--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the one hand, if God is wiser than we…" description: "\"“On the one hand, if God is wiser than we His judgement must differ from ours on many things, and not least on good and evil. What seems to us good may..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/c-s-lewis-121_good-and-evil_on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we_2697746.jpg" --- # On the one hand, if God is wiser than we His judgement… ![“On the one hand, if God is wiser than we His judgement must differ from ours on many things, and not least on good and evil. What seems to us good may therefore not be good in His eyes, and what seems to us evil may not be evil.” quote by C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/c-s-lewis-121_good-and-evil_on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we_2697746.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/c-s-lewis-121_good-and-evil_on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we_2697746.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/c-s-lewis-121_good-and-evil_on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we_2697746.jpg) > ““On the one hand, if God is wiser than we His judgement must differ from ours on many things, and not least on good and evil. What seems to us good may therefore not be good in His eyes, and what seems to us evil may not be evil.”” [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divine wisdom may judge good and evil differently from human perspectives, so moral judgments are limited. **In simple terms:** God’s view of morality can differ from ours. Key Takeaway Consider humility when judging moral issues. Themes theology ethics humility Mood thoughtful humble Type philosophical theological When to use this quote - interfaith dialogue - ethical debates - personal moral reflection Key Concepts divine omniscience relativism faith Questions to Reflect On - How would your moral view change if you trusted a higher wisdom? - Can we ever know what is truly good? A Different Perspective Human reasoning may never fully grasp divine intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Judgement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgement/) ## Related quotes > [“If God is wiser that we His judgement must differ from ours on many things, and not least on good and evil. What seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-god-is-wiser-that-we-his-judgement-must-differ-from-ours-on-many/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If God is wiser than we, His judgments must differ from ours on many things, and not least on good and evil. What seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-god-is-wiser-than-we-his-judgments-must-differ-from-ours-on-many/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Tolerance once meant that we could use our reason to discern good and evil in open debate. Today tolerance has been used to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-colson/tolerance-once-meant-that-we-could-use-our-reason-to-discern-good-and/) [Charles Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-colson/) > [“It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-granted-me-to-carry-away-from-my-prison-years-on-my-bent-back/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [This is a struggle between good and evil and we're the good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/this-is-a-struggle-between-good-and-evil-and-we-re-the-good/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) > [We should not be simply fighting evil in the name of good, but struggling against the certainties of people who claim always to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzvetan-todorov/we-should-not-be-simply-fighting-evil-in-the-name-of-good-but/) [Tzvetan Todorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tzvetan-todorov/) > [It’s true that someone will always say that good and evil don’t exist: that is a person who has never had any dealings with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/it-s-true-that-someone-will-always-say-that-good-and-evil-don-t-exist/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/good-and-evil-both-increase-at-compound-interest-that-is-why-the/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“The simplest person who worship God is wiser than the supposed wisest people who worshiped a worthless substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anikor-daniel/the-simplest-person-who-worship-god-is-wiser-than-the-supposed-wisest/) [ANIKOR Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anikor-daniel/) > [“The foolish of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of god is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/the-foolish-of-god-is-wiser-than-men-and-the-weakness-of-god-is/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/for-the-foolishness-of-god-is-wiser-than-man-s-wisdom-and-the/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [To do evil for good is human corruption; to do good for good is civil retribution; but to do good for evil is Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-secker/to-do-evil-for-good-is-human-corruption-to-do-good-for-good-is-civil/) [Thomas Secker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-secker/) > [“If that which we have found is the corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for save corruption? If this is the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-that-which-we-have-found-is-the-corruption-of-solitude-then-what/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“Which comes first: Good or Evil? Usually evil. Good counters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-chapman/which-comes-first-good-or-evil-usually-evil-good-counters/) Steve Chapman > [“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness. —ISAIAH 5:20”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-cahn/woe-to-those-who-call-evil-good-and-good-evil-who-put-darkness-for/) [Jonathan Cahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-cahn/) ## More by C.S. Lewis > [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Isn’t it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified of the other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a-fierce-left-and-a-fierce/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world: but it is smaller than one atom of this world, the Real World.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/all-hell-is-smaller-than-one-pebble-of-your-earthly-world-but-it-is/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“the greatest service we can do to education today is to teach fewer subjects. No one has time to do more than a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-greatest-service-we-can-do-to-education-today-is-to-teach-fewer/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-the-divine-call-does-not-make-us-better-it-will-make-us-very-much/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-husband-is-the-head-of-the-wife-just-in-so-far-as-he-is-to-her/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“We use a most unfortunate idiom when we say, of a lustful man prowling the streets, that he "wants a woman". Strictly speaking, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/we-use-a-most-unfortunate-idiom-when-we-say-of-a-lustful-man-prowling/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Después de cada fracaso, pedid perdón, levantaos del suelo y volved a intentarlo. Muy a menudo, lo que Dios nos otorga primero no es…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/despu-s-de-cada-fracaso-pedid-perd-n-levantaos-del-suelo-y-volved-a/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/then-two-wonders-happened-at-the-same-moment-one-was-that-the-voice/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/because-free-will-though-it-makes-evil-possible-is-also-the-only/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Laugh and fear not, creatures. Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be grave. For jokes as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/laugh-and-fear-not-creatures-now-that-you-are-no-longer-dumb-and/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“When two humans have lived together for many years it usually happens that each has tones of voice and expressions of face which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/when-two-humans-have-lived-together-for-many-years-it-usually-happens/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“He sees as well as you do that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/he-sees-as-well-as-you-do-that-courage-is-not-simply-one-of-the/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If you do not take the distinction between good and bad very seriously, then it is easy to say that anything you find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-you-do-not-take-the-distinction-between-good-and-bad-very/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/now-the-whole-offer-which-christianity-makes-is-this-that-we-can-if/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Explore all 1,165 C.S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## More Good and evil quotes > [“Most people believe the apple merely represented Knowledge. But we know better. It was the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-beverly-whittemore/most-people-believe-the-apple-merely-represented-knowledge-but-we/) [Miranda Beverly-Whittemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-beverly-whittemore/) > [“The aristocratic interiority is centered on the higher mind, the mens, the ajna chakra, the seat of intellect and intuition that commands the lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/the-aristocratic-interiority-is-centered-on-the-higher-mind-the-mens/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The most painful moral struggles are not those between good and evil, but between the good and the lesser good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-grizzuti-harrison/the-most-painful-moral-struggles-are-not-those-between-good-and-evil/) [Barbara Grizzuti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-grizzuti-harrison/) > [“If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-men-could-see-us-as-we-really-are-they-would-be-a-little-amazed/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I believe it's true that there's good and evil in everyone and it's a constant struggle to have your better angels prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/i-believe-it-s-true-that-there-s-good-and-evil-in-everyone-and-it-s-a/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [“In a fallen world, it was hard to do unambiguous good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keneally/in-a-fallen-world-it-was-hard-to-do-unambiguous-good/) [Thomas Keneally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keneally/) > [“Just as there are two sides to every story, there are two sides to every person. One that we reveal to the world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thorne/just-as-there-are-two-sides-to-every-story-there-are-two-sides-to/) [Emily Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thorne/) > [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“But for a younger generation of conservative operatives who would soon rise to power... They were true believers who meant what they said, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/but-for-a-younger-generation-of-conservative-operatives-who-would/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Annabelle, if there is one thing I’ve learned over my years watching and protecting humans, it’s that we can talk about black and white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-bartels/annabelle-if-there-is-one-thing-i-ve-learned-over-my-years-watching/) [A.P. Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-bartels/) > [“He was not Evil, for even Evil has a certain vitality — Bel-Shamharoth was the flip side of the coin of which Good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-was-not-evil-for-even-evil-has-a-certain-vitality-bel-shamharoth/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/power-is-the-ultimate-aphrodisiac/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,366 Good and evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On the one hand, if God is wiser than we His judgement must differ from ours on many things, and not least on good and evil. What seems to us good may therefore not be good in His eyes, and what seems to us evil may not be evil.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. Lewis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we-his-judgement-must-differ/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good and evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we-his-judgement-must-differ/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/c-s-lewis-121_good-and-evil_on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we_2697746.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/c-s-lewis-121_good-and-evil_on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we_2697746.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/c-s-lewis-121_good-and-evil_on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we_2697746.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On the one hand, if God is wiser than we His judgement must differ from ours on many things, and not least…” — C.S. Lewis", "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": "C.S. Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“On the one hand, if God...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we-his-judgement-must-differ/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/on-the-one-hand-if-god-is-wiser-than-we-his-judgement-must-differ/#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 } } ] } ```