--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I must confess that I am not at all…" description: "\"“I must confess that I am not at all partial to the fabrication of Weltanschauungen. Such activities may be left to philosophers, who avowedly find it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/sigmund-freud-360_journey-through-life_i-must-confess-that-i-am-not-at-all-part_1343835.jpg" --- # I must confess that I am not at all partial to the… ![“I must confess that I am not at all partial to the fabrication of Weltanschauungen. Such activities may be left to philosophers, who avowedly find it impossible to make their journey through life without a Baedeker of that kind to give them information on every subject. Let us humbly accept the…” quote by Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/sigmund-freud-360_journey-through-life_i-must-confess-that-i-am-not-at-all-part_1343835.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/sigmund-freud-360_journey-through-life_i-must-confess-that-i-am-not-at-all-part_1343835.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/sigmund-freud-360_journey-through-life_i-must-confess-that-i-am-not-at-all-part_1343835.jpg) > ““I must confess that I am not at all partial to the fabrication of Weltanschauungen. Such activities may be left to philosophers, who avowedly find it impossible to make their journey through life without a Baedeker of that kind to give them information on every subject. Let us humbly accept the contempt with which they look down on us from the vatnage-ground of their superior needs. But since we cannot forgot our narcissistic pride either, we will draw comfort from the reflection that such 'Handbooks to Life' soon grow out of date and that it is precisely our short-sighted, narrow, and finicky work which obliges them to appear in new editions, and that even the most up-to-date of them are nothing but attempts to find a substitute for the ancient, useful and all-sufficient Church Catechism. We know well enough how little light science has so far been able to throw on the problems that surround us. But however much ado the philosophers may make, they cannot alter the situation. Only patient, persevering research, in which everything is subordinated to the one requirement of certainty, can gradually bring about a change. The benighted traveller may sing aloud in the dark to deny his own fears; but, for all that, he will not see an inch further beyond his nose.”” [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freud critiques philosophers' attempts to create comprehensive life manuals, arguing that only rigorous, patient research grounded in certainty can truly advance knowledge, while acknowledging science's limited illumination of existential problems. **In simple terms:** Philosophers' handbooks are inadequate; only careful research yields real progress. Key Takeaway Prioritize disciplined, evidence‑based inquiry over speculative systems. Themes philosophy science humility research certainty Mood reflective critical inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - personal development - ethical decision‑making - public policy - education Key Concepts epistemology skepticism methodology Questions to Reflect On - Can we balance philosophical insight with empirical rigor? - What role should humility play in scientific pursuit? A Different Perspective Such handbooks may still offer useful frameworks despite their limitations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ado Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ado-philosophers-4548966/) [Journey through life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey-through-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Baedeker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-baedeker-4548967/) [Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers/) [Philosophers Avowedly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers-avowedly-4548965/) [Philosophers Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers-make-2940273/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) ## Related quotes > [“There is a present because it works with my theories. 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They give the name of "God" to some vague…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/philosophers-stretch-the-meaning-of-words-until-they-retain-scarcely/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“One of God’s greatest gifts to man is freedom of choice. At an early period in the journey through life, man finds himself at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-eldon-tanner/one-of-god-s-greatest-gifts-to-man-is-freedom-of-choice-at-an-early/) [N. Eldon Tanner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-eldon-tanner/) > [Each of us, as we journey through life, has the opportunity to find and to give his or her unique gift. Whether this gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-m-luke/each-of-us-as-we-journey-through-life-has-the-opportunity-to-find-and/) [Helen M. 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As you grow, develop, and reinvent yourself, the tendrils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-narofsky/your-journey-through-life-and-self-discovery-is-much-like-the-start/) [Thomas Narofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-narofsky/) ## More by Sigmund Freud > [Anatomy is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/anatomy-is-destiny/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“Woe to you, my Princess, when I come. I will kiss you quite red and feed you till you are plump. 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No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [It seems to be my fate to discover only the obvious: that children have sexual feelings, which every nurse maid knows; and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-seems-to-be-my-fate-to-discover-only-the-obvious-that-children/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [The first requisite of civilization is that of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-first-requisite-of-civilization-is-that-of-justice/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“Actually, the substitution of the reality-principle for the pleasure-principle denotes no dethronement of the pleasure-principle, but only a safeguarding of it. A momentary pleasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/actually-the-substitution-of-the-reality-principle-for-the-pleasure/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-are-often-most-profound-when-they-seem-the-most-crazy/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [There is to my mind no doubt that the concept of beautiful had its roots in sexual excitation and that its original meaning was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/there-is-to-my-mind-no-doubt-that-the-concept-of-beautiful-had-its/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [The voice of the intellect is soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing. 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Such activities may be left to philosophers, who avowedly find it impossible to make their journey through life without a Baedeker of that kind to give them information on every subject. Let us humbly accept the contempt with which they look down on us from the vatnage-ground of their superior needs. But since we cannot forgot our narcissistic pride either, we will draw comfort from the reflection that such 'Handbooks to Life' soon grow out of date and that it is precisely our short-sighted, narrow, and finicky work which obliges them to appear in new editions, and that even the most up-to-date of them are nothing but attempts to find a substitute for the ancient, useful and all-sufficient Church Catechism. We know well enough how little light science has so far been able to throw on the problems that surround us. But however much ado the philosophers may make, they cannot alter the situation. 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