--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and…" description: "\"I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and elusive quality. It is the center of my beliefs, but it cannot be strengthened by talking about it.\" — Edward..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/edward-teller-12255_belief_i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and_33426.png" --- # I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and elusive quality… ![“I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and elusive quality. It is the center of my beliefs, but it cannot be strengthened by talking about it.” quote by Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/edward-teller-12255_belief_i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and_33426.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/edward-teller-12255_belief_i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and_33426.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/edward-teller-12255_belief_i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and_33426.png) > “I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and elusive quality. It is the center of my beliefs, but it cannot be strengthened by talking about it.” [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees goodness as a fleeting, intangible core belief that cannot be reinforced through discussion. **In simple terms:** Goodness is fleeting and cannot be bolstered by words. Key Takeaway Core values may be felt rather than articulated. Themes philosophy ethics existentialism subjectivity introspection Mood contemplative solemn reflective Type philosophical personal moral When to use this quote - personal reflection - moral decision-making - spiritual practice - creative writing - counseling Key Concepts ephemeral nature of virtue limitations of language inner conviction Practical Applications - mindfulness training - ethical leadership development Questions to Reflect On - How do you experience goodness without verbalizing it? - Can silence strengthen belief? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs/) [Ephemeral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ephemeral/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) ## Related quotes > [As Bartok put it so succinctly: "Competitions are for horses." Nothing could be more barbaric that the practice or ranking artists as though they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-sherman/as-bartok-put-it-so-succinctly-competitions-are-for-horses-nothing/) [Russell Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-sherman/) > [Most dreams die a slow death. They're conceived in a moment of passion, with the prospect of endless possibility, but often languish and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/most-dreams-die-a-slow-death-they-re-conceived-in-a-moment-of-passion/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [Most of you have been where I am tonight. The crash site of unrequited love. You ask yourself, How did I get here? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-of-you-have-been-where-i-am-tonight-the-crash-site-of-unrequited/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No matter how bad a person is, I believe there are some good things that they did which others dont do. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zheefy-mysterio/no-matter-how-bad-a-person-is-i-believe-there-are-some-good-things/) [Zheefy Mysterio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zheefy-mysterio/) > [The situation now is not easy. But I believe in the good sense of the Japanese people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katsuya-okada/the-situation-now-is-not-easy-but-i-believe-in-the-good-sense-of-the/) [Katsuya Okada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katsuya-okada/) > [I believe in the dignity of every person. I believe that while we are all free to practice our religion, and to hold whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-malley/i-believe-in-the-dignity-of-every-person-i-believe-that-while-we-are/) [Martin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-malley/) > [I believe in my Mormon faith, and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers - I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-believe-in-my-mormon-faith-and-i-endeavor-to-live-by-it-my-faith-is/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [“My husband is a good man," she said. "It's important to him to be a good man. He has to not only be good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/my-husband-is-a-good-man-she-said-it-s-important-to-him-to-be-a-good/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [It's important to adhere to the principles of a large group of people that truly believe these principles, and if they believe them, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/it-s-important-to-adhere-to-the-principles-of-a-large-group-of-people/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [People always say that you shouldn't read reviews at all, or if you do then believe both the good and the bad ones. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-millican/people-always-say-that-you-shouldn-t-read-reviews-at-all-or-if-you-do/) [Sarah Millican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-millican/) > [“I try to hold on to the things I believe to be good and true. Good things happen to good people. Karma is real.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-try-to-hold-on-to-the-things-i-believe-to-be-good-and-true-good/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [“To learn from him, I did not have to believe he was a good man or a fair man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/to-learn-from-him-i-did-not-have-to-believe-he-was-a-good-man-or-a/) Katherine Govier > [I don't know why terrible things happen to us sometimes, but I have to believe that something good is going to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-why-terrible-things-happen-to-us-sometimes-but-i-have-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was younger, Lisa Leslie inspired me a whole lot. She was someone I looked up to and wanted to be like. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-jackson/when-i-was-younger-lisa-leslie-inspired-me-a-whole-lot-she-was/) [Lauren Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-jackson/) > [I believe it's good to eat what makes you happy every once in a while. That's my key to staying healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amyra-dastur/i-believe-it-s-good-to-eat-what-makes-you-happy-every-once-in-a-while/) [Amyra Dastur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amyra-dastur/) ## More by Edward Teller > [The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/the-main-purpose-of-science-is-simplicity-and-as-we-understand-more/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [Today's science is tomorrow's technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/today-s-science-is-tomorrow-s-technology/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [By having simplified what is known, physicists have been led into realms which as yet are anything but simple. That at some time, they,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/by-having-simplified-what-is-known-physicists-have-been-led-into/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [Really exotic methods of propulsion . . . will have to be devised to get there. How it will be done, I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/really-exotic-methods-of-propulsion-will-have-to-be-devised-to-get/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [Today, nothing is unusual about a scientific discovery's being followed soon after by a technical application: The discovery of electrons led to electronics; fission…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/today-nothing-is-unusual-about-a-scientific-discovery-s-being/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [Society's emissions of carbon dioxide may or may not turn out to have something significant to do with global warming-the jury is still out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/society-s-emissions-of-carbon-dioxide-may-or-may-not-turn-out-to-have/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [Had we not pursued the hydrogen bomb, there is a very real threat that we would now all be speaking Russian. I have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/had-we-not-pursued-the-hydrogen-bomb-there-is-a-very-real-threat-that/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [“Engineers are, by definition, people whose work is dedicated to making people's lives easier; or, as people used to say, whose work is dedicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/engineers-are-by-definition-people-whose-work-is-dedicated-to-making/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [My experience has been in a short 77 years that in the end when you fight for a desperate cause and have good reasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/my-experience-has-been-in-a-short-77-years-that-in-the-end-when-you/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [I hate doubt, yet I am certain that doubt is the only way to approach anything worth believing in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-hate-doubt-yet-i-am-certain-that-doubt-is-the-only-way-to-approach/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [It is often claimed that knowledge multiplies so rapidly that nobody can follow it. I believe this is incorrect. At least in science it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/it-is-often-claimed-that-knowledge-multiplies-so-rapidly-that-nobody/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [I believe in excellence. It is a basic need of every human soul. All of us can be excellent, because, fortunately, we are exceedingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-believe-in-excellence-it-is-a-basic-need-of-every-human-soul-all-of/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/when-you-come-to-the-end-of-all-the-light-you-know-and-it-s-time-to/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [There is a time for scientists and movie stars and those who have flown the atlantic to restrain their opinions lest they be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/there-is-a-time-for-scientists-and-movie-stars-and-those-who-have/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [I believe in evil. It is the property of all those who are certain of truth. Despair and fanaticism are only differing manifestations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-believe-in-evil-it-is-the-property-of-all-those-who-are-certain-of/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) [Explore all 55 Edward Teller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and elusive quality. It is the center of my beliefs, but it cannot be strengthened by talking about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Teller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and-elusive-quality-it-is-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and-elusive-quality-it-is-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/edward-teller-12255_belief_i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and_33426.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/edward-teller-12255_belief_i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and_33426.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/edward-teller-12255_belief_i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and_33426.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and elusive quality. It is the center of my beliefs, but it cannot be…” — Edward Teller", "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": "Edward Teller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I believe in good. It is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and-elusive-quality-it-is-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and-elusive-quality-it-is-the/#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 } } ] } ```