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Existential Quotes

Browse 659 quotes about Existential.

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Existential Quotes

“Indeed, compulsive and rigid moralism arises in given persons precisely as the result of a lack of sense of being. Rigid moralism is a compensatory mechanism by which the individual persuades himself to take over the external sanctions because he has no fundamental assurance that his own choices have any sanction of their own”

PersonsChoicesIndividualGivenResultsFundamentalsAriseExistentialismMechanismExistentialAssuranceSanctionsMoralism
Book:Existence
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“A freedom which is interested only in denying freedom must be denied. And it is not true that the recognition of the freedom of others limits my own freedom: to be free is not to have the power to do anything you like; it is to be able to surpass the given toward an open future; the existence of others as a freedom defines my situation and is even the condition of my own freedom. I am oppressed if I am thrown into prison, but not if I am kept from throwing my neighbor into prison.”

IfsAbleGivenMy OwnExistenceSituationConditionsLimitsPrisonNeighborRecognitionExistentialismThrownThrowingDeniedExistentialOppressedYou Like It
Book:The Ethics of Ambiguity
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“As long as there have been men and they have lived, they have all felt this tragic ambiguity of their condition, but as long as there have been philosophers and they have thought, most of them have tried to mask it.”

MenLongHas BeensFeltConditionsPhilosopherExistentialismMaskTragicExistentialAmbiguity
Book:The Philosophical Library Existentialism Collection: Essays in Metaphysics, The Ethics of Ambiguity, and The Philosophy of Existentialism
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“That is the simple secret of happiness. Whatever you are doing, don’t let past move your mind; don’t let future disturb you. Because the past is no more, and the future is not yet. To live in the memories, to live in the imagination, is to live in the non-existential. And when you are living in the non-existential, you are missing that which is existential. Naturally you will be miserable, because you will miss your whole life.”

MindWholePastSpiritualMovingImaginationMemoriesSimpleSecretMissingWhole LifeMiserableExistential
Author:Rajneesh
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“The brief relief of seeing other people when I leave my room turns into a desperate need to be alone, and then being alone turns into a terrible fear that I will have no friends, I will be alone in this world and in my life. I will eventually be so crazy from this black wave, which seems to be taking over my head with increasing frequency, that one day I will just kill myself, not for any great, thoughtful existential reasons, but because I need immediate relief.”

PeopleWorldNeedsReasonSeemsTurnsBlackRoomsSeeingCrazyThis WorldTerribleOne DayWaveDesperateThoughtfulReliefExistentialFrequencyNo Friends
Book:Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America
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“Because of social pressure, individualism is rejected by most people in favor of conformity. Thus the individual relies mainly upon the actions of others and neglects the meaning of his own personal life. Hence he sees his own life as meaningless and falls into the “existential vacuum” feeling inner void. Progressive automation causes increasing alcoholism, juvenile delinquency, and suicide.”

PeopleFeelingsActionFallIndividualSocialCausesPressureSuicideFavorsRelyNeglectProgressiveConformityMeaninglessVoidIndividualismExistentialRejectedPersonal LifeAlcoholismVacuumsJuvenileAutomationDelinquencySocial PressureJuvenile Delinquency
Author:Viktor E. Frankl
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“As history confirms, people will change their minds about almost anything, from which god they worship to how they style their hair. But when it comes to existential judgments, human beings in general have an unfalteringly good opinion of themselves and their condition in this world and are steadfastly confident they are not a collection of self-conscious nothings.”

PeopleWorldMindHumansSelfHuman BeingsOpinionConditionsStyleThis WorldHairJudgmentWorshipConsciousCollectionsExistentialSelf Conscious
Author:Thomas Ligotti
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“When I first heard the word existential, I didn't know what it meant. But then I found out that no one knows what it means, so now I use it all the time.”

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Book:My First Love and Other Disasters: My First Love and Other Disasters; Love & Betrayal & Hold the Mayo; My Mother Was Never a Kid
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“The arrogant elimination of the Djaouts of our world must nerve us to pursue our own combative doctrine, namely: that peaceful cohabitation on this planet demands that while the upholders of any creed are free to adopt their own existential absolutes, the right of others to do the same is thereby rendered implicit and sacrosanct. Thus the creed of inquiry, of knowledge and exchange of ideas, must be upheld as an absolute, as ancient and eternal as any other.”

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Author:Wole Soyinka
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“Few understand that procrastination is our natural defense, letting things take care of themselves and exercise their antifragility; it results from some ecological or naturalistic wisdom, and is not always bad - at an existential level, it is my body rebelling against its entrapment. It is my soul fighting the Procrustean bed of modernity.”

SoulBodyCareFightingNaturalLevelsResultsExerciseBedTake CareDefenseMy SoulProcrastinationExistentialModernityEcologicalEntrapment
Book:Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
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“Denial is a critical part of the human coping mechanism. Without it, we would all wake up terrified every morning about all the ways we could die. Instead, our minds block out our existential fears by focusing on stresses we can handle—like getting to work on time or paying our taxes.”

WayMindHumansDiesMorningTaxesStressWake UpCriticalHandleBlockDenialMechanismEvery MorningExistentialTerrifiedCopingInfernoCoping Mechanisms
Book:Inferno: Special Illustrated Edition (Enhanced): Featuring Robert Langdon
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“Yoga is existential, experiential, experimental. No belief is required, no faith is needed - only courage to experience. And that's what's lacking. You can believe easily because in belief you are not going to be transformed. Belief is something added to you, something superficial. Your being is not changed; you are not passing through some mutation.”

BelieveBeliefChangedNeededYogaPassingPassingsTransformedExistentialLackingSuperficialPassing ThroughMutation
Author:Rajneesh
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