What am I? The modest narrator who accompanies your triumphs; the dancer who supports you when you rise in your lovely grace; the branch upon which you rest a moment when you are tired of flying; the bass that interposes itself below the soprano’s fervour to let it climb even higher–what am I? I am the earthly gravity that keeps you on the ground. What am I, then? Body, mass, earth, dust and ashes.– You, my Cordelia, you are soul and spirit.”– Johannes the Seducer, from_ Either/ Or_ . Unknown
About This Quote

The quote on the left is from the play Either/Or, by Søren Kierkegaard. This quote is on the right, from the film A Quiet Passion, directed by John Singer Sargent. In Either/Or, Johannes is a method actor who dresses like Jesus and goes to a convent to speak to a nun about his faith. The nun is an actress and she uses her acting skills to get into character and bring out the best of Jesus.

For me, it's fascinating that Kierkegaard chose this quote for this scene. It's a reminder that we can never get caught up in what others say or think about us. We need to look inside ourselves and internalize the things we believe in so they become our own truths.

We can never get caught up in our external issues. If we do, we will only find trouble and disappointment.

Some Similar Quotes
  1. I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. - Marilyn Monroe
  2. You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth. - William W. Purkey
  3. You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. - Dr. Seuss
  4. A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you. - Elbert Hubbard
  5. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. - Unknown
More Quotes By Unknown
  1. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
  2. It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
  3. Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.
  4. I would always rather be happy than dignified.
  5. He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
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