Arrogance Quote by Alexander McCall Smith
““there is something there—some force, or truth, perhaps—to put it at its most general. I sense it, and I suppose I’d even go so far as to say that I yearn for it. I want it to be. Maybe that’s God. But I find it difficult to accept any statement as to his identity. And as for claims to be the sole interpreter of that force—the sort of claim made by religions that tell you that they have the sole answer—well, what can one say about such arrogance …””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Sunday Philosophy Club, 2005
A yearning for an ultimate truth exists, yet definitive claims about it are arrogant.
In simple terms: Seek truth, question authority.
Key Takeaway
Question absolute claims.
Themes
truth
spirituality
humility
Mood
contemplative
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal meditation
- interfaith dialogue
- academic study
Key Concepts
Mysticism
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- What does humility look like in belief?
- How can one balance yearning and skepticism?
A Different Perspective
Absolute certainty may ignore complexity.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
