--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I suddenly knew that religion, God…" description: "\"“I suddenly knew that religion, God - something beyond everyday life - was there to be found, provided one is really willing. And I saw that though wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/044/dodie-smith-1724_art_i-suddenly-knew-that-religion-god-someth_2152896.jpg" --- # I suddenly knew that religion, God - something beyond… ![“I suddenly knew that religion, God - something beyond everyday life - was there to be found, provided one is really willing. And I saw that though what I felt in the church was only imagination, it was a step on the way; because imagination itself can be a kind of willingness - a pretense that…” quote by Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/044/dodie-smith-1724_art_i-suddenly-knew-that-religion-god-someth_2152896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/044/dodie-smith-1724_art_i-suddenly-knew-that-religion-god-someth_2152896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/044/dodie-smith-1724_art_i-suddenly-knew-that-religion-god-someth_2152896.jpg) > ““I suddenly knew that religion, God - something beyond everyday life - was there to be found, provided one is really willing. And I saw that though what I felt in the church was only imagination, it was a step on the way; because imagination itself can be a kind of willingness - a pretense that things are real, due to one's longing for them. It struck me that this was somehow tied up with what the Vicar said about religion being an extension of art - and then I had a glimpse of how religion can really cure you of sorrow; somehow make use of it, turn it to beauty, just as art can make sad things beautiful. I found myself saying: 'Sacrifice is the secret - you have to sacrifice things for art and it's the same with religion; and then the sacrifice turns out to be a gain.' Then I got confused and I couldn't hold on to what I meant - until Miss Blossom remarked: 'Nonsense, duckie - it's prefectly simple. You lose yourself in something beyond yourself and it's a lovely rest.' I saw that, all right. Then I thought: 'But that's how Miss Marcy cured her sorrow, too - only she lost herself in other people instead of in religion.' Which way of life was best - hers or the Vicar's? I decided that he loves God and merely likes the villagers, whereas she loves the villagers and merely likes God - and then I suddenly wondered if I could combine both ways, love God and my neighbor equally. Was I really willing to?”” [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage explores how imagination, sacrifice, and devotion can transform sorrow into beauty, comparing religious and artistic experiences and questioning how to balance love for the divine and for others. **In simple terms:** Imagination and sacrifice can turn pain into beauty, and we must balance love for God and people. Key Takeaway Seek balance between spiritual devotion and human compassion. Themes spirituality art sorrow imagination balance Mood reflective hopeful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - grief counseling - creative practice - community service Key Concepts transcendence sacrifice longing Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor both spiritual and human love without losing yourself? - What sacrifices feel genuine versus performative? A Different Perspective The insight may overlook practical limits of self‑loss and the need for personal boundaries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Everyday life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday-life/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [The McCarthy period came along...and many of the other scientists who had been working on these same lines gave up. Probably saying "Why should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/the-mccarthy-period-came-along-and-many-of-the-other-scientists-who/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [“2:1). He made a covenant with the Lord, saying, “I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-maldonado/2-1-he-made-a-covenant-with-the-lord-saying-i-will-sacrifice-to-you/) Guillermo Maldonado > [Any religion which will sacrifice a certain set of human beings for the enjoyment or aggrandizement or advantage of another is no religion. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-ward-howe/any-religion-which-will-sacrifice-a-certain-set-of-human-beings-for/) [Julia Ward Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-ward-howe/) > [“While I paid, they exchanged some pieties on how everyone has his or her own beliefs, et cetera. Then the woman said, “It’s just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/while-i-paid-they-exchanged-some-pieties-on-how-everyone-has-his-or/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [A woman once said to me, 'Any religion that is to be any good to one must be one they make for themselves,' -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-greenaway/a-woman-once-said-to-me-any-religion-that-is-to-be-any-good-to-one/) [Kate Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-greenaway/) > [“The Fremen have a simple, practical religion,” he said. “Nothing about religion is simple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-fremen-have-a-simple-practical-religion-he-said-nothing-about/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Sacrifice is the very essence of religion; ... Without sacrifice there is no true worship of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/sacrifice-is-the-very-essence-of-religion-without-sacrifice-there-is/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [Christianity is, above all other religions ever known, a religion of sacrifice. It is a religion founded on the greatest of all sacrifices, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penrhyn-stanley/christianity-is-above-all-other-religions-ever-known-a-religion-of/) [Arthur Penrhyn Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penrhyn-stanley/) > [It's so hard to believe in anything anymore, you know what I mean? It's like, religion, you really can't take it seriously, 'cause it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-s-so-hard-to-believe-in-anything-anymore-you-know-what-i-mean-it-s/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I resist all established beliefs. My religion basically is to be immediate, to live in the now. 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I feel like anytime you see anything beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-rue/honestly-i-m-not-a-big-person-in-terms-of-religion-but-i-really/) [Sara Rue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-rue/) ## More by Dodie Smith > [“I glanced through another page in case I had missed something, and came to the description of Simon's face as he lay on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/i-glanced-through-another-page-in-case-i-had-missed-something-and/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/they-call-them-the-haunted-shores-these-stretches-of-devonshire-and/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“Now, paper and pencils," said Miss Marcy, clapping her hands. 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It makes it easier to think rather private thoughts...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/it-s-odd-how-different-a-house-feels-when-one-is-alone-in-it-it-makes/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [The tea was a comfort - and by that time I more than needed comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/the-tea-was-a-comfort-and-by-that-time-i-more-than-needed-comfort/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [Like many other much-loved humans, they believed that they owned their dogs, instead of realizing that their dogs owned them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/like-many-other-much-loved-humans-they-believed-that-they-owned-their/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“And I suspect that, to the eyes of love, love shows. I knew about you as well as about myself, almost from the beginning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/and-i-suspect-that-to-the-eyes-of-love-love-shows-i-knew-about-you-as/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“The thought was horrible, yet fascinating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/the-thought-was-horrible-yet-fascinating/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“What I'd really hate would be the settled feeling, with nothing but happiness to look forward to. Of course no life is perfectly happy-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/what-i-d-really-hate-would-be-the-settled-feeling-with-nothing-but/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [Truthfulness so often goes with ruthlessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/truthfulness-so-often-goes-with-ruthlessness/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [Am I really admitting that my sister is determined to marry a man she has only seen once and doesn't much like the look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/am-i-really-admitting-that-my-sister-is-determined-to-marry-a-man-she/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“There are some people who always find beauty makes them feel sadder, which is a very mysterious thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/there-are-some-people-who-always-find-beauty-makes-them-feel-sadder/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“You're the kind of child who might develop a passion for Bach." 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. 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And I saw that though what I felt in the church was only imagination, it was a step on the way; because imagination itself can be a kind of willingness - a pretense that things are real, due to one's longing for them. It struck me that this was somehow tied up with what the Vicar said about religion being an extension of art - and then I had a glimpse of how religion can really cure you of sorrow; somehow make use of it, turn it to beauty, just as art can make sad things beautiful. I found myself saying: 'Sacrifice is the secret - you have to sacrifice things for art and it's the same with religion; and then the sacrifice turns out to be a gain.' Then I got confused and I couldn't hold on to what I meant - until Miss Blossom remarked: 'Nonsense, duckie - it's prefectly simple. You lose yourself in something beyond yourself and it's a lovely rest.' I saw that, all right. Then I thought: 'But that's how Miss Marcy cured her sorrow, too - only she lost herself in other people instead of in religion.' Which way of life was best - hers or the Vicar's? I decided that he loves God and merely likes the villagers, whereas she loves the villagers and merely likes God - and then I suddenly wondered if I could combine both ways, love God and my neighbor equally. 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