits. What there is, is human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/spirit-and-soul-is-horseshit-of-the-worst-sort-obviously-there-are-no/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [Existentialists are monumentally and monotonously serious; they don't like to joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wislawa-szymborska/existentialists-are-monumentally-and-monotonously-serious-they-don-t/) [Wislawa Szymborska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wislawa-szymborska/) ## More by Pierre Trudeau > [Liberalism is the philosophy for our time, because it does not try to conserve every tradition of the past, because it does not apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/liberalism-is-the-philosophy-for-our-time-because-it-does-not-try-to/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Obviously, the state's responsibility should be to legislate rules for a well-ordered society. 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That is not to say that freedom always flows from order because you can have a totalitarian order and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/freedom-can-flow-from-order-that-is-not-to-say-that-freedom-always/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Every time I have a political rally I meet some people who say, "I need a job."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/every-time-i-have-a-political-rally-i-meet-some-people-who-say-i-need/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [I'm far from believing that we've solved the problem of violence in the 20th century and that's why I'm not discouraged that we still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-m-far-from-believing-that-we-ve-solved-the-problem-of-violence-in/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [The Jesuits were good educators, exceptional teachers. 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What's done in private between adults doesn't concern the Criminal Code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/there-s-no-place-for-the-state-in-the-bedrooms-of-the-nation-what-s/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [I think all of us, politicians and churchmen, should do our utmost to change the society so that there would be no need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-think-all-of-us-politicians-and-churchmen-should-do-our-utmost-to/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [The Canadian community must invest, for the defence and better appreciation of the French language, as much time, energy, and money as are required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/the-canadian-community-must-invest-for-the-defence-and-better/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Perhaps the rediscovery of our humanity, and the potential of the human spirit which we have read about in legends of older civilizations, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/perhaps-the-rediscovery-of-our-humanity-and-the-potential-of-the/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) [Explore all 129 Pierre Trudeau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) ## More Christian quotes > [I need a bath." 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I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In my formative years the people who influenced me most were the Christian existentialists, I mean men like Munier and Kierkegaard and perhaps most of all Nicholas Berdyaev and in my travels I looked for one thing more than anything. I rarely discussed, probably mainly because of language difficulties, metaphysics with the various religious people of other groups I'd meet with. 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