Q0342
Søren Kierkegaard
A verified English rendering from the curated archive.
English
It is quite true what philosophy says, that life must be understood backwards. But then one forgets the other principle: that it must be lived forwards.
Source context
This English passage is associated with Journals (1843), within the tradition of Existentialism. The wording below is a verified rendering prepared for careful reading rather than a claim of unique translation authority.
A short reading
Read in the register of life, the sentence asks the reader to test an assumption rather than to collect a slogan. In Søren Kierkegaard's wider work, similar claims are usually offered as prompts for judgment: what would have to be true for the sentence to hold, and what would follow if it did?
How to cite this quotation
APA: Søren Kierkegaard. (n.d.). It is quite true what philosophy says, that life must be understood backwards. But then one forgets the other principle: that it must be lived forwards. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0342
MLA: Søren Kierkegaard. “It is quite true what philosophy says, that….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0342.
Chicago: Søren Kierkegaard. “It is quite true what philosophy says, that….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0342.