--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Where men can't live gods fare no better." description: "\"Where men can't live gods fare no better.\" — Cormac McCarthy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/cormac-mccarthy-181_men_where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better_1220239.jpg" --- # Where men can't live gods fare no better. ![“Where men can't live gods fare no better.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/cormac-mccarthy-181_men_where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better_1220239.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/cormac-mccarthy-181_men_where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better_1220239.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/cormac-mccarthy-181_men_where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better_1220239.jpg) > “Where men can't live gods fare no better.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even divine beings cannot thrive where humanity fails; moral decay affects all. **In simple terms:** Gods suffer where people cannot. Key Takeaway Cultivate moral societies. Themes morality humanity divine ethics existence decline Mood grim thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - post‑apocalyptic world - community breakdown - leadership - spiritual crisis Key Concepts novel fiction Questions to Reflect On - Can moral decay be reversed? - What role do individuals play? A Different Perspective Divine intervention may not solve human problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fare Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fare-better-2510684/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) [Gods Fare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-fare-2510683/) [Live Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-gods-998357/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-live/) ## Related quotes > [“Where man can't live gods fare no better. You'll see. It's better to be alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/where-man-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better-you-ll-see-it-s-better-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Live with the gods. And he does so who constantly shows them that his soul is satisfied with what is assigned to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/live-with-the-gods-and-he-does-so-who-constantly-shows-them-that-his/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [“Those men who live with the greatest intensity are often the ones who seem to take least interest in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/those-men-who-live-with-the-greatest-intensity-are-often-the-ones-who/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Men. You can't live with them, you can't shoot them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/men-you-can-t-live-with-them-you-can-t-shoot-them/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [Men cannot live forever But they must die forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-tate/men-cannot-live-forever-but-they-must-die-forever/) [Allen Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-tate/) > [“the greatest men that ever live pass away unknown. they put forth no claims for themselves, establish no schools of systems in their name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-greatest-men-that-ever-live-pass-away-unknown-they-put-forth-no/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Just as a fish cannot live without water, men cannot live without a divine life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paritoshik-sharma/just-as-a-fish-cannot-live-without-water-men-cannot-live-without-a/) [Paritoshik Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paritoshik-sharma/) > [Wealthy men can't live in an island that is encircled by poverty. We all breathe the same air. We must give a chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayrton-senna/wealthy-men-can-t-live-in-an-island-that-is-encircled-by-poverty-we/) [Ayrton Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayrton-senna/) > [When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/when-neither-their-property-nor-their-honor-is-touched-the-majority/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Men live best upon a little; Nature has given to all the privilege of being happy, if they but knew how to use their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudius-claudianus/men-live-best-upon-a-little-nature-has-given-to-all-the-privilege-of/) [Claudius Claudianus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudius-claudianus/) > [If we are to survive the Atomic Age, we must have something to live by, to live on, and to live for. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-p-kretzmann/if-we-are-to-survive-the-atomic-age-we-must-have-something-to-live-by/) [O. P. Kretzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-p-kretzmann/) > [During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that conditions called war; and such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/during-the-time-men-live-without-a-common-power-to-keep-them-all-in/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [Free men must live simple lives and have simple pleasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/free-men-must-live-simple-lives-and-have-simple-pleasures/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [“men live peacefully as long as their old way of life is maintained and there is no change in customs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-live-peacefully-as-long-as-their-old-way-of-life-is-maintained/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Gods quotes > [“Is that what they teach you at the convent? That the gods demand the hearts from our bodies?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/is-that-what-they-teach-you-at-the-convent-that-the-gods-demand-the/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [What Gods do you believe in? I'll build you a temple of mirrors so you can see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/what-gods-do-you-believe-in-i-ll-build-you-a-temple-of-mirrors-so-you/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/against-stupidity-the-gods-themselves-contend-in-vain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Do you see those dull stars?" She outlined the formation with her finger. "A pentagram," whispered Scott. "Yes, but not just any pentagram. Take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mattie/do-you-see-those-dull-stars-she-outlined-the-formation-with-her/) [Katie Mattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mattie/) > [How do you explain a person like Asha Bhosle? A star or a super star or just someone from the Gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-malik/how-do-you-explain-a-person-like-asha-bhosle-a-star-or-a-super-star/) [Anu Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-malik/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a man as great as the gods… But even the great can tremble with fear. Even the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-man-as-great-as-the-gods-but-even-the/) [Mary E. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-pearson/) > [“Aeneas' mother is a star?" "No; a goddess." I said cautiously, "Venus is the power that we invoke in spring, in the garden, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/aeneas-mother-is-a-star-no-a-goddess-i-said-cautiously-venus-is-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Holy gods. He'd frozen the whole damn lake. He was THAT powerful?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/holy-gods-he-d-frozen-the-whole-damn-lake-he-was-that-powerful/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“The Gods know what it is to be eternal, and they love to toy with mortals who use absolutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/the-gods-know-what-it-is-to-be-eternal-and-they-love-to-toy-with/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“It was suffering and incapacity that created all afterworlds - this, and that brief madness of bliss which is experienced only by those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-was-suffering-and-incapacity-that-created-all-afterworlds-this-and/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The natural gods of men are other men, mythic or real, who embody manhood in men's eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-donovan/the-natural-gods-of-men-are-other-men-mythic-or-real-who-embody/) [Jack Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-donovan/) > [“Every nation is part of the history we inherit, blacks and whites, slaves and gods; we have no other option, embracing each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/every-nation-is-part-of-the-history-we-inherit-blacks-and-whites/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [It is convenient that there be gods, and, as it is convenient, let us believe there are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/it-is-convenient-that-there-be-gods-and-as-it-is-convenient-let-us/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Astrology reveals the will of the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/astrology-reveals-the-will-of-the-gods/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) [Browse all 1,461 Gods quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Where men can't live gods fare no better.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cormac McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gods" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/cormac-mccarthy-181_men_where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better_1220239.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/cormac-mccarthy-181_men_where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better_1220239.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/cormac-mccarthy-181_men_where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better_1220239.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Where men can't live gods fare no better.” — Cormac McCarthy", "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": "Cormac McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Where men can't live gods fare...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/where-men-can-t-live-gods-fare-no-better/#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 } } ] } ```