Anxiety Quote by Søren Kierkegaard
““Just as a physician might say that there very likely is not one single living human being who is completely healthy, so anyone who really knows mankind might say that there is not one single living human being who does not despair a little, who does not secretly harbor an unrest, an inner strife, a disharmony, an anxiety about an unknown something or a something he does not even dare try to know, an anxiety about some possibility in existence or an anxiety about himself, so that, just as the physician speaks of going around with an illness in the body, he walks around with a sickness, carries around a sickness of the spirit that signals its presence at rare intervals in and through an anxiety he cannot explain.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Philosophical Fragments, 1844 (paraphrased)
Human existence is marked by inevitable anxiety and inner conflict, akin to a spiritual illness that surfaces intermittently.
In simple terms: Everyone feels anxiety and inner turmoil at times.
Key Takeaway
Accept anxiety as a sign of being alive and seek meaning.
Themes
anxiety
existence
inner conflict
human condition
spiritual illness
Mood
introspective
melancholic
hopeful
Type
philosophical
psychological
When to use this quote
- personal crises
- creative endeavors
- decision making
- relationships
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- What does your anxiety reveal about your values?
- Can you transform anxiety into motivation?
A Different Perspective
Anxiety may become overwhelming if not addressed.
