Skip to content

Order by December 10 for delivery before Christmas. Shop gifts

What it means

Getting what you wanted often feels smaller than wanting it. Possibility keeps its fizz. Keep something ahead of you to reach for.

The source

"Pleasure disappoints. Possibility never does." Kierkegaard said it in Either/Or I, Diapsalmata. Translated from the original Danish by Spartan Surfers.

"Nydelsen skuffer, Muligheden ikke."

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 "Pleasure disappoints. Possibility never does." mean?
Getting what you wanted often feels smaller than wanting it. Possibility keeps its fizz. Keep something ahead of you to reach for.
Who said "Pleasure disappoints. Possibility never does."?
Kierkegaard (1813–1855). Source: Either/Or I, Diapsalmata.
What is the original Danish?
Nydelsen skuffer, Muligheden ikke. Translated from the original Danish by Spartan Surfers.
Is "Pleasure disappoints. Possibility never does." on a shirt?
Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Pleasure disappoints. Possibility never does." (Kierkegaard, Either/Or I, Diapsalmata, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/pleasure-disappoints-possibility-never-does

Filed under Quotes about calm.

More from Kierkegaard