---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But then the pastors and men of God can…"
description: "\"But then the pastors and men of God can only be human,--cannot altogether be men of God; and so they have oppressed us, and burned us, and tortured us,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/anthony-trollope-611_burned_but-then-the-pastors-and-men-of-god-can_858978.jpg"
---

#  But then the pastors and men of God can only be…

![“But then the pastors and men of God can only be human,--cannot altogether be men of God; and so they have oppressed us, and burned us, and tortured us, and hence come to love palaces, and fine linen, and purple, and, alas, sometimes, mere luxury and idleness.” quote by Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/anthony-trollope-611_burned_but-then-the-pastors-and-men-of-god-can_858978.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/anthony-trollope-611_burned_but-then-the-pastors-and-men-of-god-can_858978.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/anthony-trollope-611_burned_but-then-the-pastors-and-men-of-god-can_858978.jpg)

> “But then the pastors and men of God can only be human,--cannot altogether be men of God; and so they have oppressed us, and burned us, and tortured us, and hence come to love palaces, and fine linen, and purple, and, alas, sometimes, mere luxury and idleness.”

[Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/)

## About This Quote

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

Clergy, being human, can become corrupt and indulge in luxury, betraying their spiritual role.

**In simple terms:** Human priests can become greedy.

Key Takeaway

Beware of authority’s moral failings.

Themes

religion corruption human frailty

Mood

cautionary critical

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- church leadership
- political office
- corporate governance
- community activism

Key Concepts

institutional power moral decay

Questions to Reflect On

- How can communities hold leaders accountable?
- What signs indicate a spiritual leader’s loss of integrity?

A Different Perspective

Not all leaders are corrupt; context matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Burned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burned/) [Burned Tortured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burned-tortured-830962/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Fine line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-line/) [God Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-oppressed-604376/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Idleness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idleness/) [Linen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linen/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Man of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-of-god/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Of God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-of-god/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) [Oppressed Burned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed-burned-830963/) [Palaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palaces/) [Pastor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pastor/) [Pastors Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pastors-men-830961/) [Purple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purple/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Tortured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortured/)

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