--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man who as a physical being is always…" description: "\"A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/soren-kierkegaard-578_happiness_a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always_1570618.jpg" --- # A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the… ![“A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him.” quote by Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/soren-kierkegaard-578_happiness_a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always_1570618.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/soren-kierkegaard-578_happiness_a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always_1570618.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/soren-kierkegaard-578_happiness_a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always_1570618.jpg) > “A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him.” [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness sought externally leads to emptiness; true fulfillment comes from inner self‑realization. **In simple terms:** Look inside for lasting happiness. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner awareness. Themes self‑discovery inner peace philosophy Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - spiritual practice - mental health Key Concepts Existentialism self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - What inner sources sustain you? - How balance inner work with external responsibilities? A Different Perspective Inner focus can become self‑absorption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [He whose pure mind turns inward and searches whence does this 'I' arise, knows the Self and merges in You, the Lord, as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/he-whose-pure-mind-turns-inward-and-searches-whence-does-this-i-arise/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [I don't want to live in an ivory tower, being the songwriter who just turns inward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-joe-armstrong/i-don-t-want-to-live-in-an-ivory-tower-being-the-songwriter-who-just/) [Billie Joe Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-joe-armstrong/) > [“The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other, but to be with each other. It's easy to get outside yourself when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/the-reason-we-race-isn-t-so-much-to-beat-each-other-but-to-be-with-3/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [One day you're there and then all of a sudden, there's less of you. And you wonder where that part went. If it's living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/one-day-you-re-there-and-then-all-of-a-sudden-there-s-less-of-you-and/) [Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/) > [“Other runners try to disassociate from fatigue by blasting iPods or imagining the roar of the crowd in Olympic Stadium, but Scott had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/other-runners-try-to-disassociate-from-fatigue-by-blasting-ipods-or/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [it’s easy to get outside yourself when you’re thinking about someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/it-s-easy-to-get-outside-yourself-when-you-re-thinking-about-someone/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [“We fooled ourselves into thinking happiness was a gift we would be given time and time again. It’s so much scarier to admit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/we-fooled-ourselves-into-thinking-happiness-was-a-gift-we-would-be/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [“Thinking about happiness makes us less happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/thinking-about-happiness-makes-us-less-happy/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“I remember watching it all and getting the tickling in my chest and thinking to myself: This is what happiness feels like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/i-remember-watching-it-all-and-getting-the-tickling-in-my-chest-and/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [Sometimes in life you have to put your feelings aside and really start thinking about yourself and your happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-in-life-you-have-to-put-your-feelings-aside-and-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [From the moment you start thinking that other people are thinking about your thinking, your happiness ends the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/from-the-moment-you-start-thinking-that-other-people-are-thinking/) Mak\_786 > [Take the risk of thinking for yourself, much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way. (Closing statement of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/take-the-risk-of-thinking-for-yourself-much-more-happiness-truth-2/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Because gratification of a desire leads to the temporary stilling of the mind and the experience of the peaceful, joyful Self, it's no wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/because-gratification-of-a-desire-leads-to-the-temporary-stilling-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [Take the risk of thinking for yourself; much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/take-the-risk-of-thinking-for-yourself-much-more-happiness-truth/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“What about thinking of happiness as a right instead than as a gift?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rossana-condoleo/what-about-thinking-of-happiness-as-a-right-instead-than-as-a-gift/) [Rossana Condoleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rossana-condoleo/) ## More by Soren Kierkegaard > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Christians remind me of schoolboys who want to look up the answers to their math problems in the back of the book rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christians-remind-me-of-schoolboys-who-want-to-look-up-the-answers-to/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [People commonly travel the world over to see rivers and mountains, new stars, garish birds, freak fish, grotesque breeds of human; they fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/people-commonly-travel-the-world-over-to-see-rivers-and-mountains-new/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“A strange thing happened to me in my dream. I was rapt into the Seventh Heaven. There sat all the gods assembled. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-strange-thing-happened-to-me-in-my-dream-i-was-rapt-into-the/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [That which is truly human no generation learns from the one before it. No generation learns from another how to love. No generation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/that-which-is-truly-human-no-generation-learns-from-the-one-before-it/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-may-perform-astonishing-feats-and-comprehend-a-vast-amount-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Be that self which one truly is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/be-that-self-which-one-truly-is/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I go fishing for a thousand monsters in the depths of my own self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/i-go-fishing-for-a-thousand-monsters-in-the-depths-of-my-own-self/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [In addition to my other numerous acquaintances, I have one more intimate confidant… My depression is the most faithful mistress I have known —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/in-addition-to-my-other-numerous-acquaintances-i-have-one-more/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [The greatest danger to Christianity is, I contend, not heresies, not heterodoxies, not atheists, not profane secularism - no, but the kind of orthodoxy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/the-greatest-danger-to-christianity-is-i-contend-not-heresies-not/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Future is everything that past has forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/future-is-everything-that-past-has-forgotten/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Without risk, faith is an impossibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/without-risk-faith-is-an-impossibility/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I have only one confidant, and that is the silence of night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/i-have-only-one-confidant-and-that-is-the-silence-of-night/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A road well begun is the battle half won. The important thing is to make a beginning and get under way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-road-well-begun-is-the-battle-half-won-the-important-thing-is-to/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I have, I believe, the courage to doubt everything; I have, I believe, the courage to fight against everything; but I do not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/i-have-i-believe-the-courage-to-doubt-everything-i-have-i-believe-the/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) [Explore all 462 Soren Kierkegaard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) ## More Greatness quotes > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Men generally decide upon a middle course, which is most hazardous, for they know neither how to be entirely good nor entirely bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-generally-decide-upon-a-middle-course-which-is-most-hazardous-for/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. Greatness is being accepted by the people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/greatness-is-not-guarding-yourself-from-people-greatness-is-being/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-man-is-distressed-by-his-want-lack-of-ability/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Great men don't 'move to the center' - great men move the center!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/great-men-don-t-move-to-the-center-great-men-move-the-center/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell [Browse all 7,631 Greatness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Soren Kierkegaard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always-turned-toward-the-outside/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Greatness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always-turned-toward-the-outside/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/soren-kierkegaard-578_happiness_a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always_1570618.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/soren-kierkegaard-578_happiness_a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always_1570618.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/soren-kierkegaard-578_happiness_a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always_1570618.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside…” — Soren 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": "Soren Kierkegaard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man who as a physical...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always-turned-toward-the-outside/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-who-as-a-physical-being-is-always-turned-toward-the-outside/#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 } } ] } ```