Q0687
“A mystery is a problem which encroaches upon its own data, invading…” — Gabriel Marcel (Being and Having (1935))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Being and Having (1935). Theme: knowledge.
English
A mystery is a problem which encroaches upon its own data, invading them, as it were, and thereby transcending itself as a mere problem.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Being and Having (1935) and files it under Religious 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 Gabriel Marcel
Gabriel Marcel (1889–1973) was a French Christian existentialist philosopher and playwright who distinguished his “philosophy of existence” from Sartrean atheism. Converted to Catholicism in 1929, he explored fidelity, hope, and availability (disponibilité).
How to read this passage
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, being, inquiry.
Concepts in this quote
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Being
- Being appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat being as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Inquiry
- Inquiry is the disciplined pursuit of better questions and answers—philosophy as method rather than dogma.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Gabriel Marcel. (n.d.). A mystery is a problem which encroaches upon its own data, invading them, as it were, and thereby transcending itself as a mere problem. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0687
MLA: Gabriel Marcel. “A mystery is a problem which encroaches upon….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0687.
Chicago: Gabriel Marcel. “A mystery is a problem which encroaches upon….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0687.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “A mystery is a problem which encroaches upon…”?
The passage is attributed to Gabriel Marcel, Being and Having (1935). The archive attributes this English wording to Being and Having (1935) and files it under Religious 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 Gabriel Marcel mean by knowledge?
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, being, inquiry.