“Once you label me you negate me.”
- May 5, 1813 – November 11, 1855
- Danish
- Philosopher, Theologian, Poet, Father of Existentialism
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Quote
“Once you label me you negate me.”
Explanation
This quote expresses Kierkegaard’s insistence on individuality and existential authenticity. To label someone is to reduce the complexity of their identity to a fixed category—be it religious, social, psychological, or philosophical. By doing so, we deny their dynamic, evolving self. Kierkegaard believed that each person must confront existence subjectively, and that true selfhood is a process, not a static label.
This statement can be seen as a reaction to both Hegelian systematization and the social conformity of Kierkegaard’s time. In an age when people were increasingly defined by roles or ideologies—“Christian,” “bourgeois,” “scholar”—Kierkegaard pushed back against such simplifications. For him, labeling was a form of intellectual laziness or social control that avoided the deeper challenge of understanding a person in their lived, inward truth.
In today’s world, this quote resonates in discussions about identity, stereotypes, and personal freedom. For instance, when someone is labeled by their political stance, diagnosis, or background, their full humanity and unique experiences are often overlooked. Kierkegaard reminds us to resist the urge to categorize and instead encounter each person as a singular, unfolding being, worthy of depth and dignity beyond any label.
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