--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ah! when in the immortal ranks enlisted…" description: "\"Ah! when in the immortal ranks enlisted, I sometimes wonder if we shall not find That not by deeds, but by what we've resisted, Our places are assigned..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/benjamin-whichcote-7885_deeds_ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i_2410698.png" --- # Ah! when in the immortal ranks enlisted, I sometimes… ![“Ah! when in the immortal ranks enlisted, I sometimes wonder if we shall not find That not by deeds, but by what we've resisted, Our places are assigned.” quote by Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/benjamin-whichcote-7885_deeds_ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i_2410698.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/benjamin-whichcote-7885_deeds_ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i_2410698.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/benjamin-whichcote-7885_deeds_ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i_2410698.png) > “Ah! when in the immortal ranks enlisted, I sometimes wonder if we shall not find That not by deeds, but by what we've resisted, Our places are assigned.” [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our destinies are shaped by resistance and the roles assigned to us, not merely by deeds. **In simple terms:** Resistance defines purpose. Key Takeaway Reflect on what you resist. Themes fate resistance purpose Mood contemplative thoughtful Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - career choices - social activism - personal growth - spiritual reflection Key Concepts theology existentialism social roles Questions to Reflect On - What do you resist and why? - How does resistance guide your path? A Different Perspective Resistance may be misinterpreted as failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Temptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptation/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [I've resisted the tag 'citizen journalist' - that's not what I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pool/i-ve-resisted-the-tag-citizen-journalist-that-s-not-what-i-am/) [Tim Pool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pool/) > [I've always resisted the idea of becoming a David Hasselhoff, and I hope I'm still resisting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-head/i-ve-always-resisted-the-idea-of-becoming-a-david-hasselhoff-and-i/) [Anthony Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-head/) > [I enlisted when I was a boy. The Navy looked after me like my mother. It fed me, took care of me and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-curtis/i-enlisted-when-i-was-a-boy-the-navy-looked-after-me-like-my-mother/) [Tony Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-curtis/) > [Few men could explain why they enlisted, and if they attempted they might only prove that they had done as a politician said the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/few-men-could-explain-why-they-enlisted-and-if-they-attempted-they/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [Author says that, while Eisenhower had other intellectual mentors, he learned how to lead men from Gen. Walter Krueger. 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Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [As an active member of the Air Force, Army and Mine Warfare Caucuses, I meet with enlisted personnel and officers on a regular basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-boyd/as-an-active-member-of-the-air-force-army-and-mine-warfare-caucuses-i/) [Allen Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-boyd/) ## More by Benjamin Whichcote > [Whoever despiseth shame, despiseth sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/whoever-despiseth-shame-despiseth-sin/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [Truth is not only a man's ornament but his instrument; it is the great man's glory, and the poor man's stock: a man's truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/truth-is-not-only-a-man-s-ornament-but-his-instrument-it-is-the-great/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [He that repents is angry with himself; I need not be angry with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/he-that-repents-is-angry-with-himself-i-need-not-be-angry-with-him/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [None can do a man so much harm as he doeth himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/none-can-do-a-man-so-much-harm-as-he-doeth-himself/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [Let not a man's self be to him all in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/let-not-a-man-s-self-be-to-him-all-in-all/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [Take away the self-conceited, and there will be elbowroom in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/take-away-the-self-conceited-and-there-will-be-elbowroom-in-the-world/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [Let us all so live as we shall wish we had lived when we come to die; for that only is well, that ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/let-us-all-so-live-as-we-shall-wish-we-had-lived-when-we-come-to-die/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [Christ is God clothed with human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/christ-is-god-clothed-with-human-nature/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [The sense of repentance is better assurance of pardon than the testimony of an angel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/the-sense-of-repentance-is-better-assurance-of-pardon-than-the/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [We are made for one another, and each is to be a supply to his neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/we-are-made-for-one-another-and-each-is-to-be-a-supply-to-his-neighbor/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [A benefactor is a representative of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/a-benefactor-is-a-representative-of-god/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [He that would have the perfection of pleasure must be moderate in the use of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/he-that-would-have-the-perfection-of-pleasure-must-be-moderate-in-the/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [He that useth his reason doth acknowledge God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/he-that-useth-his-reason-doth-acknowledge-god/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [None of us was born knowing or wise; but men become wise by consideration, observation, experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/none-of-us-was-born-knowing-or-wise-but-men-become-wise-by/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [None are so empty as those who are full of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/none-are-so-empty-as-those-who-are-full-of-themselves/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) [Explore all 86 Benjamin Whichcote quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) ## More Deeds quotes > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Time often serves to justify a deed which seems at first unjustifiable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-p-ryan/time-often-serves-to-justify-a-deed-which-seems-at-first-unjustifiable/) Donald P. Ryan > [When deeds speak, words are nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/when-deeds-speak-words-are-nothing/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/somehow-what-s-in-our-hearts-good-or-bad-is-eventually-translated/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Tis e'er the wont of simple folk to prize the deed and o'erlook the motive, and of learned folk to discount the deed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/tis-e-er-the-wont-of-simple-folk-to-prize-the-deed-and-o-erlook-the/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-oft-the-sight-of-means-to-do-ill-deeds-makes-ill-deeds-done/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A nation of character is filled with citizens who gradually build lives based on the living awareness that their deeds are judged by eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/a-nation-of-character-is-filled-with-citizens-who-gradually-build/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/) [Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/) > [The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/the-final-estimate-of-men-shows-that-history-cares-not-an-iota-for/) [J. 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Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) [Browse all 2,029 Deeds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ah! when in the immortal ranks enlisted, I sometimes wonder if we shall not find That not by deeds, but by what we've resisted, Our places are assigned.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Benjamin Whichcote" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i-sometimes-wonder-if-we-shall/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deeds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i-sometimes-wonder-if-we-shall/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/benjamin-whichcote-7885_deeds_ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i_2410698.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/benjamin-whichcote-7885_deeds_ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i_2410698.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/benjamin-whichcote-7885_deeds_ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i_2410698.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ah! when in the immortal ranks enlisted, I sometimes wonder if we shall not find That not by deeds, but by…” — Benjamin Whichcote", "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": "Benjamin Whichcote", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ah! when in the immortal ranks...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i-sometimes-wonder-if-we-shall/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/ah-when-in-the-immortal-ranks-enlisted-i-sometimes-wonder-if-we-shall/#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 } } ] } ```