Interpretation
What this Søren Kierkegaard quote asks you to notice
The operative phrase is “if his personal life is considered he himself lives.” Ask what this line means by a good life: a feeling, a pattern of action, a relationship, or a judgment about value. Compare that answer with your own before turning the quote into a rule for happiness.
This page does not treat one sentence as a complete account of Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy. It uses the quote as a reading prompt: identify the claim, test its limits, and follow the source before applying it as advice.
Source Lens
Follow the attribution, not just the image.
- Author
- Søren Kierkegaard
- Catalog source
- Either/Or
- Record
674339c1f44700430b582e5b- Reading status
- The catalog gives a named work but not an edition, translator, page, or section. Use the title to locate the passage, then compare the surrounding argument and wording.
Attribution note: Philosophia’s public record supplies the wording, author, and source label. It does not specify an edition or translator. Before academic use or republication, verify the line in a complete edition and cite that edition directly.
About Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and social critic who is widely considered the founder of existentialism. Born in Copenhagen to a wealthy but melancholic father whose religious intensity profoundly influenced him, Kierkegaard's life and work wrestled with questions of faith, authenticity, and individual existence. His philosophical method was unique, employing pseudonymous authors with distinct perspectives to explore different approaches to life and truth. Works like…
A three-step reflection
- Identify the good the line places at the center of life.
- Ask whether that good is temporary, relational, chosen, or beyond control.
- Try one small practice that tests the idea without demanding a guaranteed mood.
Return to the exact wording after answering. If your conclusion could have been reached without reading the quote, look again for a distinction or assumption you missed.
Use this quote in Philosophia
Find Søren Kierkegaard in the app, save the line to a Happiness and meaning collection, and keep the source visible when you revisit it.
Use a widget or notification as the reminder, then open the app when the sentence deserves more than a glance. Compare it with another quote from the same thinker or school before deciding what it means for your day.