--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God... a being whose only definition is…" description: "\"God... a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man's power to conceive.\" — Ayn Rand" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c08/ayn-rand-59_conceive_god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-tha_2697410.jpg" --- # God... a being whose only definition is that he is beyond… ![“God... a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man's power to conceive.” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c08/ayn-rand-59_conceive_god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-tha_2697410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c08/ayn-rand-59_conceive_god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-tha_2697410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c08/ayn-rand-59_conceive_god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-tha_2697410.jpg) > “God... a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man's power to conceive.” [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. God is defined as beyond human comprehension, making any definition insufficient. **In simple terms:** God is beyond our understanding. Key Takeaway Accept mystery in faith. Themes philosophy theology metaphysics Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - religious debate - personal belief - academic study Key Concepts objectivism existential limits Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile mystery with belief? - Can unknowability be comforting? A Different Perspective May dismiss meaningful religious experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Man Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-power/) ## Related quotes > [“God is everywhere, and you are somewhere. Therefore, by definition, you must be where God is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-shumsky/god-is-everywhere-and-you-are-somewhere-therefore-by-definition-you/) [Susan Shumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-shumsky/) > [Biggest man law - be a man. Simple: be a man, definition of being a man is being a man. And don't let your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-griffin/biggest-man-law-be-a-man-simple-be-a-man-definition-of-being-a-man-is/) [Eddie Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-griffin/) > [Being The Only Boy, Definition Of A Man, All The Money Is The World Still Not A Big Enough Advance, All The Money Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/being-the-only-boy-definition-of-a-man-all-the-money-is-the-world/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [The good, say the mystics of spirit, is God, a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man's power to conceive —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-good-say-the-mystics-of-spirit-is-god-a-being-whose-only/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“Man has the power to act as his own destroyer--and that is the way he has acted through most of history.” --Atlast Shrugged”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/man-has-the-power-to-act-as-his-own-destroyer-and-that-is-the-way-he-2/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I profess no belief in God, which by definition is true, especially if we take the accepted definition of God. But to be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-profess-no-belief-in-god-which-by-definition-is-true-especially-if/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Some people say: "There is no God; because, if there was a God, God would stop all the suffering." Nonsense! God is oblivious to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/some-people-say-there-is-no-god-because-if-there-was-a-god-god-would/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“1. God is (by definition) a being than which no greater being can be thought. 2. Greatness includes greatness of virtue. 3. Therefore, God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-n-walton/1-god-is-by-definition-a-being-than-which-no-greater-being-can-be/) Douglas N. Walton > [As many critics of religion have pointed out, the notion of a creator poses an immediate problem of an infinite regress. If God created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-many-critics-of-religion-have-pointed-out-the-notion-of-a-creator/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [God is beyond definition. But according to one's own vision or receptivity, one will define God in one's own way. Some will say that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/god-is-beyond-definition-but-according-to-one-s-own-vision-or/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [God's definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/god-s-definition-of-what-matters-is-pretty-straightforward-he/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [We each define our god, and from this definition, we set the criteria for self-love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-taylor/we-each-define-our-god-and-from-this-definition-we-set-the-criteria/) [Jeremy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-taylor/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [The Bible is clear - God's definition of marriage is between a man and a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bible-is-clear-god-s-definition-of-marriage-is-between-a-man-and/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) ## More by Ayn Rand > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She moved her hand and let it rest against his. He did not withdraw his fingers and he did not pretend indifference. She bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-moved-her-hand-and-let-it-rest-against-his-he-did-not-withdraw/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“There was still one response, the greatest, that she had missed. She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? And your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-felt-it-too-have-you-seen-how-your-best-friends-love/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [We are all brothers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-all-brothers-under-the-skin-and-i-for-one-would-be-willing-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Explore all 1,777 Ayn Rand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More Conceive quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [If my mind can conceive it ,and my heart can believe it,i known I can achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/if-my-mind-can-conceive-it-and-my-heart-can-believe-it-i-known-i-can/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [There aren't traditions of freedom in a place like Iraq. They're going to have to come to grips with a concept that they hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/there-aren-t-traditions-of-freedom-in-a-place-like-iraq-they-re-going/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [Without sounding overly sentimental about the process, I'd say trying to describe how you tend to conceive of a book is like describing how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/without-sounding-overly-sentimental-about-the-process-i-d-say-trying/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [Like so many couples, my husband and I had a hard time trying to conceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/like-so-many-couples-my-husband-and-i-had-a-hard-time-trying-to/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [Whatever the mind can conceive and believe. It can achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whatever-the-mind-can-conceive-and-believe-it-can-achieve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It did not come naturally; in fact, it would be difficult to conceive of any more dogmatic and less tolerant people than the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harris/it-did-not-come-naturally-in-fact-it-would-be-difficult-to-conceive/) [Paul Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harris/) > [We breathe, we think, we conceive of our lives as narratives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/we-breathe-we-think-we-conceive-of-our-lives-as-narratives/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [“Heartstorming takes you much further than your brainstorm can conceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurdes-peixoto/heartstorming-takes-you-much-further-than-your-brainstorm-can-conceive/) Lurdes Peixoto > [A woman has the greatest opportunity to provide the best outcome for a baby and its potentialities. Not only by having a conscious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/a-woman-has-the-greatest-opportunity-to-provide-the-best-outcome-for/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [Genius may conceive but patient labor must consummate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/genius-may-conceive-but-patient-labor-must-consummate/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [“I cannot conceive not writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-cannot-conceive-not-writing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [There are a lot of difficulties with people trying to conceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/there-are-a-lot-of-difficulties-with-people-trying-to-conceive/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [“You must conceive it in your heart and mind before you can receive it. If you believe then all things are possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/you-must-conceive-it-in-your-heart-and-mind-before-you-can-receive-it/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [“Everyone knows that for a woman to conceive in the act of coition she, as well as the man. must be satisfied. Is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-maxwell/everyone-knows-that-for-a-woman-to-conceive-in-the-act-of-coition-she/) [Robin Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-maxwell/) Browse all 132 Conceive quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "God... a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man's power to conceive.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ayn Rand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-that-he-is-beyond-man-s-power-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conceive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-that-he-is-beyond-man-s-power-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c08/ayn-rand-59_conceive_god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-tha_2697410.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c08/ayn-rand-59_conceive_god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-tha_2697410.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c08/ayn-rand-59_conceive_god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-tha_2697410.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“God... a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man's power to conceive.” — Ayn Rand", "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": "Ayn Rand", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "God... a being whose only definition...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-that-he-is-beyond-man-s-power-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/god-a-being-whose-only-definition-is-that-he-is-beyond-man-s-power-to/#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 } } ] } ```