--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have not yet encountered any god who…" description: "\"We have not yet encountered any god who is as merciful as a man who flicks a beetle over on its feet.\" — Annie Dillard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/annie-dillard-509_feet_we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who_784752.jpg" --- # We have not yet encountered any god who is as merciful as… ![“We have not yet encountered any god who is as merciful as a man who flicks a beetle over on its feet.” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/annie-dillard-509_feet_we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who_784752.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/annie-dillard-509_feet_we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who_784752.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/annie-dillard-509_feet_we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who_784752.jpg) > “We have not yet encountered any god who is as merciful as a man who flicks a beetle over on its feet.” [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compares divine mercy to a human’s petty cruelty toward a beetle. **In simple terms:** Human cruelty can surpass divine mercy. Key Takeaway Recognize and curb petty cruelty. Themes ethics compassion nature Mood thoughtful serious Type ethical reflective When to use this quote - environmental activism - animal welfare - personal reflection Key Concepts moral philosophy human‑animal relations Questions to Reflect On - What small acts of cruelty do we overlook? - How can we cultivate compassion? A Different Perspective May anthropomorphize divine traits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Merciful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merciful/) ## Related quotes > [Let there always be a preponderance of mercy with you, even though you don't feel such mercy in yourself, as God has for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/let-there-always-be-a-preponderance-of-mercy-with-you-even-though-you/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [He was so benevolent, so merciful a man that, in his mistaken passion, he would have held an umbrella over a duck in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-william-jerrold/he-was-so-benevolent-so-merciful-a-man-that-in-his-mistaken-passion/) [Douglas William Jerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-william-jerrold/) > [“I look at the others, simpering courtiers and visiting dignitaries, all unsuspecting of what is to come. A merciful man should spare them, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-f-stewart/i-look-at-the-others-simpering-courtiers-and-visiting-dignitaries-all/) [A.F. Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-f-stewart/) > [“The merciful man is rarely victorious. One's enemies are like snakes; though one may learn to handle them, they are always poisonous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-essex/the-merciful-man-is-rarely-victorious-one-s-enemies-are-like-snakes/) [Karen Essex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-essex/) > [“As God is merciful, so you also be merciful. As he loves and cares for all His creatures and His children and are related…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirkei-avot/as-god-is-merciful-so-you-also-be-merciful-as-he-loves-and-cares-for/) Pirkei Avot > [You should never lose heart. God is merciful and kind- he has endowed you with the best gift- smile, which can make millions happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/you-should-never-lose-heart-god-is-merciful-and-kind-he-has-endowed/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Soul Gathers Force It is possible, when the future is dim, when our depressed faculties can form no bright ideas of the perfection and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/soul-gathers-force-it-is-possible-when-the-future-is-dim-when-our/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [God be merciful unto us, and bless us: and shew us the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/god-be-merciful-unto-us-and-bless-us-and-shew-us-the-light-of-his/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [I may be what my enemies desire me to be, yet never an accusation are they able to hurl against me which makes me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-rizal/i-may-be-what-my-enemies-desire-me-to-be-yet-never-an-accusation-are/) [Jose Rizal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-rizal/) > [God is merciful to all, as he has been to you; he is first a father, then a judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/god-is-merciful-to-all-as-he-has-been-to-you-he-is-first-a-father/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“Schaumburg was a town north and west of Chicago, and Mr Mahoney liked to say that he had been there once, to carry away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-doyle/schaumburg-was-a-town-north-and-west-of-chicago-and-mr-mahoney-liked/) [Brian Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-doyle/) > [“Ah, Lord God be merciful to us all!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/ah-lord-god-be-merciful-to-us-all/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“As Chafer said, long ago, “If men go to perdition it will be because every possible mercy from God has been resisted.”3 I cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-davis/as-chafer-said-long-ago-if-men-go-to-perdition-it-will-be-because/) [Patrick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-davis/) > [I have made up my mind that if there is a God, he will be merciful to the merciful. Upon that rock I stand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-have-made-up-my-mind-that-if-there-is-a-god-he-will-be-merciful-to/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [God is very merciful to those whom He sees struggling heart and soul for spiritual realization. But remain idle, without any struggle, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/god-is-very-merciful-to-those-whom-he-sees-struggling-heart-and-soul/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) ## More by Annie Dillard > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The creatures I seek do not want to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-creatures-i-seek-do-not-want-to-be-seen/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing moves a woman so deeply as the boyhood of the man she loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nothing-moves-a-woman-so-deeply-as-the-boyhood-of-the-man-she-loves/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It should surprise no one that the life of the writer - such as it is - is colorless to the point of sensory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-should-surprise-no-one-that-the-life-of-the-writer-such-as-it-is/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The sense impressions of one-celled animals are not edited for the brain. This is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-sense-impressions-of-one-celled-animals-are-not-edited-for-the/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“What can we make of the inexpressible joy of children? It is a kind of gratitude, I think—the gratitude of the ten-year-old who wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/what-can-we-make-of-the-inexpressible-joy-of-children-it-is-a-kind-of/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed. In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Explore all 509 Annie Dillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More Feet quotes > [The minute you step onstage, you get eight feet taller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/the-minute-you-step-onstage-you-get-eight-feet-taller/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [We can't love a place or a person if we always have one foot out the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-can-t-love-a-place-or-a-person-if-we-always-have-one-foot-out-the/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [When I was 3, my parents strapped on a pair of Playskool plastic roller skates to my feet, and that's where the story begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-celski/when-i-was-3-my-parents-strapped-on-a-pair-of-playskool-plastic/) [J. R. Celski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-celski/) > [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/) > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [“Always wash you feet last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-wash-you-feet-last/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My husband really loves my feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayesha-curry/my-husband-really-loves-my-feet/) [Ayesha Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayesha-curry/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [Griezmann is an exceptional player. He's brimming with talent, and he knows how to keep his feet on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-matuidi/griezmann-is-an-exceptional-player-he-s-brimming-with-talent-and-he/) [Blaise Matuidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-matuidi/) > [I thought that I had no time for faith nor time to pray, then I saw an armless man saying his Rosary with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/i-thought-that-i-had-no-time-for-faith-nor-time-to-pray-then-i-saw-an/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [I could not prove the Years had feet-/Yet confident they run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-could-not-prove-the-years-had-feet-yet-confident-they-run/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) Browse all 6,557 Feet quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have not yet encountered any god who is as merciful as a man who flicks a beetle over on its feet.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who-is-as-merciful-as-a-man-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who-is-as-merciful-as-a-man-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/annie-dillard-509_feet_we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who_784752.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/annie-dillard-509_feet_we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who_784752.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/annie-dillard-509_feet_we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who_784752.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have not yet encountered any god who is as merciful as a man who flicks a beetle over on its feet.” — Annie Dillard", "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": "Annie Dillard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have not yet encountered any...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who-is-as-merciful-as-a-man-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-have-not-yet-encountered-any-god-who-is-as-merciful-as-a-man-who/#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 } } ] } ```