Q0064
“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and…” — Immanuel Kant (Critique of Practical Reason, Conclusion)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Critique of Practical Reason, Conclusion. Theme: morality.
English
Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe…: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Critique of Practical Reason, Conclusion and files it under Critical Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) spent nearly his entire life in Königsberg, rising from tutor to professor at the university there. After early scientific and metaphysical essays, the Critique of Pure Reason (1781/1787) launched his “critical” philosophy.
Interpretation
Kant pairs the starry heavens and the moral law because each confronts him with something not of his own making — one vast in extent, the other in authority. His claim in the Critique of Practical Reason is that the second is the more remarkable, because the moral law reveals a capacity in him that no observation of nature could have established. The passage is often quoted for its beauty and its first half; the argument depends on the comparison between them.
Why it matters
The observation worth keeping is that moral experience was, for him, evidence of something about us that the physical sciences could not supply.
Concepts in this quote
- Morality
- Morality in philosophy concerns right and wrong, obligation, and the standards by which we judge persons and acts.
- Nature
- Philosophy quotes about nature ask what the cosmos is, how humans belong in it, and whether “natural” can guide ethics or politics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Immanuel Kant. (n.d.). Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe…: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0064
MLA: Immanuel Kant. “Two things fill the mind with ever new….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0064.
Chicago: Immanuel Kant. “Two things fill the mind with ever new….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0064.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Two things fill the mind with ever new…”?
The passage is attributed to Immanuel Kant, Critique of Practical Reason, Conclusion. The archive attributes this English wording to Critique of Practical Reason, Conclusion and files it under Critical Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Immanuel Kant mean by morality?
Moral philosophy asks whether morality is objective, how reasons bind us, and how character, rules, and consequences relate. Traditions differ on whether duty, virtue, or outcomes come first. This passage enters that discussion through morality, nature.