--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is one step, and a giant one, to see…" description: "\"It is one step, and a giant one, to see clearly and participate in the love that flows between the persons of the Trinity, but even here, God is seen a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/bernadette-roberts-28785_claims_it-is-one-step-and-a-giant-one-to-see-cl_919043.jpg" --- # It is one step, and a giant one, to see clearly and… ![“It is one step, and a giant one, to see clearly and participate in the love that flows between the persons of the Trinity, but even here, God is seen as the object of his own love. It is yet another step to realize that God is beyond all subject and object and is Himself love without subject or…” quote by Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/bernadette-roberts-28785_claims_it-is-one-step-and-a-giant-one-to-see-cl_919043.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/bernadette-roberts-28785_claims_it-is-one-step-and-a-giant-one-to-see-cl_919043.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/bernadette-roberts-28785_claims_it-is-one-step-and-a-giant-one-to-see-cl_919043.jpg) > “It is one step, and a giant one, to see clearly and participate in the love that flows between the persons of the Trinity, but even here, God is seen as the object of his own love. It is yet another step to realize that God is beyond all subject and object and is Himself love without subject or object. This is the step beyond our highest experiences of love and union, a step in which self is not around to divide, separate, objectify or claim anything for itself. Self does not know God; it cannot love him, and from the beginning has never done so.” [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love transcends subject‑object distinctions; the highest love is beyond self, where God is love itself, not an object. **In simple terms:** Love beyond self and object. Key Takeaway Seek unity beyond personal identity. Themes theology mysticism union Mood contemplative transcendent Type mystical philosophical When to use this quote - meditative prayer - spiritual counseling - artistic creation Key Concepts non‑dualism divine love self‑transcendence Questions to Reflect On - How can you experience love without self‑division? - What practices dissolve the subject‑object split? A Different Perspective Human concepts may limit grasping this mystery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Knowing god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-god/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-love/) [Trinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trinity/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) ## Related quotes > [He who can make distinction in God without number or quantity, knows that the three persons of the Trinity are one God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/he-who-can-make-distinction-in-god-without-number-or-quantity-knows/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [“God is triune, and all reality is structured in terms of Him. A brief definition of the Trinity might be this: One God without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chilton/god-is-triune-and-all-reality-is-structured-in-terms-of-him-a-brief/) [David Chilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chilton/) > [“In the doctrine of the Trinity,” wrote Herman Bavinck, “beats the heart of the whole revelation of God for the redemption of humanity.” As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-horton/in-the-doctrine-of-the-trinity-wrote-herman-bavinck-beats-the-heart/) [Michael S. Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-horton/) > [Don't be fearful about the journey ahead; don't worry about where you are going or how you are going to get there. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/don-t-be-fearful-about-the-journey-ahead-don-t-worry-about-where-you/) [Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/) > [As the Holy Trinity, our God is One Being, although Three Persons, so, likewise, we ourselves must be one. As our God is indivisible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/as-the-holy-trinity-our-god-is-one-being-although-three-persons-so/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [If there be one God subsisting in three persons, then let us give equal reverence to all the persons in the Trinity. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/if-there-be-one-god-subsisting-in-three-persons-then-let-us-give/) [Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/) > [If the election of the Father is not universal and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit is not universal, why would the atonement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-linne/if-the-election-of-the-father-is-not-universal-and-the-regeneration/) Shai Linne > [If God is not a Trinity, God is not love. For love requires three things: a lover, a beloved, and a relationship between them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/if-god-is-not-a-trinity-god-is-not-love-for-love-requires-three/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“Christians do not believe that there is one God and three Gods. Nor do we believe that God is one person and three persons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/christians-do-not-believe-that-there-is-one-god-and-three-gods-nor-do/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [Power. What do we mean? 'The ability to determine another man's luck.' ...how is it that some men attain mastery over others while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/power-what-do-we-mean-the-ability-to-determine-another-man-s-luck-how/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Three persons of the Trinity – Father God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – gathered close together to imagine you. And God in three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/three-persons-of-the-trinity-father-god-jesus-christ-and-holy-spirit/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [We find upon all occasions, the early Christian writers speak of the Father as superior to the Son, and in general they give him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-priestley/we-find-upon-all-occasions-the-early-christian-writers-speak-of-the/) [Joseph Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-priestley/) > [When I was twelve years old I thought up an odd trinity: namely, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Devil. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-i-was-twelve-years-old-i-thought-up-an-odd-trinity-namely-god/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [See here, for our comfort, a sweet agreement of all three persons: the Father giveth a commission to Christ; the Spirit furnisheth and sanctifieth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sibbes/see-here-for-our-comfort-a-sweet-agreement-of-all-three-persons-the/) [Richard Sibbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sibbes/) > [Instead of loving the Trinity of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we tend to love a different trinity: Me, myself, and I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hart/instead-of-loving-the-trinity-of-god-father-son-and-holy-spirit-we/) [Mark Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hart/) ## More by Bernadette Roberts > [When one is perfectly still-mind and body, silent and alone-there is no personality to speak of, thus personality is one's unique way of expression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/when-one-is-perfectly-still-mind-and-body-silent-and-alone-there-is/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [The truest communication with God is absolute, total silence; there is not a single word in existence that can convey this communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/the-truest-communication-with-god-is-absolute-total-silence-there-is/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [This search for perfection - which is a search for divinity - is nothing more than the failure to accept our existence the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/this-search-for-perfection-which-is-a-search-for-divinity-is-nothing/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [This journey then, is nothing more, yet nothing less than a period of acclimating to a new way of seeing, a time of transition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/this-journey-then-is-nothing-more-yet-nothing-less-than-a-period-of/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [It is far more than the discovery of life without a self. The immediate, inevitable result is an emergence into a new dimension of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/it-is-far-more-than-the-discovery-of-life-without-a-self-the/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [The assumption that the egoless condition, or union of self and God, is man's final goal and ultimate destiny is a great mistake. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/the-assumption-that-the-egoless-condition-or-union-of-self-and-god-is/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [But coming home that day, walking downhill with a panorama of valley and hills before me, I turned my gaze inward, and what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/but-coming-home-that-day-walking-downhill-with-a-panorama-of-valley/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [The onset of this second movement is characterized by the falling away of self and coming upon "that" which remains when it is gone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/the-onset-of-this-second-movement-is-characterized-by-the-falling/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [Spiritual life is like a moving sidewalk. Whether you go with it or spend your whole life running against it, you're still going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/spiritual-life-is-like-a-moving-sidewalk-whether-you-go-with-it-or/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [...a point is reached where the self is so completely aligned with the still-point that it can no longer be moved, even in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/a-point-is-reached-where-the-self-is-so-completely-aligned-with-the/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [When there is no longer a cyclone, there is no longer an eye. So the storms, crises and sufferings of life are a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/when-there-is-no-longer-a-cyclone-there-is-no-longer-an-eye-so-the/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [In some ways, all our experiences of God are beyond belief, because all conceptual beliefs pale when compared to the experiential reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/in-some-ways-all-our-experiences-of-god-are-beyond-belief-because-all/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [I went on to discover that in its deepest sense, the will is not primarily the faculty of desire for anything known, but rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/i-went-on-to-discover-that-in-its-deepest-sense-the-will-is-not/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [Only God is love, and for this love to be fully realized self must step aside. And not only do we not need a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/only-god-is-love-and-for-this-love-to-be-fully-realized-self-must/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > […at this point the self has obviously outworn its function; it is no longer needed or useful, and life can go on without it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/at-this-point-the-self-has-obviously-outworn-its-function-it-is-no/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) [Explore all 19 Bernadette Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) ## More Claims quotes > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We do not claim that punning is legitimate wit. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [Those who do not know what love is likens it to beauty Those who claim to know what love is likens it to ugliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/those-who-do-not-know-what-love-is-likens-it-to-beauty-those-who/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [If ever my life can be of any use to you, come and claim it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/if-ever-my-life-can-be-of-any-use-to-you-come-and-claim-it/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? 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