--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's only when we dare to experience the…" description: "\"“It's only when we dare to experience the full anxiety of knowing that life doesn't go on forever that we can experience transcendence and get in touch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/thomas-cathcart-41981_kierkegaard_it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the_1372853.jpg" --- # It's only when we dare to experience the full anxiety of… ![“It's only when we dare to experience the full anxiety of knowing that life doesn't go on forever that we can experience transcendence and get in touch with the infinite. To use an analogy from gestalt psychology, Non-Being is the necessary ground for the figure of Being to make itself known to us…” quote by Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/thomas-cathcart-41981_kierkegaard_it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the_1372853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/thomas-cathcart-41981_kierkegaard_it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the_1372853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/thomas-cathcart-41981_kierkegaard_it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the_1372853.jpg) > ““It's only when we dare to experience the full anxiety of knowing that life doesn't go on forever that we can experience transcendence and get in touch with the infinite. To use an analogy from gestalt psychology, Non-Being is the necessary ground for the figure of Being to make itself known to us. It's only when we're willing to let go of all of our illusions and admit that we are lost and helpless and terrified that we will be free of ourselves and our false securities and ready for what Kierkegaard calls "the leap of faith." p. 43”” [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing existential anxiety and letting go of illusion leads to transcendence and a leap of faith. **In simple terms:** Embrace anxiety, release illusion, find freedom. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty, trust the unknown. Themes existentialism faith psychology Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - therapy - philosophical study - creative expression - spiritual practice Key Concepts anxiety non‑being figure‑ground leap of faith Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance doubt with belief? - What does freedom feel like after letting go? A Different Perspective The “leap of faith” can be frightening and may lack empirical support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Leap of faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leap-of-faith/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meaning of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-of-life/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Transcendence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendence/) ## Related quotes > [“It was the merit of Gestalt psychology to make us aware of the remarkable performance involved in perceiving shapes. Take, for example, a ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/it-was-the-merit-of-gestalt-psychology-to-make-us-aware-of-the/) [Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/) > [“It is with this thought that many believers would call up Kierkegaard's famous phrase, the 'leap of faith,' pictured perhaps as a leap from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-carse/it-is-with-this-thought-that-many-believers-would-call-up-kierkegaard/) [James P. Carse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-carse/) > [My characters tend to be more dynamic because they're reaching that point in their lives where their old way of being is breaking down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/my-characters-tend-to-be-more-dynamic-because-they-re-reaching-that/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I experience transcendence when something infinite reminds me I am finite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/i-experience-transcendence-when-something-infinite-reminds-me-i-am/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [“We live in a world of disappointment. You begin with high hopes and the beautiful innocence of childhood but you discover that the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/we-live-in-a-world-of-disappointment-you-begin-with-high-hopes-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It seems to me that one of the most basic human experiences, one that is genuinely universal and unites-or, more precisely, could unite-all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/it-seems-to-me-that-one-of-the-most-basic-human-experiences-one-that/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [To encounter Christ is to touch reality and experience transcendence. He gives us a sense of self-worth or personal significance, because He assures us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/to-encounter-christ-is-to-touch-reality-and-experience-transcendence/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [Wisdom is knowing I am nothing, Love is knowing I am everything, and between the two my life moves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-knowing-i-am-nothing-love-is-knowing-i-am-everything-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Knowing life's purpose would invest everything one did with meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kentetsu-takamori/knowing-life-s-purpose-would-invest-everything-one-did-with-meaning/) [Kentetsu Takamori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kentetsu-takamori/) > [“Without knowing what I am and why I am here, life’s impossible; and that I can’t know, and so I can’t live," Levin said”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/without-knowing-what-i-am-and-why-i-am-here-life-s-impossible-and/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [The best part about being my age is in knowing how my life worked out. Sure, there's a lot more living to go, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-best-part-about-being-my-age-is-in-knowing-how-my-life-worked-out/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [One day youll ask me which is more important to me, you or my life. Ill say, Of course, my life. And youll go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhat/one-day-youll-ask-me-which-is-more-important-to-me-you-or-my-life-ill/) [Zhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhat/) > [I just have a more holistic sense of what it means to be for life, knowing that life does not just begin at conception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/i-just-have-a-more-holistic-sense-of-what-it-means-to-be-for-life/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/personal-happiness-lies-in-knowing-that-life-is-not-a-checklist-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-the-way-there-is-no-going-without-the-truth-there-is-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Thomas Cathcart > [“The optimist says, "The glass is half full.” The pessimist says, “The glass is half empty.” The rationalist says, “This glass is twice as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/the-optimist-says-the-glass-is-half-full-the-pessimist-says-the-glass/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [“his bed was written by an invisible deity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/his-bed-was-written-by-an-invisible-deity/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [“a sadist is a masochist who follows the golden rule”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/a-sadist-is-a-masochist-who-follows-the-golden-rule/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [“Aristotle drew a distinction between essential and accidental properties. The way he put it is that essential properties are those without which a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/aristotle-drew-a-distinction-between-essential-and-accidental/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [“The Moral Sense Test developed by Harvard psychologists in 2003 can be found online at: moral.wjh.harvard.edu”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/the-moral-sense-test-developed-by-harvard-psychologists-in-2003-can/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [“The optimist says, "The glass is half full." The pessimist says, "The glass is half empty." The rationalist says, "This glass is twice as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/the-optimist-says-the-glass-is-half-full-the-pessimist-says-the-glass-3/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [“Sorting out what's good and bad is the province of ethics. It is also what keeps priests, pundits, and parents busy. Unfortunately, what keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/sorting-out-what-s-good-and-bad-is-the-province-of-ethics-it-is-also/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [“Some have argued that because the universe is like a clock, there must be a Clockmaker. As the eighteenth-century British empiricist David Hume pointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/some-have-argued-that-because-the-universe-is-like-a-clock-there-must/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) [Explore all 9 Thomas Cathcart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) ## More Kierkegaard quotes > [“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/) > [“As Kierkegaard said, “To venture causes anxiety; not to venture is to lose oneself.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-krech/as-kierkegaard-said-to-venture-causes-anxiety-not-to-venture-is-to/) [Gregg Krech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-krech/) > [“as in Heinrich Heine’s (a contemporary of Kierkegaard’s) well-known saying that one should value above everything else ‘freedom, equality and crab soup’. ‘Crab soup’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/as-in-heinrich-heine-s-a-contemporary-of-kierkegaard-s-well-known/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“I would have liked to say, "I'm a doctor," to those who asked me what I did, doctors being the current purveyors of magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-would-have-liked-to-say-i-m-a-doctor-to-those-who-asked-me-what-i/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“And therefore, all of those for whom authentic transformation has deeply unseated their souls must, I believe, wrestle with the profound moral obligation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/and-therefore-all-of-those-for-whom-authentic-transformation-has/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“What is particularly striking about his reconstruction and criticisms of the traditional account of friendship is that he finds it deficient not only by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-smith/what-is-particularly-striking-about-his-reconstruction-and-criticisms/) Graham Smith > [Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a paradox here! Kierkegaard's own indirect communication proposes that we start with the experience of those who don't believe and meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/perhaps-unsurprisingly-there-s-a-paradox-here-kierkegaard-s-own/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [“It was not surprising that after the war Dostoevsky was linked to Kierkegaard as a prophet of social resignation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jay/it-was-not-surprising-that-after-the-war-dostoevsky-was-linked-to/) Martin Jay > [“I venture to say Kierkegaard meant that truth has lost its force with us and horrible pain and evil must teach it to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-venture-to-say-kierkegaard-meant-that-truth-has-lost-its-force-with/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I ... had what Kierkegaard called 'the sickness of infinitude,' wandering from one path to another with no real recognition that I was embarked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/i-had-what-kierkegaard-called-the-sickness-of-infinitude-wandering/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [What Kierkegaard said about love is also true of creativity: every person must start at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/what-kierkegaard-said-about-love-is-also-true-of-creativity-every/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [“I never really saw the celerity of your heart When steadily fighting off the Kierkegaardian part I listened to Plutarch While you threw out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/i-never-really-saw-the-celerity-of-your-heart-when-steadily-fighting/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [ But, inevitably, as he \[Kierkegaard\] approaches what we might call his Christocentric climax many readers drop off. Many scholars just leave that part of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/but-inevitably-as-he-kierkegaard-approaches-what-we-might-call-his/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [Kierkegaard was by far the most profound thinker of the last century. Kierkegaard was a saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/kierkegaard-was-by-far-the-most-profound-thinker-of-the-last-century/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [“My love consumes me. Only my voice is left, a voice which has fallen in love with you whispers to you everywhere that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/my-love-consumes-me-only-my-voice-is-left-a-voice-which-has-fallen-in/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) Browse all 68 Kierkegaard quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It's only when we dare to experience the full anxiety of knowing that life doesn't go on forever that we can experience transcendence and get in touch with the infinite. To use an analogy from gestalt psychology, Non-Being is the necessary ground for the figure of Being to make itself known to us. It's only when we're willing to let go of all of our illusions and admit that we are lost and helpless and terrified that we will be free of ourselves and our false securities and ready for what Kierkegaard calls \"the leap of faith.\" p. 43”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Cathcart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the-full-anxiety-of-knowing-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kierkegaard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the-full-anxiety-of-knowing-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/thomas-cathcart-41981_kierkegaard_it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the_1372853.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/thomas-cathcart-41981_kierkegaard_it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the_1372853.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/thomas-cathcart-41981_kierkegaard_it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the_1372853.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's only when we dare to experience the full anxiety of knowing that life doesn't go on forever that we can…” — Thomas Cathcart", "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": "Thomas Cathcart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It's only when we dare to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the-full-anxiety-of-knowing-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/it-s-only-when-we-dare-to-experience-the-full-anxiety-of-knowing-that/#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 } } ] } ```