“...I am, as it were, a spy in the service of the highest. The police also use spies. They do not always pick out men whose lives have been the purest and best, quite the contrary: they are cunning, crafty offenders, whose cunning the police use, while they coerce them through the consciousness of their vita ante acta. Alas, thus does God use sinners.”
-Søren Kierkegaard
10 comments:
What an interesting person! I really ought to read his books. I have to say, he was a rather abstract person, but that statement was quite clever. For some reason or other (I can't imagine why!) it immediately reminded me of The Man Who was Thursday. I wonder if Chesterton took points from that statement. I suppose it's a common idea throughout history, being secret servants of our Lord. Very fascinating. Good stuff, by the way!
Joel
Thanks Joel,
Can anyone translate the Latin at the end of the quote? I have a feeling it's pretty essental to understanding it.
I think it means something to the effect of 'Life Before Actions'. I'll try to find a more generous meaning, and post later.
Joel
or 'Life Before The Seashore', which didn't make as much sense to me.
he's probably talking about coercing spies through their lives before they made the actions that brought them to being spies. He's talking maybe about touching their deepest morals. Just a thought.
Who knows, I guess I should look it up my brothers book of foreign phrases.
Well I looked for the phrase in the aforementioned book and didn't find it. As far as I can tell it means something along the lines of "The deeds of a former life". If that's the case then I do not entirely agree with Mr. K (see for reference my comment on post "Installment Three").
Hey Andrew I found the lyrics for the drunken sailor song. And I thought I'd add another comment to this post just for the sake of it.
Lyrics:
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus:
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Earl-eye in the morning
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus
Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus
Put him the back of the paddy wagon,
Put him the back of the paddy wagon,
Put him the back of the paddy wagon,
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober,
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober,
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober,
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus
do a search for "Drunken sailor" on iTunes and listen to the one by "Great Big Sea" That ones the best.
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