---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each finite creature can reflect only a…"
description: "\"Each finite creature can reflect only a fraction of the divine nature; thus, in the diversity of His creatures, God's infinity, unity and oneness appea..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/edith-stein-15766_broken_each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a_1182705.jpg"
---

#  Each finite creature can reflect only a fraction of the…

![“Each finite creature can reflect only a fraction of the divine nature; thus, in the diversity of His creatures, God's infinity, unity and oneness appear to be broken into an effulfgence of manifold rays.” quote by Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/edith-stein-15766_broken_each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a_1182705.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/edith-stein-15766_broken_each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a_1182705.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/edith-stein-15766_broken_each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a_1182705.jpg)

> “Each finite creature can reflect only a fraction of the divine nature; thus, in the diversity of His creatures, God's infinity, unity and oneness appear to be broken into an effulfgence of manifold rays.”

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human beings can only glimpse a tiny part of the divine, so God's unity appears as many rays.

**In simple terms:** We see only a small part of God.

Key Takeaway

Seek humility in recognizing our limits.

Themes

theity spirituality humility

Mood

reverent contemplative

Type

theological philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- theological study
- interfaith dialogue
- artistic expression

Key Concepts

Divine mystery fragmentation unity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does recognizing limited perception affect your spirituality?
- In what ways do you experience divine unity?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex theology.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-nature/) [Infinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinity/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Oneness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneness/) [Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity/)

## Related quotes

> [“If this is metaphorically true, then it must again be our choice to eat of the Tree of Life, if we wish to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-parker/if-this-is-metaphorically-true-then-it-must-again-be-our-choice-to/)

[Katherine Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-parker/)

> [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The greatest power in the universe is the power of unity, of oneness. All other powers are secondary. It is the only the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-greatest-power-in-the-universe-is-the-power-of-unity-of-oneness/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Grace is not a strange, magic substance which is subtly filtered into our souls to act as a kind of spiritual penicillin. Grace is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/grace-is-not-a-strange-magic-substance-which-is-subtly-filtered-into/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [For Christians, who believe they are created in the image of God, it is the Godhead, diversity in unity and the three-in-oneness of God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/for-christians-who-believe-they-are-created-in-the-image-of-god-it-is/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

> [The secret of a happy marriage is to serve God and each other. The goal of marriage is unity and oneness, as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-secret-of-a-happy-marriage-is-to-serve-god-and-each-other-the/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [“God is triune, and all reality is structured in terms of Him. A brief definition of the Trinity might be this: One God without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chilton/god-is-triune-and-all-reality-is-structured-in-terms-of-him-a-brief/)

[David Chilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chilton/)

> [To all earth's creatures God has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests, giving the air to the birds, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-of-nazianzus/to-all-earth-s-creatures-god-has-given-the-broad-earth-the-springs/)

[Gregory of Nazianzus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-of-nazianzus/)

> [“She did not make monsters of us. She simply gave us the power to remake ourselves into those inviolable creatures the God of Equality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hall/she-did-not-make-monsters-of-us-she-simply-gave-us-the-power-to/)

[Sarah Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hall/)

> [“Where is the God, this Spirit, that made all these things? Does He not stroll round sometimes and examine His handiwork, and even me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/where-is-the-god-this-spirit-that-made-all-these-things-does-he-not/)

[Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/)

> [“People say that God is prevailing in the entire universe. God is in each &amp; every thing. Then where is the need to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/people-say-that-god-is-prevailing-in-the-entire-universe-god-is-in/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Evil is a point of view ... God kills, and so shall we; indiscriminately ... for no creatures under God are as we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/evil-is-a-point-of-view-god-kills-and-so-shall-we-indiscriminately/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [He's not going to look back if you don't,' he said, 'They're the most forgiving creatures God ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-evans/he-s-not-going-to-look-back-if-you-don-t-he-said-they-re-the-most/)

[Nicholas Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-evans/)

> [“Via the conduit of a wild dog pack, she has now made the ultimate Gift to her fellow Creatures, and has become part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/via-the-conduit-of-a-wild-dog-pack-she-has-now-made-the-ultimate-gift/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [We were put on this Earth as creatures of God to have dominion over the Earth, to use it wisely and steward it wisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-were-put-on-this-earth-as-creatures-of-god-to-have-dominion-over/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

## More by Edith Stein

> [Do not accept anything as love which lacks truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/do-not-accept-anything-as-love-which-lacks-truth/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [One could say that in case of need, every normal and healthy woman is able to hold a position. And there is no profession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/one-could-say-that-in-case-of-need-every-normal-and-healthy-woman-is/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [Anyone who seeks truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/anyone-who-seeks-truth-seeks-god-whether-or-not-he-realizes-it/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [In order to be an image of God, the spirit must turn to what is eternal, hold it in spirit, keep it in memory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/in-order-to-be-an-image-of-god-the-spirit-must-turn-to-what-is/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [Every true prayer is a prayer of the Church; by means of that prayer the Church prays, since it is the Holy Spirit living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/every-true-prayer-is-a-prayer-of-the-church-by-means-of-that-prayer/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [The world doesn't need what women have, it needs what women are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/the-world-doesn-t-need-what-women-have-it-needs-what-women-are/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [Woman naturally seeks to embrace that which is living, personal, and whole. To cherish, guard, protect, nourish and advance growth is her natural, maternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/woman-naturally-seeks-to-embrace-that-which-is-living-personal-and/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [The motive, principle, and end of the religious life is to make an absolute gift of self to God in a self-forgetting love, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/the-motive-principle-and-end-of-the-religious-life-is-to-make-an/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [I had given up practising my Jewish religion when I was a 14-year-old girl and did not begin to feel Jewish again until I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/i-had-given-up-practising-my-jewish-religion-when-i-was-a-14-year-old/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [Just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God's hands and leave it with Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/just-take-everything-exactly-as-it-is-put-it-in-god-s-hands-and-leave/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [Everything abstract is ultimately part of the concrete. Everything inanimate finally serves the living. That is why every activity dealing in abstraction stands in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/everything-abstract-is-ultimately-part-of-the-concrete-everything/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [My longing for truth was a single prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/my-longing-for-truth-was-a-single-prayer/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [When you seek truth, you seek God whether you know it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/when-you-seek-truth-you-seek-god-whether-you-know-it-or-not/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [We will always find fundamentally the compulsion to become what the soul should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/we-will-always-find-fundamentally-the-compulsion-to-become-what-the/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

> [We can do nothing ourselves; God must do it. To speak to Him thus is easier by nature for woman than for man because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/we-can-do-nothing-ourselves-god-must-do-it-to-speak-to-him-thus-is/)

[Edith Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

[Explore all 41 Edith Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/)

## More Broken quotes

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

> [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/)

[Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/)

> [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/)

[John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/)

> [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/)

[Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/)

[Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/)

> [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/)

[Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/)

> [Don't fix what's not broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/don-t-fix-what-s-not-broken/)

[Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/)

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [Rome, believe me, my friend, is like its own Monte Testaceo, Merelya marvellous mass of broken and castaway wine-pots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/rome-believe-me-my-friend-is-like-its-own-monte-testaceo-merelya/)

[Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/)

> [Its funny how someone breaks your heart but you still love them with all those broken pieces..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-someone-breaks-your-heart-but-you-still-love-them-with/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/)

[Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/)

Browse all 5,851 Broken quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Each finite creature can reflect only a fraction of the divine nature; thus, in the diversity of His creatures, God's infinity, unity and oneness appear to be broken into an effulfgence of manifold rays.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edith Stein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a-fraction-of-the-divine-nature/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Broken"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a-fraction-of-the-divine-nature/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/edith-stein-15766_broken_each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a_1182705.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/edith-stein-15766_broken_each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a_1182705.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/edith-stein-15766_broken_each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a_1182705.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Each finite creature can reflect only a fraction of the divine nature; thus, in the diversity of His…” — Edith Stein",
                "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": "Edith Stein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-stein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Each finite creature can reflect only...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a-fraction-of-the-divine-nature/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-stein/each-finite-creature-can-reflect-only-a-fraction-of-the-divine-nature/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
