The Quotable Kierkegaard

"Why I so much prefer autumn to spring is that in the autumn one looks at heaven--in the spring at the earth."--Soren Kierkegaard The father of existentialism, Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a philosopher who could write like an angel. With only a sentence or two, he could plumb the depths of the human spirit. In this collection of some 800 quotations, the reader will find dazzling bon mots next to words of life-changing power. Drawing from the authoritative Princeton editions of Kierkegaard's writings, this book presents a broad selection of his wit and wisdom, as well as a stimulating introduction to his life and work. Organized by topic, this volume covers notable Kierkegaardian concerns such as anxiety, despair, existence, irony, and the absurd, but also erotic love, the press, busyness, and the comic. Here readers will encounter both well-known quotations ("Life must be understood backward. But then one forgets the other principle, that it must be lived forward") and obscure ones ("Beware false prophets who come to you in wolves' clothing but inwardly are sheep--i.e., the phrasemongers"). Those who spend time in these pages will discover the writer who said, "my grief is my castle," but who also taught that "the best defense against hypocrisy is love." Illuminating and delightful, this engaging book also provides a substantial portrait of one of the most influential of modern thinkers. * Gathers some 800 quotations * Drawn from the authoritative Princeton editions of Kierkegaard's writings * Includes an introduction, a brief account and timeline of Kierkegaard's life, a guide to further reading, and an index

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii Kierkegaard's Biography xlv Sources and Abbreviations lvii Chronology lxi Autobiographical 1 Observations 18 Anxiety 65 Depression/Melancholy 69 Self/Spirit 73 Despair 83 Freedom 89 Possibility 92 Choice/Decision 94 The Ethical 97 Deception/Self-Deception 101 Guilt 104 Envy 106 The Poet 109 Erotic Love 111 Silence 113 Authority 117 Genius 119 Writing/Communication 121 The Press 124 Science 126 Philosophy 128 Existence 133 The Absurd 135 Paradox 137 The Understanding/Reason/Knowledge 139 Truth 143 Time 147 Eternal 149 Death 151 Immortality 155 Repetition 156 Busyness 157 The Individual 159 Laughter/Humor/The Comic 161 The Tragic 163 Irony 164 God 167 Faith 176 Passion 183 Prayer 184 Earnestness/Seriousness 186 Sin 190 Demonic 192 Repentance/Forgiveness 194 Christ 197 Love 199 Suffering 207 Neighbor 208 Christianity 210 Bibliography 219 Index 221

About the Author :
Sren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer who is often considered the father of existentialism. His best-known books include Either/Or, Fear and Trembling, The Sickness Unto Death, and The Concept of Anxiety. Gordon Marino is professor of philosophy at St. Olaf College. His books include The Existentialist's Survival Guide and Kierkegaard in the Present Age.

Review :
One of The Wall Street Journal Bookshelf Best Books of 2013, chosen by Mike Tyson "[A] collection of awesome quotes from that great Danish philosopher."--Mike Tyson "Marino's offers a collection that touches all of Kierkegaard's obsessions, from anxiety and depression to time and eternity and existence and God and Christ and love. The book is, as Marino hoped, full of arresting one-liners... Beyond the aphorisms are penetrating arguments wound tightly into brief paragraphs."--Peter Leithart, First Things "This handily compact treasury of assorted thoughts, observations, and insights bursts with Kierkegaard's characteristically infectious urgency, wit, and lapidary penetration. The volume gathers some 800 thematically organized passages--generally no longer than a few sentences--drawn from the sweeping range of this influential 19th-century Danish existentialist philosopher and theologian's published discourses, polemical tracts, books, pseudonymous works, journals, and notebooks."--Choice "Marino ... has done a great service to neophyte and seasoned Kierkegaard scholars with this compendium of the wit and wisdom of the Danish philosopher often dubbed the father of existentialism. Just as valuable as the quotes are Marino's introduction to Kierkegaard's thought and account of his life."--Christian Century "This most quotable of literary companions makes for illuminati induced reading."--David Marx, David Marx Book Review