--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man who was merely a man and said the…" description: "\"“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on a level with the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/anonymous-1_choices_a-man-who-was-merely-a-man-and-said-the_477733.jpg" --- # A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things… ![“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/anonymous-1_choices_a-man-who-was-merely-a-man-and-said-the_477733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/anonymous-1_choices_a-man-who-was-merely-a-man-and-said-the_477733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/anonymous-1_choices_a-man-who-was-merely-a-man-and-said-the_477733.jpg) > ““A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that a moral teacher claiming divine authority must be either truly divine or a dangerous delusion, forcing a stark choice between belief and madness. **In simple terms:** A claimed divine teacher is either true or a dangerous liar. Key Takeaway Decide what you accept as truth. Themes faith morality authority belief danger Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical controversial When to use this quote - religious debate - personal conviction - leadership decisions Key Concepts theology psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would convince you of divine authority? - How do you evaluate moral credibility? A Different Perspective If the teacher is false, followers may be misled into harmful actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Madmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madmen/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Son of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-of-god/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) ## Related quotes > [A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-man-who-was-merely-a-man-and-said-the-sort-of-things-jesus-said-2/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [That's the terrible part. I swear to God I'm a madman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-s-the-terrible-part-i-swear-to-god-i-m-a-madman/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-am-trying-here-to-prevent-anyone-saying-the-really-foolish-thing/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Either Jesus is the Son of God ; or a madman or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He's not left that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/either-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-or-a-madman-or-worse-but-his-being/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [You must make your choice: either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/you-must-make-your-choice-either-this-man-was-and-is-the-son-of-god/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [ The materialist is sure that history has been simply and solely a chain of causation, just as the \[lunatic\] is quite sure that he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-materialist-is-sure-that-history-has-been-simply-and-solely-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakespeare-william-shakespeare/lovers-and-madmen-have-such-seething-brains-such-shaping-fantasies-2/) Shakespeare William Shakespeare > [Obviously if any actions, even a lunatic's, can be causeless, determinism is done for. If the chain of causation can be broken for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/obviously-if-any-actions-even-a-lunatic-s-can-be-causeless/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The lunatic is the man who lives in a small world but thinks it is a large one; he is the man who lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-lunatic-is-the-man-who-lives-in-a-small-world-but-thinks-it-is-a/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I may be a lunatic, but then, wasn't my lunacy caused by a monster that lurks at the bottom of every human mind? Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ry-nosuke-akutagawa/i-may-be-a-lunatic-but-then-wasn-t-my-lunacy-caused-by-a-monster-that/) [Ryūnosuke Akutagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ry-nosuke-akutagawa/) > [“Four guys are standing on a street corner… an American, a Russian, a Chinese man, and an Israeli…. A reporter comes up to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/four-guys-are-standing-on-a-street-corner-an-american-a-russian-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A player says 'on to the next one,' a real man says 'i already got one,' but a boss says 'i don't need one.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-player-says-on-to-the-next-one-a-real-man-says-i-already-got-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Can't shouldn't be in a mans vocabulary, because when a man says can't he ain't a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/can-t-shouldn-t-be-in-a-mans-vocabulary-because-when-a-man-says-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gilrs get the last word in every argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/gilrs-get-the-last-word-in-every-argument-anything-a-man-says-after/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In these days, a man who says a thing cannot be done, quite apt to be interrupted by some idiot doing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-these-days-a-man-who-says-a-thing-cannot-be-done-quite-apt-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. 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