--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must, therefore, be here as strangers…" description: "\"We must, therefore, be here as strangers and pilgrims, that we may plainly declare that we seek a city above.\" — Anne Bradstreet" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/anne-bradstreet-12672_cities_we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-a_2310740.png" --- # We must, therefore, be here as strangers and pilgrims… ![“We must, therefore, be here as strangers and pilgrims, that we may plainly declare that we seek a city above.” quote by Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/anne-bradstreet-12672_cities_we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-a_2310740.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/anne-bradstreet-12672_cities_we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-a_2310740.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/anne-bradstreet-12672_cities_we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-a_2310740.png) > “We must, therefore, be here as strangers and pilgrims, that we may plainly declare that we seek a city above.” [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We are temporary visitors, seeking a higher, spiritual home beyond this world. **In simple terms:** We are strangers seeking a higher city. Key Takeaway Live as pilgrims, aiming for spiritual goals. Themes faith pilgrimage transcendence Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - life decisions - mortality contemplation - seeking purpose Key Concepts spiritual yearning temporary existence Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing life as a pilgrimage change daily choices? - What “city above” do you pursue? A Different Perspective Human life is finite, making the quest for higher meaning urgent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilgrim/) [Pilgrims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilgrims/) [Pilgrims Plainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilgrims-plainly-5487094/) [Plainly Declare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plainly-declare-5487097/) [Seek City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seek-city-5487095/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Strangers Pilgrims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strangers-pilgrims-2317933/) ## Related quotes > [We profess to be strangers and pilgrims, seeking after a country of our own, yet we settle down in the most un-stranger-like fashion, exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/we-profess-to-be-strangers-and-pilgrims-seeking-after-a-country-of/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [This world is magnificent for strangers and pilgrims, but miserable for residents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/this-world-is-magnificent-for-strangers-and-pilgrims-but-miserable/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“I seek the city because there is nothing sweeter than not being alone in your loneliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/i-seek-the-city-because-there-is-nothing-sweeter-than-not-being-alone/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [“If we were less of what seems like ease in our lives they would tell more for Christ and souls...We profess to be strangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-we-were-less-of-what-seems-like-ease-in-our-lives-they-would-tell/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [Christians are simply pilgrims who acknowledge their lostness and their desire for help in finding the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/christians-are-simply-pilgrims-who-acknowledge-their-lostness-and/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [And then Serafina understood something for which the witches had no word: it was the idea of pilgrimage. She understood why these beings would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-then-serafina-understood-something-for-which-the-witches-had-no/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Like so many pilgrims before us, we kneel in wonder and adoration before the ineffable mystery which. was accomplished here... In This Child -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/like-so-many-pilgrims-before-us-we-kneel-in-wonder-and-adoration/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [Courage you have, and the knowledge that we are all pilgrims together, wending through unknown country, home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-you-have-and-the-knowledge-that-we-are-all-pilgrims-together/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In dreams we stand in this great democracy of the possible and there we are right pilgrims indeed. There we go forth to meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/in-dreams-we-stand-in-this-great-democracy-of-the-possible-and-there/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Next to of course god America i / love you land of the pilgrims and so forth oh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/next-to-of-course-god-america-i-love-you-land-of-the-pilgrims-and-so/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [Politics is like navigation in a sea without charts, and wise men live the lives of pilgrims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/politics-is-like-navigation-in-a-sea-without-charts-and-wise-men-live/) [Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/) > [“Far out on the desert to the north dustspouts rose wobbling and augered the earth and some said they'd heard of pilgrims borne aloft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/far-out-on-the-desert-to-the-north-dustspouts-rose-wobbling-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It is imperative that the past of the pilgrims' progress be intentionally carried forward into the present as we work into our future. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-richard-niebuhr/it-is-imperative-that-the-past-of-the-pilgrims-progress-be/) [H. Richard Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-richard-niebuhr/) > [Pilgrims travel to Jerusalem to see the Holy Land, and the foundations of their faith. People go to Washington, D.C. to see the workings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/pilgrims-travel-to-jerusalem-to-see-the-holy-land-and-the-foundations/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [We are all pilgrims on an elusive and endless road... Despite our attempts to build lives on stone foundations, our spirits continuously flow. Endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lawlor/we-are-all-pilgrims-on-an-elusive-and-endless-road-despite-our/) [Anthony Lawlor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lawlor/) ## More by Anne Bradstreet > [Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone, I here, though there, yet both but one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/flesh-of-my-flesh-bone-of-my-bone-i-here-though-there-yet-both-but-one/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee; If ever wife was happy in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/if-ever-two-were-one-then-surely-we-if-ever-man-were-lov-d-by-wife/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [“Authority without wisdom is like a heavy axe without an edge, fitter to bruise than polish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/authority-without-wisdom-is-like-a-heavy-axe-without-an-edge-fitter/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [There is no object that we see; no action that we do; no good that we enjoy; no evil that we feel, or fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/there-is-no-object-that-we-see-no-action-that-we-do-no-good-that-we/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [“Let such as say our sex is void of reason, Know it is slander now but once was treason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/let-such-as-say-our-sex-is-void-of-reason-know-it-is-slander-now-but/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [What to my Saviour shall I giveWho freely hath done this for me?I'll serve him here whilst I shall liveAnd Loue him to Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/what-to-my-saviour-shall-i-givewho-freely-hath-done-this-for-me-i-ll/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [The stones and trees, insensible to time, / Nor age nor wrinkle on their front are seen; / If Winter come, and greenness then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/the-stones-and-trees-insensible-to-time-nor-age-nor-wrinkle-on-their/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/if-ever-two-were-one-then-surely-we-if-ever-man-were-loved-by-wife/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [Satan, that great angler, hath his sundry baits for sundry tempers of men, which they all catch greedily at, but few perceive the hook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/satan-that-great-angler-hath-his-sundry-baits-for-sundry-tempers-of/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [“...And although thus short, we shorten many ways, Living so little while we are alive; In eating, drinking, sleeping, vain delight So unawares comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/and-although-thus-short-we-shorten-many-ways-living-so-little-while/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [I am obnoxious to each carping tongue who says my hand a needle better fits,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/i-am-obnoxious-to-each-carping-tongue-who-says-my-hand-a-needle/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [My age I will not once lament, / But sing, my time so near is spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/my-age-i-will-not-once-lament-but-sing-my-time-so-near-is-spent/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [“#The Vanity of all Worldly Things. As he said vanity, so vain say I, Oh! Vanity, O vain all under sky; Where is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/the-vanity-of-all-worldly-things-as-he-said-vanity-so-vain-say-i-oh/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/if-we-had-no-winter-the-spring-would-not-be-so-pleasant-if-we-did-not/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [Authority without wisdom is like a heavy ax without an edge -- fitter to bruise than polish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/authority-without-wisdom-is-like-a-heavy-ax-without-an-edge-fitter-to/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) [Explore all 53 Anne Bradstreet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) [James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must, therefore, be here as strangers and pilgrims, that we may plainly declare that we seek a city above.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Bradstreet" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-and-pilgrims-that-we-may/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-and-pilgrims-that-we-may/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/anne-bradstreet-12672_cities_we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-a_2310740.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/anne-bradstreet-12672_cities_we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-a_2310740.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/anne-bradstreet-12672_cities_we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-a_2310740.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We must, therefore, be here as strangers and pilgrims, that we may plainly declare that we seek a city above.” — Anne Bradstreet", "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": "Anne Bradstreet", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We must, therefore, be here as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-and-pilgrims-that-we-may/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/we-must-therefore-be-here-as-strangers-and-pilgrims-that-we-may/#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 } } ] } ```