--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you give your soul up to anything…" description: "\"If you give your soul up to anything earthly, whether it be the wealth, or the honours, or the pleasures of this world, you might as well hunt after th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/anonymous-1_clouds_if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-ear_422927.jpg" --- # If you give your soul up to anything earthly, whether it… ![“If you give your soul up to anything earthly, whether it be the wealth, or the honours, or the pleasures of this world, you might as well hunt after the mirage of the desert or try to collect the mists of the morning, or to store up for yourself the clouds of the sky, for all these things are…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/anonymous-1_clouds_if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-ear_422927.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/anonymous-1_clouds_if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-ear_422927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/anonymous-1_clouds_if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-ear_422927.jpg) > “If you give your soul up to anything earthly, whether it be the wealth, or the honours, or the pleasures of this world, you might as well hunt after the mirage of the desert or try to collect the mists of the morning, or to store up for yourself the clouds of the sky, for all these things are passing away.” [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 passage warns that worldly pursuits are fleeting, likening them to chasing impossible or transient phenomena. **In simple terms:** Worldly goals are temporary and elusive. Key Takeaway Focus on lasting values over fleeting gains. Themes impermanence spirituality materialism Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career ambitions - financial decisions - personal relationships Key Concepts transience illusion detachment Practical Applications - Spiritual pursuits Questions to Reflect On - What truly endures beyond material success? - How can you balance worldly duties with deeper purpose? A Different Perspective be equally fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Honour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honour/) [Mist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mist/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Passing away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing-away/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Your soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-soul/) ## Related quotes > [“The holiness of God makes Him the possessor of all earthly wealth, which belongs to Him forever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-holiness-of-god-makes-him-the-possessor-of-all-earthly-wealth/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [The problem with Prosperity Theology is not that it promises too much, but that it aims for so little. What God promises us in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-mohler/the-problem-with-prosperity-theology-is-not-that-it-promises-too-much/) [Albert Mohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-mohler/) > [Everything is in constant flux on this earth. Nothing keeps the same unchanging shape, and our affections, being attached to things outside us, necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/everything-is-in-constant-flux-on-this-earth-nothing-keeps-the-same/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [By day, or on a cloudless night, a pilot may drink the wine of the gods, but it has an earthly taste; he's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-day-or-on-a-cloudless-night-a-pilot-may-drink-the-wine-of-the-gods-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Above or Love, Hope, Hate or Fear, It lives all passionless and pure: An age shall fleet like earthly year; Its years in moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/above-or-love-hope-hate-or-fear-it-lives-all-passionless-and-pure-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The meaning of earthly existence lies not, as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering but in the development of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-meaning-of-earthly-existence-lies-not-as-we-have-grown-used-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am certain, however, that nothing has done so much to destroy the juridical safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-certain-however-that-nothing-has-done-so-much-to-destroy-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The beauty myth moves for men as a mirage; its power lies in its ever-receding nature. When the gap is closed, the lover embraces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-beauty-myth-moves-for-men-as-a-mirage-its-power-lies-in-its-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Desperation for a relationship attracts a lot of mirages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/desperation-for-a-relationship-attracts-a-lot-of-mirages/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is, I believe, the primary charm of poetry to give the lesson of mirage, that is, to show the fragile and vibrant movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-i-believe-the-primary-charm-of-poetry-to-give-the-lesson-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Share your weaknesses. Share your hard moments. Share your real side. It'll either scare away every fake person in your life or it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/share-your-weaknesses-share-your-hard-moments-share-your-real-side-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For the world is an ever-elusive and ever-disappointing mirage only from the standpoint of someone standing aside from it—as if it were quite other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-the-world-is-an-ever-elusive-and-ever-disappointing-mirage-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-indeed-is-like-a-dream-and-the-treasures-of-the-world-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [While the parts change, the whole always remains the same. For every thief who departs this world, a new one is born. And every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/while-the-parts-change-the-whole-always-remains-the-same-for-every/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And she was richer in those dreams than in realities; for things seen pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-she-was-richer-in-those-dreams-than-in-realities-for-things-seen/) [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 Clouds quotes > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It lies around us like a cloud- A world we do not see; Yet the sweet closing of an eye May bring us there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/it-lies-around-us-like-a-cloud-a-world-we-do-not-see-yet-the-sweet/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [No matter how strong the storm, how hard the rain and how vicious the wind there is always a gap in the clouds for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-greenhalgh/no-matter-how-strong-the-storm-how-hard-the-rain-and-how-vicious-the/) Ben Greenhalgh > [The sacred lamp of day Now dipt in Western clouds his parting day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-falconer/the-sacred-lamp-of-day-now-dipt-in-western-clouds-his-parting-day/) [William Falconer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-falconer/) > [Just as the setting sun turned the clouds to liquid gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/just-as-the-setting-sun-turned-the-clouds-to-liquid-gold/) [Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/) > [Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance, but it cannot destroy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/evil-may-mar-the-divine-image-and-cloud-its-brilliance-but-it-cannot/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Max—you have a bigger mission than finding the flock's parents. Focus on helping the whole world, not just your friends. I held my wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/max-you-have-a-bigger-mission-than-finding-the-flock-s-parents-focus/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [Sometimes I envy painters, it is wonderful to remain in front of a bouquet of flowers a whole morning, or even longer. A photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-boubat/sometimes-i-envy-painters-it-is-wonderful-to-remain-in-front-of-a/) [Edouard Boubat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-boubat/) > [Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of Heaven ring; Some of their music, though my fights be wild, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/above-the-clouds-i-lift-my-wing-to-hear-the-bells-of-heaven-ring-some/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [If you like I'll be furious flesh elemental, or- changing to tones that the sunset arouses- if you like- I'll be extraordinary gentle, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/if-you-like-i-ll-be-furious-flesh-elemental-or-changing-to-tones-that/) [Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/) > [Sometimes in life the clouds are too dark to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/sometimes-in-life-the-clouds-are-too-dark-to-see/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years. May you wake up... and start dancing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/may-you-eat-an-unfamiliar-dessert-in-a-strange-land-at-least-once/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [We're thrilled that our partnership with Adobe has now grown to span our three clouds - Microsoft Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-johnson/we-re-thrilled-that-our-partnership-with-adobe-has-now-grown-to-span/) [Peggy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-johnson/) Browse all 2,443 Clouds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you give your soul up to anything earthly, whether it be the wealth, or the honours, or the pleasures of this world, you might as well hunt after the mirage of the desert or try to collect the mists of the morning, or to store up for yourself the clouds of the sky, for all these things are passing away.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-earthly-whether-it-be-the-wealth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clouds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-earthly-whether-it-be-the-wealth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/anonymous-1_clouds_if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-ear_422927.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/anonymous-1_clouds_if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-ear_422927.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/anonymous-1_clouds_if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-ear_422927.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you give your soul up to anything earthly, whether it be the wealth, or the honours, or the pleasures of…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you give your soul up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-earthly-whether-it-be-the-wealth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-give-your-soul-up-to-anything-earthly-whether-it-be-the-wealth/#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 } } ] } ```