--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ancestors who had held themselves higher…" description: "\"“Ancestors who had held themselves higher than God, and had been brought lower than man.”\" — Diana Peterfreund" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/diana-peterfreund-9959_ancestors_ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher_1484680.png" --- # Ancestors who had held themselves higher than God, and had… ![“Ancestors who had held themselves higher than God, and had been brought lower than man.” quote by Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/diana-peterfreund-9959_ancestors_ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher_1484680.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/diana-peterfreund-9959_ancestors_ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher_1484680.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/diana-peterfreund-9959_ancestors_ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher_1484680.png) > ““Ancestors who had held themselves higher than God, and had been brought lower than man.”” [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People may claim superiority over the divine, yet circumstances can reduce them to ordinary humanity. **In simple terms:** Pride precedes a fall. Key Takeaway Stay humble despite ambition. Themes pride humility hubris human condition Mood reflective serious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - political leadership - career advancement - personal relationships Key Concepts philosophy ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does humility look like in your life? - How can you balance confidence with modesty? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on status can blind self‑awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors/) [Ancestors Held](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors-held-5418713/) [Brought Lower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brought-lower-5418714/) [Held Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-higher-1912092/) [Higher God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-god-1490020/) ## Related quotes > [“The moment we pulled up in front of her apartment she had the door open. She turned to me with the long, elegant, mournful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle-2/the-moment-we-pulled-up-in-front-of-her-apartment-she-had-the-door/) [T. C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle-2/) > [I've always held myself to a higher standard, whether I was in law enforcement, whether I was in the military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-parson/i-ve-always-held-myself-to-a-higher-standard-whether-i-was-in-law/) [Mike Parson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-parson/) > [How much happier you would be, how much more of you there would be, if the hammer of a higher God could smash your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-much-happier-you-would-be-how-much-more-of-you-there-would-be-if-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not Christian, but I'm religious. I believe in a higher God and beings and spirits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunplay/i-m-not-christian-but-i-m-religious-i-believe-in-a-higher-god-and/) [Gunplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunplay/) > [It may be that today gold has become the exclusive ruler of life, but the time will come when man will again bow down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/it-may-be-that-today-gold-has-become-the-exclusive-ruler-of-life-but/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“How much happier you would be, how much more of you there would be, if the hammer of a higher God could smash your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/how-much-happier-you-would-be-how-much-more-of-you-there-would-be-if/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [And if God has given you a lot of ability, I believe you should be held to a higher level of expectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-dungy/and-if-god-has-given-you-a-lot-of-ability-i-believe-you-should-be/) [Tony Dungy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-dungy/) > [Elected officials have always been held to a higher standard, as we should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/elected-officials-have-always-been-held-to-a-higher-standard-as-we/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [The stronger that women grow, the more prestige, fame, and money is accorded to the display professions: They are held higher and higher above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-stronger-that-women-grow-the-more-prestige-fame-and-money-is/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“I knew by the way he looked at her that he held her in a higher regard than he held even himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-knew-by-the-way-he-looked-at-her-that-he-held-her-in-a-higher-2/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I just think, obviously as players, we're held to a higher standard. I've had to watch myself on that, but I think if we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/i-just-think-obviously-as-players-we-re-held-to-a-higher-standard-i/) [Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/) > [I think there are more religious overtones in music because these artists want to be connected to greatness. What is greater or higher than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-mineo/i-think-there-are-more-religious-overtones-in-music-because-these/) [Andy Mineo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-mineo/) > [“Wish' is the most powerful thing in the world. Higher than God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wish-is-the-most-powerful-thing-in-the-world-higher-than-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No one is innocent in the tide of history. Everyone has kings and slaves in his past. Everyone has saints and sinners. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/no-one-is-innocent-in-the-tide-of-history-everyone-has-kings-and/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who... looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-wright/the-desire-to-fly-is-an-idea-handed-down-to-us-by-our-ancestors-who/) [Wilbur Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-wright/) ## More by Diana Peterfreund > [We can only be responsible for what we ourselves do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/we-can-only-be-responsible-for-what-we-ourselves-do/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“I don’t do drugs, I’ve never been arrested, and from what I hear, I’m not too shabby in bed. Not that any of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/i-don-t-do-drugs-i-ve-never-been-arrested-and-from-what-i-hear-i-m/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“Gordian pays you to sleep with unicorn hunters. That's the definition of a whore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/gordian-pays-you-to-sleep-with-unicorn-hunters-that-s-the-definition/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [No one is innocent in the tide of history. Everyone has kings and slaves in his past. Everyone has saints and sinners. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/no-one-is-innocent-in-the-tide-of-history-everyone-has-kings-and/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“I have only this cave to call my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/i-have-only-this-cave-to-call-my-own/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“How do you know you're in love?" I asked her. "Because if it's determined by how willing you are to give up everything for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/how-do-you-know-you-re-in-love-i-asked-her-because-if-it-s-determined/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“Three syllables and three thousand memories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/three-syllables-and-three-thousand-memories/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“I want to take their money and let them build their ship and get off my land. That’s all I want.” “Good to know,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/i-want-to-take-their-money-and-let-them-build-their-ship-and-get-off/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breath-taking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/for-darkness-shows-the-stars-is-a-breath-taking-romance-about-opening/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“Envy hurt exponentially more than heartbreak because your soul was torn in two, half soaring with happiness for another person, half mired in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/envy-hurt-exponentially-more-than-heartbreak-because-your-soul-was/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“Hey,” he pulled away and put his hand on my face. “What are you thinking about?” “Your butt,” I admitted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/hey-he-pulled-away-and-put-his-hand-on-my-face-what-are-you-thinking/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“And if the boat sinks?" "And if the sun explodes?" Elliot countered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/and-if-the-boat-sinks-and-if-the-sun-explodes-elliot-countered/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“She knows your mother isn't here to protect you any more. But you know what the solution is: stay out of her way. Stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/she-knows-your-mother-isn-t-here-to-protect-you-any-more-but-you-know/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“Look at us. You look like death, my friend, and I’m sure I do, too. We’ll never stop blaming ourselves. I guess that’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/look-at-us-you-look-like-death-my-friend-and-i-m-sure-i-do-too-we-ll/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [“And put myself in the hands of total strangers?" She snapped the lid shut, "What do you take me for? Of course I checked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/and-put-myself-in-the-hands-of-total-strangers-she-snapped-the-lid/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) [Explore all 69 Diana Peterfreund quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) ## More Ancestors quotes > [The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who... looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-wright/the-desire-to-fly-is-an-idea-handed-down-to-us-by-our-ancestors-who/) [Wilbur Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-wright/) > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [We pay for the mistakes of our ancestors, and it seems only fair that they should leave us the money to pay with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/we-pay-for-the-mistakes-of-our-ancestors-and-it-seems-only-fair-that/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/going-where-no-man-has-gone-before-is-more-difficult-than-it-sounds/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [It has been said that a man of genius should select his ancestors with great care - and yet there does not seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/it-has-been-said-that-a-man-of-genius-should-select-his-ancestors/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Most of us do more than subsist. From the vantage point of our ancestors, we live lives of almost unimaginable ease. Here again, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/most-of-us-do-more-than-subsist-from-the-vantage-point-of-our/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [My ancestors came over from Germany about the time of the Civil War and one of them lost a leg and went back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/my-ancestors-came-over-from-germany-about-the-time-of-the-civil-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-look-deeply-into-the-palm-of-your-hand-you-will-see-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You are the fairy tale told by your ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/you-are-the-fairy-tale-told-by-your-ancestors/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [...I write to keep in contact with our ancestors and to spread truth to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sanchez/i-write-to-keep-in-contact-with-our-ancestors-and-to-spread-truth-to/) [Sonia Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sanchez/) > [“Each of us is the product of history. Our lives today are evidence that our ancestors survived unbelievable odds stretching back to prehistory. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wheldon/each-of-us-is-the-product-of-history-our-lives-today-are-evidence/) [Laura Wheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wheldon/) > [Do we have to give Mr Sarkozy a history lesson? Yes, there are Gauls among our ancestors. But there are also Romans, Normans, Celts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najat-vallaud-belkacem/do-we-have-to-give-mr-sarkozy-a-history-lesson-yes-there-are-gauls/) [Najat Vallaud-Belkacem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najat-vallaud-belkacem/) > [As a woman of color, I always pay homage to my ancestors and elders - in the industry in particular - who have paved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-vine-joy-randolph/as-a-woman-of-color-i-always-pay-homage-to-my-ancestors-and-elders-in/) [Da'Vine Joy Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-vine-joy-randolph/) > [“Each of us, along with our ancestors, inhabits the same cosmos. When we tell stories, we enter the stream of human consciousness; we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/each-of-us-along-with-our-ancestors-inhabits-the-same-cosmos-when-we/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) [Browse all 443 Ancestors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ancestors who had held themselves higher than God, and had been brought lower than man.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diana Peterfreund" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher-than-god-and-had-been/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancestors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher-than-god-and-had-been/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/diana-peterfreund-9959_ancestors_ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher_1484680.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/diana-peterfreund-9959_ancestors_ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher_1484680.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/diana-peterfreund-9959_ancestors_ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher_1484680.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ancestors who had held themselves higher than God, and had been brought lower than man.” — Diana Peterfreund", "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": "Diana Peterfreund", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Ancestors who had held themselves higher...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher-than-god-and-had-been/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/ancestors-who-had-held-themselves-higher-than-god-and-had-been/#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 } } ] } ```