--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I live by the simplest, perhaps facile…" description: "\"I live by the simplest, perhaps facile command that Jesus ever gave, which is to love God with the whole self and the neighbor as the self, and I find ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/barbara-brown-taylor-3225_command_i-live-by-the-simplest-perhaps-facile-co_1311953.jpg" --- # I live by the simplest, perhaps facile command that Jesus… ![“I live by the simplest, perhaps facile command that Jesus ever gave, which is to love God with the whole self and the neighbor as the self, and I find that's entirely consuming. To do those two things leaves me very little time to do much else.” quote by Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/barbara-brown-taylor-3225_command_i-live-by-the-simplest-perhaps-facile-co_1311953.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/barbara-brown-taylor-3225_command_i-live-by-the-simplest-perhaps-facile-co_1311953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/barbara-brown-taylor-3225_command_i-live-by-the-simplest-perhaps-facile-co_1311953.jpg) > “I live by the simplest, perhaps facile command that Jesus ever gave, which is to love God with the whole self and the neighbor as the self, and I find that's entirely consuming. To do those two things leaves me very little time to do much else.” [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Loving God fully and loving others as oneself consumes one’s life, leaving little room for other pursuits. **In simple terms:** Total love for God and neighbor dominates life. Key Takeaway Prioritize love above all else. Themes faith love selflessness Mood reflective devotional Type spiritual ethical When to use this quote - daily worship - community service - personal relationships - time management Key Concepts Christian ethics spiritual devotion Questions to Reflect On - How does loving others limit your personal ambitions? - Can love be balanced with self‑interest? A Different Perspective Such total devotion may neglect self‑care and personal goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Little time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-time/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [The hardest spiritual work in the world is to love the neighbor as the self - to encounter another human being not as someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/the-hardest-spiritual-work-in-the-world-is-to-love-the-neighbor-as/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [The real challenge the rich young man faced was not just giving up his possessions, but giving up himself. The last command Jesus says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/the-real-challenge-the-rich-young-man-faced-was-not-just-giving-up/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [Only the man who follows the command of Jesus single-mindedly, and unresistingly lets his yoke rest upon him, finds his burden easy, and under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/only-the-man-who-follows-the-command-of-jesus-single-mindedly-and/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The same God who loves us as we are also loves us to much to leave us as we are. Perhpas because we tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-langford/the-same-god-who-loves-us-as-we-are-also-loves-us-to-much-to-leave-us/) Joseph Langford > [The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-instrument-through-which-you-see-god-is-your-whole-self-and-if-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The True Self is not our creation, but God's. It is the self we are in our depths. It is our capacity for divinity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-true-self-is-not-our-creation-but-god-s-it-is-the-self-we-are-in/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Nirvana is something within you. It is not an external reality. No god thunders down from the mountaintop. Just as the great mystics in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/nirvana-is-something-within-you-it-is-not-an-external-reality-no-god/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [James says, "You desire and do not have; so you kill" (Jas. 4:2). 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A god who’s become a self-atheist!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-ve-lost-faith-in-yourself-isn-t-that-rich-a-god-who-s-become-a/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Repentance is siding with God against self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-nibert/repentance-is-siding-with-god-against-self/) Todd Nibert > [Gluttony should be destroyed by self-control; unchastity by desire for God and longing for the blessings held in store; avarice by compassion for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-damascus/gluttony-should-be-destroyed-by-self-control-unchastity-by-desire-for/) [John of Damascus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-damascus/) > [God...my self in the Bronx always says that God has a funny sense of humor. ..He has a way of treating things, he deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachi-martin/god-my-self-in-the-bronx-always-says-that-god-has-a-funny-sense-of/) [Malachi Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachi-martin/) > [Like the ocean is your god-self; It remains for ever undefiled. And like the ether it lifts but the winged. Even like the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/like-the-ocean-is-your-god-self-it-remains-for-ever-undefiled-and/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) ## More by Barbara Brown Taylor > [The poets began drifting away from churches as the jurists grew louder and more insistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/the-poets-began-drifting-away-from-churches-as-the-jurists-grew/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [I decided I got to say whether I was Christian or not, and so I've relaxed enormously since then. 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In terms of parish ministry, I miss the intimacy with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/i-don-t-miss-the-ministry-because-i-m-completely-engaged-in-it-in/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [ With all the conceptual truths in the universe at His disposal \[Jesus\] did not give them something to think about together when He was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/with-all-the-conceptual-truths-in-the-universe-at-his-disposal-jesus/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [There comes a time when it is vitally important for your spiritual health to drop your clothes, look in the mirror, and say, ‘Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/there-comes-a-time-when-it-is-vitally-important-for-your-spiritual/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [The problem is, many of the people in need of saving are in churches, and at least part of what they need saving from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/the-problem-is-many-of-the-people-in-need-of-saving-are-in-churches/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [“I cannot say for sure when my reliable ideas about God began to slip away, but the big chest I used to keep them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/i-cannot-say-for-sure-when-my-reliable-ideas-about-god-began-to-slip/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [I love being alone. I learned that from my father, I think, who loved his own company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/i-love-being-alone-i-learned-that-from-my-father-i-think-who-loved/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [There was no time anymore to be quiet or still or pray. So, in many ways, that's what led to my downward spin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/there-was-no-time-anymore-to-be-quiet-or-still-or-pray-so-in-many/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [The beauty in the losing is a loss finally of self-consciousness. There's a gorgeous moment that can happen in all kinds of places. 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