---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mind is a great gift, but it has to…"
description: "\"The mind is a great gift, but it has to be quieted down in order to feel, hear and see the presence of God.\" — Alice Coltrane"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/alice-coltrane-25252_gift_the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-b_1411843.jpg"
---

#  The mind is a great gift, but it has to be quieted down in…

![“The mind is a great gift, but it has to be quieted down in order to feel, hear and see the presence of God.” quote by Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/alice-coltrane-25252_gift_the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-b_1411843.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/alice-coltrane-25252_gift_the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-b_1411843.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/alice-coltrane-25252_gift_the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-b_1411843.jpg)

> “The mind is a great gift, but it has to be quieted down in order to feel, hear and see the presence of God.”

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Quieting the mind allows deeper perception of divine presence.

**In simple terms:** Silence opens spiritual awareness.

Key Takeaway

Practice meditation to hear God.

Themes

spirituality mindfulness faith

Mood

calm reverent

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- daily meditation
- quiet reflection
- spiritual retreats

Key Concepts

consciousness inner peace

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you quiet a noisy mind?
- What signs indicate divine presence?

A Different Perspective

Silence can be difficult to achieve.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feel Hear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-hear-266389/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Gift Quieted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift-quieted-4977392/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Hear Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hear-presence-3096573/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence/) [Presence God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence-god/) [Presence of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence-of-god/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Quieted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quieted-1839010/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/)

## Related quotes

> [Words engage our minds, but in the silence we hear the Presence of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/words-engage-our-minds-but-in-the-silence-we-hear-the-presence-of-god/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I want people to hear the presence of God in the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-white/i-want-people-to-hear-the-presence-of-god-in-the-music/)

[Bryan White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-white/)

> [“When she quieted the jet engine buzz of worries assaulting her brain, when she stopped thinking altogether and just felt, she knew this was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mccarthy/when-she-quieted-the-jet-engine-buzz-of-worries-assaulting-her-brain/)

[Erin McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mccarthy/)

> [The more honest you are, the more quieted you are within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/the-more-honest-you-are-the-more-quieted-you-are-within/)

[John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/)

> [“Nephites,” he added, “love to talk and find it particularly annoying to be quieted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-heimerdinger/nephites-he-added-love-to-talk-and-find-it-particularly-annoying-to/)

[Chris Heimerdinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-heimerdinger/)

> [“And the process, the ritual, quieted the hum of his mind so he could write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-renner/and-the-process-the-ritual-quieted-the-hum-of-his-mind-so-he-could/)

[James Renner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-renner/)

> [“He waited for a time, knowing that no force could silence the crowd until it screamed out everything that had accumulated within it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/he-waited-for-a-time-knowing-that-no-force-could-silence-the-crowd/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [Prayer in secret is life finding expression in the realized Presence of God our Father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-chadwick/prayer-in-secret-is-life-finding-expression-in-the-realized-presence/)

[Samuel Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-chadwick/)

> [It should be pursued as in the presence of God, and under the solemn sanctions created by a lively sense of his omniscience, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-greenleaf/it-should-be-pursued-as-in-the-presence-of-god-and-under-the-solemn/)

[Simon Greenleaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-greenleaf/)

> [Wide awake to the presence of God, I realized I had been so focused on asking why a good God allowed bad things to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-feinberg/wide-awake-to-the-presence-of-god-i-realized-i-had-been-so-focused-on/)

[Margaret Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-feinberg/)

> [“The kingdom is the manifest presence of God’s reign.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-c-wilson/the-kingdom-is-the-manifest-presence-of-god-s-reign/)

[Jared C. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-c-wilson/)

> [We cannot attain the presence of God. We're already totally in the presence of God. What's missing is awareness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brenner/we-cannot-attain-the-presence-of-god-we-re-already-totally-in-the/)

[David Brenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brenner/)

> [O it is a happy thing to feel ourselves helpless and naught, for then the presence of God is felt to wrap us about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/o-it-is-a-happy-thing-to-feel-ourselves-helpless-and-naught-for-then/)

[William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/)

> [“When things fall apart, the broken pieces allow all sorts of things to enter, and one of them is the presence of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/when-things-fall-apart-the-broken-pieces-allow-all-sorts-of-things-to/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [Each day is a step we make towards eternity and we shall continue thus to step from day to day until we take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mcauley/each-day-is-a-step-we-make-towards-eternity-and-we-shall-continue/)

[Catherine McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mcauley/)

## More by Alice Coltrane

> [You have got to stress the freedom of music to really branch out and be universal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/you-have-got-to-stress-the-freedom-of-music-to-really-branch-out-and/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [The music is within your heart, your soul, your spirit, and this is all I did when I sat at piano. I just go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/the-music-is-within-your-heart-your-soul-your-spirit-and-this-is-all/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [When looking through the spiritual eye, or the third eye encased within the human mind, one can see vividly beyond the ken of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/when-looking-through-the-spiritual-eye-or-the-third-eye-encased/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [When you quiet your mind, you can enter a world of clarity, peace and understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/when-you-quiet-your-mind-you-can-enter-a-world-of-clarity-peace-and/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [I didn't want to be equal to him. I didn't have to be equal to him and do what he did. That, I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/i-didn-t-want-to-be-equal-to-him-i-didn-t-have-to-be-equal-to-him-and/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [I came through the bebop era, and to me that was enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/i-came-through-the-bebop-era-and-to-me-that-was-enough/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [You're creating ' it comes from the heart, the spirit, the soul. You're not manufacturing somebody else's plan, somebody else's blueprint, somebody else's idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/you-re-creating-it-comes-from-the-heart-the-spirit-the-soul-you-re/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [Once, John and I were coming form a concert that he had played, and it was late in the morning. We heard a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/once-john-and-i-were-coming-form-a-concert-that-he-had-played-and-it/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [Just as it is fire's nature to burn, it is meditation's nature to heal, to bring peace and uplift you beyond your worldly environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/just-as-it-is-fire-s-nature-to-burn-it-is-meditation-s-nature-to-heal/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [Maybe other musicians are interested in different things, maybe they have greater monetary concerns. I hear people who have not changed, who haven't elevated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/maybe-other-musicians-are-interested-in-different-things-maybe-they/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [God's work was what I felt was the greater work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/god-s-work-was-what-i-felt-was-the-greater-work/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [ It was so interesting, when \[John Coltrane\] created A Love Supreme. He had meditated that week. I almost didn't see him downstairs. And it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/it-was-so-interesting-when-john-coltrane-created-a-love-supreme-he/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [I didn't have to inspire John toward the avant-garde; he did not need anything from me. That is why it's so interesting that critics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/i-didn-t-have-to-inspire-john-toward-the-avant-garde-he-did-not-need/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [When John said that he wanted me to play with him on piano, I told him that there were many others who were qualified.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/when-john-said-that-he-wanted-me-to-play-with-him-on-piano-i-told-him/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

> [...I got a call from a record company offering me a contract, I did not want to take it because the Lord had pointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/i-got-a-call-from-a-record-company-offering-me-a-contract-i-did-not/)

[Alice Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

[Explore all 23 Alice Coltrane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/)

## More Gift quotes

> [Here I am, 11 years old, and these grown men have to give it everything they have to beat me. In one part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/here-i-am-11-years-old-and-these-grown-men-have-to-give-it-everything/)

[Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/)

> [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [The greatest gift you can give to those around you is honesty. Sometimes honest words may sting the heart, but dishonesty pierces deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-to-those-around-you-is-honesty/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [MOM,DAD YOU'RE THE BEST GIFT I EVER HAD.THERE'S NO ONE WILL BE LIKE YOU.THANKS GOD FOR THESE PRECIOUS GIFT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottoe/mom-dad-you-re-the-best-gift-i-ever-had-there-s-no-one-will-be-like/)

[Ottoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottoe/)

> [By the gift of God, WWE fell into my lap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-brooke/by-the-gift-of-god-wwe-fell-into-my-lap/)

[Dana Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-brooke/)

> [Here is your third gift from Me once again..I had a fourth gift it was about me making a video telling you how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilbear/here-is-your-third-gift-from-me-once-again-i-had-a-fourth-gift-it-was/)

[LilBear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilbear/)

> [“Children give terrible gifts because they are poor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-delaney/children-give-terrible-gifts-because-they-are-poor/)

[Rob Delaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-delaney/)

> [What a gift it would be if every child in the country could hear a professional orchestra at least once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/what-a-gift-it-would-be-if-every-child-in-the-country-could-hear-a/)

[Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/)

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [Being able to scream at the top of my lungs in front of people is very therapeutic. It is a great gift for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/being-able-to-scream-at-the-top-of-my-lungs-in-front-of-people-is/)

[Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/)

> [“Falling in love is easy. Fools fall in love all the time. Staying in love is the test of time and the gift you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-murphy/falling-in-love-is-easy-fools-fall-in-love-all-the-time-staying-in/)

[James A. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-murphy/)

> [A woman who is careful with her words is a gift to all who know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-is-careful-with-her-words-is-a-gift-to-all-who-know-her/)

[Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/)

> [“I believe that our world was created with a sense of order. For every loss, there's a gain. Sometimes we're so blinded by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-macomber/i-believe-that-our-world-was-created-with-a-sense-of-order-for-every/)

[Debbie Macomber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-macomber/)

> [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [“It is the gift of stories that most repays life among settled people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-michael-pyle/it-is-the-gift-of-stories-that-most-repays-life-among-settled-people/)

[Robert Michael Pyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-michael-pyle/)

[Browse all 4,269 Gift quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The mind is a great gift, but it has to be quieted down in order to feel, hear and see the presence of God.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alice Coltrane"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-be-quieted-down-in-order-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Gift"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-be-quieted-down-in-order-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/alice-coltrane-25252_gift_the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-b_1411843.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/alice-coltrane-25252_gift_the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-b_1411843.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/alice-coltrane-25252_gift_the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-b_1411843.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The mind is a great gift, but it has to be quieted down in order to feel, hear and see the presence of God.” — Alice Coltrane",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alice Coltrane",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-coltrane/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The mind is a great gift,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-be-quieted-down-in-order-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-coltrane/the-mind-is-a-great-gift-but-it-has-to-be-quieted-down-in-order-to/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
