--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: couldn't say it, but I believed then-and…" description: "\"“couldn't say it, but I believed then-and still do-that I survived only because a number of people wanted me to. They were relentless, passionate, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/don-piper-28039_prayed_couldn-t-say-it-but-i-believed-then-and_2429290.jpg" --- # couldn't say it, but I believed then-and still do-that I… ![“couldn't say it, but I believed then-and still do-that I survived only because a number of people wanted me to. They were relentless, passionate, and desperate, and they believed God would hear them. People prayed for me who had never seriously prayed before; some who hadn't uttered a word of…” quote by Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/don-piper-28039_prayed_couldn-t-say-it-but-i-believed-then-and_2429290.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/don-piper-28039_prayed_couldn-t-say-it-but-i-believed-then-and_2429290.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/don-piper-28039_prayed_couldn-t-say-it-but-i-believed-then-and_2429290.jpg) > ““couldn't say it, but I believed then-and still do-that I survived only because a number of people wanted me to. They were relentless, passionate, and desperate, and they believed God would hear them. People prayed for me who had never seriously prayed before; some who hadn't uttered a word of petition in years cried out to God to spare me. My experience brought people to their knees, and many of them had changed in the process of praying for me to live.”” [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Survival credited to collective belief and prayer, showing how others' faith can empower and transform both the prayed for and the pray-ers. **In simple terms:** People's belief helped him survive and changed them. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of communal support. Themes faith miracles community transformation Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational testimonial When to use this quote - hospital recovery - personal crisis - spiritual awakening - group support Key Concepts spirituality collective belief psychology of prayer Questions to Reflect On - How does communal faith affect personal resilience? - Can belief replace practical action? A Different Perspective Reliance on external belief may limit personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-god/) [Believed Survived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-survived-260273/) [Prayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayed/) [Prayed Seriously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayed-seriously-260272/) [Seriously Prayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously-prayed-260274/) ## Related quotes > [“That's perhaps the biggest miracle: People prayed and God honored their prayers. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/that-s-perhaps-the-biggest-miracle-people-prayed-and-god-honored/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“It made no sense that Abraham could head for the mountain in Moriah still believing in God's goodness. It made no sense that even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-made-no-sense-that-abraham-could-head-for-the-mountain-in-moriah/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I always believed in God, but felt that God wanted to punish me more than He wanted to bless me. I did not necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-l-thompson/i-always-believed-in-god-but-felt-that-god-wanted-to-punish-me-more/) [V.L. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-l-thompson/) > [“Hi, this Vipin Raj, By my own experience, some words to all of you. and for who worship and believed in God. 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But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-soehnlein/i-remember-being-in-the-same-position-as-ruby-when-i-no-longer/) [K. M. Soehnlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-soehnlein/) > [“If I believed in a god, it would be the god of women's asses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-savage/if-i-believed-in-a-god-it-would-be-the-god-of-women-s-asses/) [Shay Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-savage/) > [“God did not create us, nor did He wish us to be created. We are the work of a lesser deity, a demiurge, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/god-did-not-create-us-nor-did-he-wish-us-to-be-created-we-are-the/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I believed in God when cancer come to me. Now when I speak, I speak with authority because I've been there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/i-believed-in-god-when-cancer-come-to-me-now-when-i-speak-i-speak/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) > [“even if the people could no longer hear God, he believed that God could still hear them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/even-if-the-people-could-no-longer-hear-god-he-believed-that-god/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [When I was younger I thought the only thing people believed in was god. Now I see hippies bowing for Hippies. O.o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-bird/when-i-was-younger-i-thought-the-only-thing-people-believed-in-was/) [Corey Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-bird/) > [I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-brown/i-used-to-think-like-moses-that-knocked-me-down-for-a-couple-years/) [James Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-brown/) > [Koresh believed that God had a plan that would go contrary to any human planning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thibodeau/koresh-believed-that-god-had-a-plan-that-would-go-contrary-to-any/) [David Thibodeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thibodeau/) > [“What if I believed that God Himself was the One who decreed I would be a quiet person? What if I believed that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-rajnus/what-if-i-believed-that-god-himself-was-the-one-who-decreed-i-would/) [Julie Rajnus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-rajnus/) ## More by Don Piper > [“I've learned that if I stay busy, especially by helping others, I don't think about my pain. In an odd way, my pain is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/i-ve-learned-that-if-i-stay-busy-especially-by-helping-others-i-don-t/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“One of my favorite stories is about a little girl who left her house and her mother didn’t know where she had gone. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/one-of-my-favorite-stories-is-about-a-little-girl-who-left-her-house/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“When you start to "fall down the stairs" there is that moment when you realize that you have no control over what is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/when-you-start-to-fall-down-the-stairs-there-is-that-moment-when-you/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“Just then I realized how badly I had missed the whole idea. I had failed them and myself. In trying to be strong for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/just-then-i-realized-how-badly-i-had-missed-the-whole-idea-i-had/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“Just as it was necessary to reinflate my lungs to overcome pneumonia, I needed the breath of God to help me overcome the depression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/just-as-it-was-necessary-to-reinflate-my-lungs-to-overcome-pneumonia/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“One question keeps troubling me: Why?. . . The short answer: I don't know. and yet that single word, why, remains the consummate human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/one-question-keeps-troubling-me-why-the-short-answer-i-don-t-know-and/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“Satan is a liar. He wants to steal our joy and replace it with hopelessness. When we're up against a struggle and we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/satan-is-a-liar-he-wants-to-steal-our-joy-and-replace-it-with/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“God had chosen to keep me alive. Even in my worst moments of depression and self-pity, I never forgot that. Christy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/god-had-chosen-to-keep-me-alive-even-in-my-worst-moments-of/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [No one is in a more strategic position than you are to influence the people you are with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/no-one-is-in-a-more-strategic-position-than-you-are-to-influence-the/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [Although no one said so, intuitively I knew they were my celestial welcoming committee. It was as if they had all gathered just outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/although-no-one-said-so-intuitively-i-knew-they-were-my-celestial/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“Yet many times I felt terribly alone and was convinced that no one else understood. And I still think that's true. When our pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/yet-many-times-i-felt-terribly-alone-and-was-convinced-that-no-one/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“sacrificial, you have always been faithful. And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/sacrificial-you-have-always-been-faithful-and/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“I woke up to singing and found myself singing too”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/i-woke-up-to-singing-and-found-myself-singing-too/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“That's perhaps the biggest miracle: People prayed and God honored their prayers. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/that-s-perhaps-the-biggest-miracle-people-prayed-and-god-honored/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) > [“In trying to be strong for them, I had cheated them out of opportunities to strengthen me. Guilt overwhelmed me, because I could-at last-see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/in-trying-to-be-strong-for-them-i-had-cheated-them-out-of/) [Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) [Explore all 20 Don Piper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/) ## More Prayed quotes > [“However, as he began his prayer, she couldn’t think about anything but the warm pressure of his hands against hers. His fingers were strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jody-hedlund/however-as-he-began-his-prayer-she-couldn-t-think-about-anything-but/) [Jody Hedlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jody-hedlund/) > [“She prayed for that all through the night, uncertain to Whom or what, but with a feeling that almost resembled faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/she-prayed-for-that-all-through-the-night-uncertain-to-whom-or-what/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [In the beginning, people prayed to the Creatress of Life, the Mistress of Heaven. At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin-stone/in-the-beginning-people-prayed-to-the-creatress-of-life-the-mistress/) [Merlin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merlin-stone/) > [“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-morgan/and-when-they-had-prayed-the-place-where-they-were-assembled-together/) [Robert J. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-morgan/) > [“At the time, I prayed to God only intermittently, and then mainly to ask for things, such as: “Please let me get an A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/at-the-time-i-prayed-to-god-only-intermittently-and-then-mainly-to/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) > [We must learn to let go, to give up, to make room for the things we have prayed for and desired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fillmore/we-must-learn-to-let-go-to-give-up-to-make-room-for-the-things-we/) [Charles Fillmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fillmore/) > [How many times have you prayed or asked or said you needed help, when suddenly somebody showed up in your life? We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/how-many-times-have-you-prayed-or-asked-or-said-you-needed-help-when/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [That night, I thanked God for seeing me through that day of days and prayed I would make it through D plus 1. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-winters/that-night-i-thanked-god-for-seeing-me-through-that-day-of-days-and/) [Richard Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-winters/) > [She told me that all the girls in Annezin prayed every night for the war to end and for the English to go away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-graves/she-told-me-that-all-the-girls-in-annezin-prayed-every-night-for-the/) [Robert Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-graves/) > [“God's forgot that ever I lived... He's forgot...and He never cared, nohow…" He smoothed her brown, rough-palmed hand; he held her hands to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-miller/god-s-forgot-that-ever-i-lived-he-s-forgot-and-he-never-cared-nohow/) [Caroline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-miller/) > [I knew I wanted to be used by God in big ways. I always prayed He would trust me enough to use me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-robertson/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-used-by-god-in-big-ways-i-always-prayed-he/) [Kay Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-robertson/) > [“And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-l-reynolds/and-he-came-out-and-went-as-he-was-wont-to-the-mount-of-olives-and/) [Benjamin L. Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-l-reynolds/) > [Sometimes I prayed for Baby Jesus to make me good, but Baby Jesus didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/sometimes-i-prayed-for-baby-jesus-to-make-me-good-but-baby-jesus-didn/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [A sound mind in a sound body is a thing to be prayed for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/a-sound-mind-in-a-sound-body-is-a-thing-to-be-prayed-for/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [“Maybe if we all prayed for somebody else, somehow we'd all be forgiven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-bavati/maybe-if-we-all-prayed-for-somebody-else-somehow-we-d-all-be-forgiven/) [Robyn Bavati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-bavati/) [Browse all 430 Prayed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“couldn't say it, but I believed then-and still do-that I survived only because a number of people wanted me to. 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