--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can only learn what obedience is by…" description: "\"You can only learn what obedience is by obeying\" — Dietrich Bonhoeffer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_education_you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by_866039.jpg" --- # You can only learn what obedience is by obeying ![“You can only learn what obedience is by obeying” quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_education_you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by_866039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_education_you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by_866039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_education_you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by_866039.jpg) > “You can only learn what obedience is by obeying” [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obedience can only be understood through the experience of obeying itself. **In simple terms:** Obedience teaches itself. Key Takeaway Practice obedience to grasp its meaning. Themes faith discipline learning Mood reflective serious Type theological ethical When to use this quote - religious practice - military training - teamwork - parenting Key Concepts theology ethics experiential learning Questions to Reflect On - When does obedience become blind? - How can you balance obedience with personal conscience? A Different Perspective Obedience without critical thought can be harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Learn Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-obedience-903310/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) [Obedience Obeying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience-obeying-887456/) [Obeying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obeying/) ## Related quotes > [“Perhaps you still think you ought to think out beforehand and know what you ought to do. To that there is only one answer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/perhaps-you-still-think-you-ought-to-think-out-beforehand-and-know-2/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The faith which you keep must be a faith that demands obedience, and you can keep it only by obeying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/the-faith-which-you-keep-must-be-a-faith-that-demands-obedience-and/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [“Children must learn obedience, and parents must exact obedience from them. Love your children, let them know that you love them; but remember that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-eldon-tanner/children-must-learn-obedience-and-parents-must-exact-obedience-from/) [N. Eldon Tanner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-eldon-tanner/) > [Just as Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered, we learn obedience by the difficult circumstances we face. When we obey the Word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/just-as-jesus-learned-obedience-by-the-things-he-suffered-we-learn/) [John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/) > [“THE OBEDIENCE GAME DUGGAR KIDS GROW UP playing the Obedience Game. It’s sort of like Mother May I? except it has a few extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-duggar/the-obedience-game-duggar-kids-grow-up-playing-the-obedience-game-it/) [Jill Duggar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-duggar/) > [Learn obedience first. Among these Western nations, with such a high spirit of independence, the spirit of obedience is equally strong. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/learn-obedience-first-among-these-western-nations-with-such-a-high/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Humanly speaking, it is possible to understand the Sermon on the Mount in a thousand different ways. But Jesus knows only one possibility: simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/humanly-speaking-it-is-possible-to-understand-the-sermon-on-the-mount/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [When people talk of atoms obeying fixed laws, they are either ascribing some kind of intelligence and free will to atoms or they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/when-people-talk-of-atoms-obeying-fixed-laws-they-are-either/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [The standard of a true leader is that he sets also his own rules rather than merely and blindly obeying the set of standard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-standard-of-a-true-leader-is-that-he-sets-also-his-own-rules/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wicked me obey from fear; good men,from love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/wicked-me-obey-from-fear-good-men-from-love/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“In our post-everything culture, obey has become a four-letter word. Obeying is for wimps. Obeying is for people who didn’t do well enough on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-choate-davis/in-our-post-everything-culture-obey-has-become-a-four-letter-word/) [Heather Choate Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-choate-davis/) > [“The call of Jesus teaches us that our relation to the world has been built on an illusion. All the time we thought was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-call-of-jesus-teaches-us-that-our-relation-to-the-world-has-been/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Struggling against the legalism of simple obedience, we end by setting up the most dangerous law of all, the law of the world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/struggling-against-the-legalism-of-simple-obedience-we-end-by-setting/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [And if we ask how are we to know where our hearts are, the answer is just as simple - everything which hinders us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/and-if-we-ask-how-are-we-to-know-where-our-hearts-are-the-answer-is/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## More by Dietrich Bonhoeffer > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/gratitude-transforms-the-torment-of-memory-of-good-things-now-gone/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/only-he-who-believes-is-obedient-and-only-he-who-is-obedient-believes/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/who-can-really-be-faithful-in-great-things-if-he-has-not-learned-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The church can only defend its own space by fighting, not for space, but for the salvation of the world. Otherwise the church becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-church-can-only-defend-its-own-space-by-fighting-not-for-space/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There remains an experience of incomparable value . . . to see the great events of world history from below; from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-remains-an-experience-of-incomparable-value-to-see-the-great/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/to-endure-the-cross-is-not-a-tragedy-it-is-the-suffering-which-is-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“There is only one church, the church of faith ruled by the word of Jesus Christ alone. This is the true catholic church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-only-one-church-the-church-of-faith-ruled-by-the-word-of/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“As Christians, we needn’t be at all ashamed of some impatience, longing, opposition to what is unnatural, and our full share of desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/as-christians-we-needn-t-be-at-all-ashamed-of-some-impatience-longing/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/those-who-love-their-dream-of-a-christian-community-more-than-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“From now on there can be no more wars of faith. The only way to overcome our enemy is by loving him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/from-now-on-there-can-be-no-more-wars-of-faith-the-only-way-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The scriptures do not present us with a series of Christian types to be imitated according to choice; they preach to us in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-scriptures-do-not-present-us-with-a-series-of-christian-types-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/we-are-not-to-simply-bandage-the-wounds-of-victims-beneath-the-wheels/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) [Explore all 711 Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) [Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) [H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can only learn what obedience is by obeying", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by-obeying/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by-obeying/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_education_you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by_866039.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_education_you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by_866039.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_education_you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by_866039.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can only learn what obedience is by obeying” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "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": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can only learn what obedience...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by-obeying/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/you-can-only-learn-what-obedience-is-by-obeying/#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 } } ] } ```