Don't wish for wealth or power. Wish for a passion for what's possible.

What it means

Kierkegaard's young aesthete wants the eye that sees possibility everywhere, always young and burning. Wealth and power wear out; the sense of what could be does not. Protect your capacity to imagine.

The source

"Don't wish for wealth or power. Wish for a passion for what's possible." Kierkegaard said it in Either/Or I, Diapsalmata. Translated from the original Danish by Spartan Surfers.

"Skulde jeg ønske mig Noget, da vilde jeg ikke ønske mig Rigdom eller Magt, men Mulighedens Lidenskab"

Original Danish, Either/Or I, Diapsalmata. Text read at da.wikisource.org.

Who said it

Kierkegaard (1813–1855). Danish thinker who wrote under many pen names about choice, anxiety and faith. Often called the first existentialist.

Questions

What does "Don't wish for wealth or power. Wish for a passion for what's possible." mean?

Kierkegaard's young aesthete wants the eye that sees possibility everywhere, always young and burning. Wealth and power wear out; the sense of what could be does not. Protect your capacity to imagine.

Who said "Don't wish for wealth or power. Wish for a passion for what's possible."?

Kierkegaard (1813–1855). Source: Either/Or I, Diapsalmata.

What is the original Danish?

Skulde jeg ønske mig Noget, da vilde jeg ikke ønske mig Rigdom eller Magt, men Mulighedens Lidenskab. Translated from the original Danish by Spartan Surfers.

Is "Don't wish for wealth or power. Wish for a passion for what's possible." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 6 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"Don't wish for wealth or power. Wish for a passion for what's possible." (Kierkegaard, Either/Or I, Diapsalmata, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/dont-wish-for-wealth-or-power-wish-for