Belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.
Samuel ButlerRead
To know God better is only to realize how impossible it is that we should ever know him at all. I know not which is more childish to deny him, or define him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding God deepens our awareness of the limits of human comprehension.
Samuel Butler's quote suggests that as we seek to understand God, we come to recognize the immense mystery surrounding this divine figure, making it apparent that our grasp is ultimately limited. He posits that the attempts to either deny or strictly define God may be naively simplistic, as such efforts fail to acknowledge the complexity and vastness of the concept of divinity.
Themes
GodKnowledgeMysteryUnderstandingFaith
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a philosophical discussion about the nature of divinity.
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A statement is persuasive and credible either because it is directly self-evident or because it appears to be proved from other statements that are so.
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