It is the duty of the human understanding to understand that there are things which it cannot understand, and what those things are. Human understanding has vulgarly occupied itself with nothing but understanding, but if it would only take the trouble to understand itself at the same time it would simply have to posit the paradox.

Summary

This quote by Søren Kierkegaard emphasizes the limited nature of human understanding. The quote suggests that it is the responsibility of the human intellect to recognize and accept its limitations, rather than vainly attempting to comprehend everything. Kierkegaard suggests that instead of solely focusing on understanding the external world, one should also embark on the journey of self-understanding. By doing so, they would come to acknowledge the inherent paradoxes and complexities that exist within human existence. Understanding oneself and accepting the paradoxes of life is presented as a higher level of comprehension that goes beyond simple intellectual understanding.

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