Quote Of The Day By Søren Kierkegaard: 'Life Must Be Understood Backwards...'

As a famous philosopher known as "The Father of Existentialism," Søren Kierkegaard's writings have provided many life-altering ideas. Kierkegaard was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1813, and he remained there for most of his life, writing many books before his death in 1855. These works paired with his journals introduced the world to his groundbreaking ideas about the human mind, absurdism, and religion.

Kierkegaard's work shows just how his deep thinking about humanity and the world around him shaped his outlook. Working through anxiety and pursuing hope were clearly exercises that didn't come naturally to Kierkegaard, but he worked hard to embrace them. Many of the philosopher's quotes have gone on to earn fame and recognition. Yet, one quote, in particular, points out how people can't expect to know every outcome before it happens. Being able to let go of that expectation is the key. And that's why one of Kierkegaard's greatest realizations is today's quote of the day.

"It is perfectly true, as the philosophers say, that life must be understood backwards. But they forget the other proposition, that it must be lived forwards." 

This famous quote from Søren Kierkegaard comes from his journal in 1843. The journals he kept as an adult are full of thought-provoking quotes like this one. As a philosopher, the ideas he wrote down were, of course, profound and they have sparked conversations for the many decades that followed.

It's no surprise that this quote, in particular, resonates with people. After all, it's only when we look back on the events that have unfolded in our lives with an open mind that we can develop a deeper understanding of why they occurred in the first place.

It's tempting to wish we could have all the answers and understand everything in the moment. Yet, there's no real way to predict an outcome before it unfolds. It's no surprise that this was something to which Søren Kierkegaard gave a lot of thought. As a child, Kierkegaard's father cursed God for his difficult circumstances. As a religious man, he went on to carry immense guilt about this. Kierkegaard's father believed his punishment for this would be watching all his children die young. When five of his children died, this only reinforced his faith in his prediction. Consequently, when Kierkegaard lived beyond the age his father predicted, he was shocked. Had he known his prediction was nothing but superstition, this surely would have changed his behavior along the way.

When making choices, we can only do our best with the information we have at that moment. Of course, more information might come later that could have changed our decision. As the saying goes, "Hindsight is 20/20." We can't always know how things will play out until we've watched it happen. But, as Kierkegaard said, we have to live moving forward. Don't blame yourself for not knowing what you didn't know. One day, you will look back on what happened and it will all make sense. Until then, trust the process.

• "The most common form of despair is not being who you are."
• "Marry, and you will regret it; don't marry, you will also regret it; marry or don't marry, you will regret it either way."
• "Hope is a passion for the possible."
• "Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced."
• "Love is the expression of the one who loves, not of the one who is loved. Those who think they can love only the people they prefer do not love at all. Love discovers truths about individuals that others cannot see"