The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one. Commitment is healthiest when it’s not without doubt but in spite of doubt.

Rollo May frames doubt not as the enemy of commitment but as its necessary companion. In existential terms, genuine commitment is not a blind certainty that eliminates ambiguity; it is a chosen stance taken while recognizing risk, limitation, and the possibility of error. Doubt keeps commitment honest by preventing it from hardening into dogmatism or mere conformity. The quote suggests that mature dedication—whether in love, vocation, ethics, or faith—requires the courage to act without absolute guarantees. Commitment “in spite of doubt” becomes a mark of authenticity: a decision owned by the self rather than borrowed from authority or sustained by illusion.