--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Although I am still far from this kind of…" description: "\"“Although I am still far from this kind of interior understanding of myself, with profound respect for its significance I have sought to preserve my in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_authenticity_although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-o_1801954.jpg" --- # Although I am still far from this kind of interior… ![“Although I am still far from this kind of interior understanding of myself, with profound respect for its significance I have sought to preserve my individuality―worshipped the unknown God. With a premature anxiety I have tried to avoid coming in close contact with those things whose force of…” quote by Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_authenticity_although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-o_1801954.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_authenticity_although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-o_1801954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_authenticity_although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-o_1801954.jpg) > ““Although I am still far from this kind of interior understanding of myself, with profound respect for its significance I have sought to preserve my individuality―worshipped the unknown God. With a premature anxiety I have tried to avoid coming in close contact with those things whose force of attraction might be too powerful for me. I have sought to appropriate much from them, studied their distinctive characteristics and meaning in human life, but at the same time guarded against coming, like the moth, too close to the flame. I have had little to win or to lose in association with the ordinary run of men, partly because what they do―so-called practical life―does not interest me much, partly because their coldness and indifference to the spiritual and deeper currents in man alienate me even more from them. With few exceptions my companions have had no special influence upon me. A life that has not arrived at clarity about itself must necessarily exhibit an uneven side-surface; confronted by certain facts \[\*Facta\*\] and their apparent disharmony, they simply halted there, for, as I see it, they did not have sufficient interest to seek a resolution in a higher harmony or to recognize the necessity of it. Their opinion of me was always one-sided, and I have vacillated between putting too much or too little weight on what they said. I have now withdrawn from their influence and the potential variations of my life's compass resulting from it. Thus I am again standing at the point where I must begin again in another way. I shall now calmly attempt to look at myself and begin to initiate inner action; for only thus will I be able, like a child calling itself "I" in its first consciously undertaken act, be able to call myself "I" in a profounder sense. But that takes stamina, and it is not possible to harvest immediately what one has sown. I will remember that philosopher's method of having his disciples keep silent for three years; then I dare say it will come. Just as one does not begin a feast at sunrise but at sundown, just so in the spiritual world one must first work forward for some time before the sun really shines for us and rises in all its glory; for although it is true as it says that God lets his sun shine upon the good and the evil and lets the rain fall on the just and the unjust, it is not so in the spiritual world. So let the die be cast―I am crossing the Rubicon! No doubt this road takes me into battle, but I will not renounce it. I will not lament the past―why lament? I will work energetically and not waste time in regrets, like the person stuck in a bog and first calculating how far he has sunk without recognizing that during the time he spends on that he is sinking still deeper. I will hurry along the path I have found and shout to everyone I meet: Do not look back as Lot's wife did, but remember that we are struggling up a hill." ―from\_Journals\_, (The Search for Personal Meaning)”” [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-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 author describes a struggle for self‑knowledge, avoiding overwhelming influences while seeking inner clarity and authentic identity. **In simple terms:** Seeking inner self‑understanding while avoiding overpowering influences. Key Takeaway Cultivate quiet self‑reflection. Themes self‑knowledge individuality spirituality introspection Mood contemplative determined hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - spiritual practice - creative work - academic study - therapy Key Concepts existentialism authenticity self‑realization Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance inner work with external relationships? - What influences might you need to limit? A Different Perspective Self‑reflection can be slow and may feel isolating. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Existentialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialism/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“By striving to see through the veil of our ordinary perceptions, we can come closer to understanding our profound relationship to all created things—all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/by-striving-to-see-through-the-veil-of-our-ordinary-perceptions-we/) [Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/) > [“I like flaws and I feel more comfortable around those who have them.. 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Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/) [Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/) > [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Although I am still far from this kind of interior understanding of myself, with profound respect for its significance I have sought to preserve my individuality―worshipped the unknown God. With a premature anxiety I have tried to avoid coming in close contact with those things whose force of attraction might be too powerful for me. I have sought to appropriate much from them, studied their distinctive characteristics and meaning in human life, but at the same time guarded against coming, like the moth, too close to the flame. I have had little to win or to lose in association with the ordinary run of men, partly because what they do―so-called practical life―does not interest me much, partly because their coldness and indifference to the spiritual and deeper currents in man alienate me even more from them. With few exceptions my companions have had no special influence upon me. A life that has not arrived at clarity about itself must necessarily exhibit an uneven side-surface; confronted by certain facts [*Facta*] and their apparent disharmony, they simply halted there, for, as I see it, they did not have sufficient interest to seek a resolution in a higher harmony or to recognize the necessity of it. Their opinion of me was always one-sided, and I have vacillated between putting too much or too little weight on what they said. I have now withdrawn from their influence and the potential variations of my life's compass resulting from it. Thus I am again standing at the point where I must begin again in another way. I shall now calmly attempt to look at myself and begin to initiate inner action; for only thus will I be able, like a child calling itself \"I\" in its first consciously undertaken act, be able to call myself \"I\" in a profounder sense. But that takes stamina, and it is not possible to harvest immediately what one has sown. I will remember that philosopher's method of having his disciples keep silent for three years; then I dare say it will come. Just as one does not begin a feast at sunrise but at sundown, just so in the spiritual world one must first work forward for some time before the sun really shines for us and rises in all its glory; for although it is true as it says that God lets his sun shine upon the good and the evil and lets the rain fall on the just and the unjust, it is not so in the spiritual world. So let the die be cast―I am crossing the Rubicon! No doubt this road takes me into battle, but I will not renounce it. I will not lament the past―why lament? I will work energetically and not waste time in regrets, like the person stuck in a bog and first calculating how far he has sunk without recognizing that during the time he spends on that he is sinking still deeper. I will hurry along the path I have found and shout to everyone I meet: Do not look back as Lot's wife did, but remember that we are struggling up a hill.\" ―from_Journals_, (The Search for Personal Meaning)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Søren Kierkegaard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-of-interior-understanding-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authenticity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-of-interior-understanding-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_authenticity_although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-o_1801954.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_authenticity_although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-o_1801954.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_authenticity_although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-o_1801954.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Although I am still far from this kind of interior understanding of myself, with profound respect for its…” — Søren Kierkegaard", "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": "Søren Kierkegaard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Although I am still far from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-of-interior-understanding-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/although-i-am-still-far-from-this-kind-of-interior-understanding-of/#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 } } ] } ```