--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The making of miracles to edification was…" description: "\"“The making of miracles to edification was as ardently admired by pious Victorians as it was sternly discouraged by Jesus of Nazareth. Not that the Vic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/dorothy-l-sayers-738_discouraged_the-making-of-miracles-to-edification-wa_2787575.jpg" --- # The making of miracles to edification was as ardently… ![“The making of miracles to edification was as ardently admired by pious Victorians as it was sternly discouraged by Jesus of Nazareth. Not that the Victorians were unique in this respect. Modern writers also indulge in edifying miracles though they generally prefer to use them to procure unhappy…” quote by Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/dorothy-l-sayers-738_discouraged_the-making-of-miracles-to-edification-wa_2787575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/dorothy-l-sayers-738_discouraged_the-making-of-miracles-to-edification-wa_2787575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/dorothy-l-sayers-738_discouraged_the-making-of-miracles-to-edification-wa_2787575.jpg) > ““The making of miracles to edification was as ardently admired by pious Victorians as it was sternly discouraged by Jesus of Nazareth. Not that the Victorians were unique in this respect. Modern writers also indulge in edifying miracles though they generally prefer to use them to procure unhappy endings, by which piece of thaumaturgy they win the title of realists.”” [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Victorian society admired miracles for moral edification, while Jesus discouraged them; modern writers use miracles for tragic realism, showing shifting attitudes toward the supernatural. **In simple terms:** Victorians valued miracles for moral lessons; modern writers use them for bleak realism. Key Takeaway Recognize changing cultural views on miracles. Themes miracles edification Victorian values modern literature Mood analytical critical Type literary historical When to use this quote - historical analysis - creative writing - film critique - theological debate Key Concepts theology literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - Why do some cultures embrace miracles while others reject them? - How does the use of miracles affect storytelling? A Different Perspective Modern audiences may reject miraculous elements as implausible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Edification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edification/) [Happy ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-ending/) [Happy endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-endings/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracle/) [Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles/) [Nazareth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazareth/) [Realism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realism/) [Realist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realist/) [Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy/) [Unhappy endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy-endings/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Amidst the flood of dangerous reading, I plead for my Master's book; I call upon you not to forget the book of the soul.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/amidst-the-flood-of-dangerous-reading-i-plead-for-my-master-s-book-i/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [“Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbour-publishing-inc/neither-give-heed-to-fables-and-endless-genealogies-which-minister/) [Barbour Publishing Inc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbour-publishing-inc/) > [ \[Kindness\] is a most edifying form of instant gratification. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/kindness-is-a-most-edifying-form-of-instant-gratification/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [When we evaluate the rightness or wrongness of actions or behavior, we need to ask ourselves if that behavior will edify—build up—ourselves or someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/when-we-evaluate-the-rightness-or-wrongness-of-actions-or-behavior-we/) [Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/) > [“EPH4.12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  EPH4.13 Till we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eph4-12-for-the-perfecting-of-the-saints-for-the-work-of-the-ministry/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What spectacle can be more edifying or more seasonable, than that of Liberty and Learning, each leaning on the other for their mutual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/what-spectacle-can-be-more-edifying-or-more-seasonable-than-that-of/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [I wouldn't describe that "position" as "parasitic." I'd describe that experience as "edifying." I don't merely write from a critical intellectual distance. I actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/i-wouldn-t-describe-that-position-as-parasitic-i-d-describe-that/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Understanding transformed into secret means of action is splendid, wonderful, edifying and essentially dignifying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/understanding-transformed-into-secret-means-of-action-is-splendid/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) > [“Unhappy endings might seem more realistic than happy ones, but reality often contained a streak of fantasy that realism lacked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/unhappy-endings-might-seem-more-realistic-than-happy-ones-but-reality/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“STONE Let my heart turn to stone. 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And later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/in-those-early-days-the-important-thing-was-the-happy-ending-i-did/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Avoid the unhappy ending, the harsh, the brutal, the tragic, the horrible -- if you care to see in print things you write. (In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/avoid-the-unhappy-ending-the-harsh-the-brutal-the-tragic-the-horrible/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) ## More by Dorothy L. Sayers > [“The really essential factors of success in any undertaking are money and opportunity, and as a rule, the man who can make the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-really-essential-factors-of-success-in-any-undertaking-are-money/) [Dorothy L. 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Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“By teaching them all to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of the film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/by-teaching-them-all-to-read-we-have-left-them-at-the-mercy-of-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [ Perhaps \[the critics are right and\] the drama is played out now and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/perhaps-the-critics-are-right-and-the-drama-is-played-out-now-and/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [... at no point have I yet found artistic truth and theological truth at variance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/at-no-point-have-i-yet-found-artistic-truth-and-theological-truth-at/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [I have never yet heard any middle-aged man or woman who worked with his or her brains express any regret for the passing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/i-have-never-yet-heard-any-middle-aged-man-or-woman-who-worked-with/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“That was the second time within five minutes that he had warned her off his private ground. His mood had changed since the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/that-was-the-second-time-within-five-minutes-that-he-had-warned-her/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“To obey orders in this family has been my privilege for the last twenty years--a privilege which has been an unqualified pleasure, except perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/to-obey-orders-in-this-family-has-been-my-privilege-for-the-last/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Those who make some other person their job... are dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/those-who-make-some-other-person-their-job-are-dangerous/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know—‘Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/yes-and-look-at-the-corpses-place-always-reminds-me-of-that-old-thing/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) [Explore all 386 Dorothy L. Sayers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## More Discouraged quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. 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