Q0075
“Despair is the sickness unto death — the self's refusal to be…” — Søren Kierkegaard (The Sickness unto Death)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Sickness unto Death. Theme: self.
English
Despair is the sickness unto death — the self's refusal to be itself.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Sickness unto Death and files it under Existentialism. 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 Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish religious author and critic of Christendom who wrote under pseudonyms exploring aesthetic, ethical, and religious existence. Inheriting a melancholy family fortune, he attacked Hegelian system and lukewarm official faith in Copenhagen.
Interpretation
Kierkegaard defines despair by what the self is doing rather than by how it feels. The self is a relation it must hold, and despair is the refusal to hold it in the form it has — wanting to be someone else, or not wanting to be a self at all. The "sickness unto death" is that the failure is in the part of a person that is supposed to be able to relate to everything else. Its severity is independent of how it presents.
Why it matters
The definition is uncomfortable because it identifies refusal rather than suffering. A person may be functioning well and still declining the self they have.
Concepts in this quote
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Søren Kierkegaard. (n.d.). Despair is the sickness unto death — the self's refusal to be itself. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0075
MLA: Søren Kierkegaard. “Despair is the sickness unto death — the….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0075.
Chicago: Søren Kierkegaard. “Despair is the sickness unto death — the….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0075.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Despair is the sickness unto death — the…”?
The passage is attributed to Søren Kierkegaard, The Sickness unto Death. The archive attributes this English wording to The Sickness unto Death and files it under Existentialism. 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 Søren Kierkegaard mean by self?
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self.