--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I really need is to get clear out…" description: "\"What I really need is to get clear out about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as knowledge precedes every act.\" — Soren Kierkegaard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/soren-kierkegaard-578_answers_what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-a_2883644.jpg" --- # What I really need is to get clear out about what I must… ![“What I really need is to get clear out about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as knowledge precedes every act.” quote by Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/soren-kierkegaard-578_answers_what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-a_2883644.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/soren-kierkegaard-578_answers_what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-a_2883644.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/soren-kierkegaard-578_answers_what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-a_2883644.jpg) > “What I really need is to get clear out about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as knowledge precedes every act.” [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. Clear action requires knowledge, but knowledge must precede action; the focus is on decisive doing rather than mere understanding. **In simple terms:** Act with clarity, not just knowledge. Key Takeaway Prioritize decisive action over endless analysis. Themes philosophy action knowledge decision-making Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - career planning - personal goals - learning projects - emergency response Key Concepts Existentialism pragmatism Questions to Reflect On - What knowledge is essential before acting? - How do you balance thought and action? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on action can lead to rash decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“We know ourselves only insofar as we have been tested.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-know-ourselves-only-insofar-as-we-have-been-tested/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know only insofar as you can measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/you-know-only-insofar-as-you-can-measure/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Sometimes you just need to clear your mind and talk to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-just-need-to-clear-your-mind-and-talk-to-someone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always need to clear up what I do. With everyone else, there is no problem, but with me, all hell is raised up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-di-maria/i-always-need-to-clear-up-what-i-do-with-everyone-else-there-is-no/) [Angel Di Maria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-di-maria/) > [We need to clear our minds of bad thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-need-to-clear-our-minds-of-bad-thoughts/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“When everything you're about to see is too much, look up and see that the sky is clear and know that everything is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-white/when-everything-you-re-about-to-see-is-too-much-look-up-and-see-that/) [Karen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-white/) > [“Practise what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt-van-rijn/practise-what-you-know-and-it-will-help-to-make-clear-what-now-you-do/) Rembrandt Van Rijn > [The more you learn, if you learn it properly, the more clear you become and the more you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-peikoff/the-more-you-learn-if-you-learn-it-properly-the-more-clear-you-become/) [Leonard Peikoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-peikoff/) > [I don't think you need to dumb down to a child, you merely have to be clear, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-chapin-carpenter/i-don-t-think-you-need-to-dumb-down-to-a-child-you-merely-have-to-be/) [Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-chapin-carpenter/) > [Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/practice-what-you-know-and-it-will-help-to-make-clear-what-now-you-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm real clear, you know? There's no fogginess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-osbourne/i-m-real-clear-you-know-there-s-no-fogginess/) [Jack Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-osbourne/) > [Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what you now do not know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minna-antrim/practice-what-you-know-and-it-will-help-to-make-clear-what-you-now-do/) [Minna Antrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minna-antrim/) > [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/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) ## 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 Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I really need is to get clear out about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as knowledge precedes every act.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Soren Kierkegaard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-about-what-i-must-do-not-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-about-what-i-must-do-not-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/soren-kierkegaard-578_answers_what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-a_2883644.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/soren-kierkegaard-578_answers_what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-a_2883644.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/soren-kierkegaard-578_answers_what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-a_2883644.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I really need is to get clear out about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as…” — 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": "What I really need is to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-about-what-i-must-do-not-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/what-i-really-need-is-to-get-clear-out-about-what-i-must-do-not-what/#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 } } ] } ```