Quote of the day by Søren Kierkegaard: 'Laugh at the world's foolishness or weep over it, you will regret both' - Father of existentialism give a lesson on why there is no perfect way to deal with life's problems

Life often puts people in situations that they simply cannot change, no matter how strongly they react to them. In such situation, some people choose to laugh at the absurdity of this world, while others get troubled by its injustices. Søren Kierkegaard who was a Danish philosopher has tried to explain this problem in the world with his quote, "Laugh at the world's foolishness, you will regret it; weep over it, you will regret that too; laugh at the world's foolishness or weep over it, you will regret both".

What does Søren Kierkegaard's quote mean?

Kierkegaard's quote which is from his 1843 book Either/Or: A Fragment of Life teaches that there is no perfect way to deal with situations in an imperfect world. Laughing at them can give temporary relief, but it does not change the circumstances just like crying over the same problems does not change it too.


The philosopher is not just saying that happiness and sadness are equally pointless but that how people deal with situations in life comes with its own limitations.

The Philosophy of Either/Or

Either/Or is a book from 1843 which was published under the pseudonym Victor Eremita and is a collection of writings by different fictional characters.

In the first part of Either/Or, the character known as A represents an aesthetic way to live life, with pleasure, enjoyment and avoiding any sort of long-term commitments. The second part is from the point of view of Judge William who stands for responsibility, self-knowledge and choices that give life a better direction.

Who was Søren Kierkegaard?

Kierkegaard was a philosopher, theologian and writer who was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the year 1813. He is called the father of existentialism, which is a school of philosophy dealing with subjects like human freedom, responsibility and the meaning of existence in this world.

His works such as Fear and Trembling, The Concept of Anxiety and Either/Or dealt with the relationship between individual decisions, personal responsibility and human faith. He ultimately died in 1855 in Copenhagen.