---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The levelling process is the victory of…"
description: "\"“The levelling process is the victory of abstraction over the individual. The levelling process in modern times, corresponds, in reflection, to fate in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_modern-times_the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of_2526868.jpg"
---

#  The levelling process is the victory of abstraction over…

![“The levelling process is the victory of abstraction over the individual. The levelling process in modern times, corresponds, in reflection, to fate in antiquity.” quote by Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_modern-times_the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of_2526868.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_modern-times_the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of_2526868.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_modern-times_the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of_2526868.jpg)

> ““The levelling process is the victory of abstraction over the individual. The levelling process in modern times, corresponds, in reflection, to fate in antiquity.””

[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.

Abstraction dominates individuals, making fate a modern form of leveling.

**In simple terms:** Ideas outweigh personal differences.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the loss of individuality in mass culture.

Themes

individualism abstraction fate modernity

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- media consumption
- education policy
- workplace culture
- social media

Key Concepts

existentialism social conformity philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does society balance collective norms with personal identity?
- What mechanisms protect individuality today?

A Different Perspective

Abstraction can also foster unity and shared purpose.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Modern times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-times/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Levelling at its maximum is like the stillness of death, where one can hear one's own heartbeat, a stillness like death, into which nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/levelling-at-its-maximum-is-like-the-stillness-of-death-where-one-can/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“And the man who learns most from the levelling and himself becomes greatest does not become an outstanding man or hero--that would only impede…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/and-the-man-who-learns-most-from-the-levelling-and-himself-becomes/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [Levellers wish to level down as far as themselves; but they cannot bear levelling up to themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/levellers-wish-to-level-down-as-far-as-themselves-but-they-cannot/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“The promotion of ‘average’ individual causes a general levelling down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-benoist/the-promotion-of-average-individual-causes-a-general-levelling-down/)

[Alain de Benoist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-benoist/)

> [I don't need to rush, I don't need to jump to a title shot or anything like that, I just want to keep levelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belal-muhammad/i-don-t-need-to-rush-i-don-t-need-to-jump-to-a-title-shot-or-anything/)

[Belal Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belal-muhammad/)

> [Further Education is central to our mission of levelling up the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-williamson/further-education-is-central-to-our-mission-of-levelling-up-the/)

[Gavin Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-williamson/)

> [“The tedium vitae so constant in antiquity was due to the fact that the outstanding individual was what others could not be ; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/the-tedium-vitae-so-constant-in-antiquity-was-due-to-the-fact-that/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“Unfortunately, you are far more likely to be harmed or die prematurely as a direct result of modern society than you are from any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/unfortunately-you-are-far-more-likely-to-be-harmed-or-die-prematurely/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [I'll never forget when I was running, when I was knocking on doors for my first office as I served as a Cleveland city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/i-ll-never-forget-when-i-was-running-when-i-was-knocking-on-doors-for/)

[Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/)

> [Vampires as creatures have evolved over time as different vampire bloodlines have hit different populations of humans. Every once in a while the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-snyder/vampires-as-creatures-have-evolved-over-time-as-different-vampire/)

[Scott Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-snyder/)

> [“In short, a strong royal advisor class insists on stopping and thinking. And it tries, I think with growing success in modern times, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-n-aron/in-short-a-strong-royal-advisor-class-insists-on-stopping-and/)

[Elaine N. Aron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-n-aron/)

> [Love in modern times has been the tailor's best friend. Every suitor of the nineteenth century spends more than his spare cash on personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-augustus-henry-sala/love-in-modern-times-has-been-the-tailor-s-best-friend-every-suitor/)

[George Augustus Henry Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-augustus-henry-sala/)

> [I've had to make time to really explore all the amazing things that are out and try to understand the history of how fashion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jackson/i-ve-had-to-make-time-to-really-explore-all-the-amazing-things-that/)

[Christopher Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jackson/)

> [“A joke’s funny, right? That wasn’t. It’s perfectly okay for a woman to have a sexual appetite, to take the lead now and then.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shani-struthers/a-joke-s-funny-right-that-wasn-t-it-s-perfectly-okay-for-a-woman-to/)

[Shani Struthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shani-struthers/)

> [When you stroll through Munich it can happen that you suddenly stand in front of an old house, an idyllically-dreaming church that smiles like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/when-you-stroll-through-munich-it-can-happen-that-you-suddenly-stand/)

[Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/)

## More by Søren Kierkegaard

> [“At vove er at miste fodfæstet et kort øjeblik - ikke at vove er at miste sig selv.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/at-vove-er-at-miste-fodf-stet-et-kort-jeblik-ikke-at-vove-er-at-miste/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“Who tricked me into this whole thing and leaves me standing here? Who am I? How did I get into the world? Why was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/who-tricked-me-into-this-whole-thing-and-leaves-me-standing-here-who/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“No woman in maternity confinement can have stranger and more impatient wishes than I have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/no-woman-in-maternity-confinement-can-have-stranger-and-more/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“If a man had a little button sewn on the inner pocket of his coat 'on principle' his otherwise unimportant and quite serviceable action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/if-a-man-had-a-little-button-sewn-on-the-inner-pocket-of-his-coat-on/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“I stick my finger in existence — it smells of nothing. Where am I? Who am I? How came I here? What is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/i-stick-my-finger-in-existence-it-smells-of-nothing-where-am-i-who-am/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“A human being is spirit. But what is spirit? Spirit is the self. But what is the self? The self is a relation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/a-human-being-is-spirit-but-what-is-spirit-spirit-is-the-self-but/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“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/)

> [“Intohimo ei merkitse sanoja.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/intohimo-ei-merkitse-sanoja/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“But there is a concerned guide, a knowing one, who attracts the attention of the wanderer, who calls out to him that he should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/but-there-is-a-concerned-guide-a-knowing-one-who-attracts-the/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“There is something frightful in the fact that the most dangerous thing of all, playing at Christianity, is never included in the list of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/there-is-something-frightful-in-the-fact-that-the-most-dangerous/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“Yet in another and still more definite sense despair is the sickness unto death. It is indeed very far from being true that, literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/yet-in-another-and-still-more-definite-sense-despair-is-the-sickness/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“Sitting calmly on a ship in fair weather is not a metaphor for having faith; but when the ship has sprung a leak, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/sitting-calmly-on-a-ship-in-fair-weather-is-not-a-metaphor-for-having/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“Not merely in the realm of commerce but in the world of ideas as well our age is organizing a regular clearance sale. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/not-merely-in-the-realm-of-commerce-but-in-the-world-of-ideas-as-well/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“In love with myself, that is what people say I am. It doesn’t surprise me, for how could they notice that I can love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/in-love-with-myself-that-is-what-people-say-i-am-it-doesn-t-surprise/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“Battle day and night against the guile of oblivion...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/battle-day-and-night-against-the-guile-of-oblivion/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

[Explore all 184 Søren Kierkegaard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

## More Modern times quotes

> [When you stroll through Munich it can happen that you suddenly stand in front of an old house, an idyllically-dreaming church that smiles like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/when-you-stroll-through-munich-it-can-happen-that-you-suddenly-stand/)

[Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/)

> [“A joke’s funny, right? That wasn’t. It’s perfectly okay for a woman to have a sexual appetite, to take the lead now and then.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shani-struthers/a-joke-s-funny-right-that-wasn-t-it-s-perfectly-okay-for-a-woman-to/)

[Shani Struthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shani-struthers/)

> [I've had to make time to really explore all the amazing things that are out and try to understand the history of how fashion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jackson/i-ve-had-to-make-time-to-really-explore-all-the-amazing-things-that/)

[Christopher Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jackson/)

> [Love in modern times has been the tailor's best friend. Every suitor of the nineteenth century spends more than his spare cash on personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-augustus-henry-sala/love-in-modern-times-has-been-the-tailor-s-best-friend-every-suitor/)

[George Augustus Henry Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-augustus-henry-sala/)

> [“In short, a strong royal advisor class insists on stopping and thinking. And it tries, I think with growing success in modern times, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-n-aron/in-short-a-strong-royal-advisor-class-insists-on-stopping-and/)

[Elaine N. Aron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-n-aron/)

> [Vampires as creatures have evolved over time as different vampire bloodlines have hit different populations of humans. Every once in a while the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-snyder/vampires-as-creatures-have-evolved-over-time-as-different-vampire/)

[Scott Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-snyder/)

> [I'll never forget when I was running, when I was knocking on doors for my first office as I served as a Cleveland city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/i-ll-never-forget-when-i-was-running-when-i-was-knocking-on-doors-for/)

[Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/)

> [“Unfortunately, you are far more likely to be harmed or die prematurely as a direct result of modern society than you are from any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/unfortunately-you-are-far-more-likely-to-be-harmed-or-die-prematurely/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [... these great improvements of modern times are blessings or curses on us, just in the same ratio as the mental, moral, and religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriot-kezia-hunt/these-great-improvements-of-modern-times-are-blessings-or-curses-on/)

[Harriot Kezia Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriot-kezia-hunt/)

> [Such things as anguish, woe, affliction, guilt, feelings of awfulness, and utter wretchedness, the bread and butter of Days of Yore and Russians, sadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/such-things-as-anguish-woe-affliction-guilt-feelings-of-awfulness-and/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> ["True science has no belief," says Dr. Fenwick, in Bulwer-Lytton's 'Strange Story;' "true science knows but three states of mind: denial, conviction, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-blavatsky/true-science-has-no-belief-says-dr-fenwick-in-bulwer-lytton-s-strange/)

[H. P. Blavatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-blavatsky/)

> [“Greatness has its beauties, but only in retrospect and in the imagination": thus wrote General Bonaparte to General Moreau in 1800. His observation helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/greatness-has-its-beauties-but-only-in-retrospect-and-in-the/)

[J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/)

> [“Military analysis is not an exact science. To return to the wisdom of Sun Tzu, and paraphrase the great Chinese political philosopher, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-hanlon/military-analysis-is-not-an-exact-science-to-return-to-the-wisdom-of/)

Michael O'Hanlon

> [One of the tragedies of modern times is that people have come to believe that something said by someone in the past, perhaps for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/one-of-the-tragedies-of-modern-times-is-that-people-have-come-to/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [It is not uncommon in modern times to see governments straining every nerve to keep the peace, and the people whom they represent, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/it-is-not-uncommon-in-modern-times-to-see-governments-straining-every/)

[Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/)

[Browse all 275 Modern times quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-times/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The levelling process is the victory of abstraction over the individual. The levelling process in modern times, corresponds, in reflection, to fate in antiquity.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Søren Kierkegaard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of-abstraction-over-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Modern times"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of-abstraction-over-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_modern-times_the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of_2526868.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_modern-times_the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of_2526868.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_modern-times_the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of_2526868.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The levelling process is the victory of abstraction over the individual. The levelling process in modern…” — 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": "“The levelling process is the victory...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of-abstraction-over-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/the-levelling-process-is-the-victory-of-abstraction-over-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
