--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I smiled to think God's greatness…" description: "\"And I smiled to think God's greatness flowed around our incompleteness; Round our restlessness, His rest.\" — Elizabeth Barrett Browning" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_greatness_and-i-smiled-to-think-god-s-greatness-fl_943259.png" --- # And I smiled to think God's greatness flowed around our… ![“And I smiled to think God's greatness flowed around our incompleteness; Round our restlessness, His rest.” quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_greatness_and-i-smiled-to-think-god-s-greatness-fl_943259.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_greatness_and-i-smiled-to-think-god-s-greatness-fl_943259.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_greatness_and-i-smiled-to-think-god-s-greatness-fl_943259.png) > “And I smiled to think God's greatness flowed around our incompleteness; Round our restlessness, His rest.” [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It reflects on divine greatness surrounding human incompleteness, offering comfort in divine rest. **In simple terms:** God’s greatness surrounds our flaws, giving rest. Key Takeaway Find comfort in divine presence. Themes faith comfort humanity Mood contemplative hopeful Type poetic spiritual When to use this quote - personal prayer - counseling - spiritual reflection Key Concepts theology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does imperfection shape spirituality? - What comforts you in uncertainty? A Different Perspective May not resonate with non‑theistic views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [God Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-greatness-841411/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Greatness Flowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness-flowed-1627185/) [Incompleteness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompleteness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Restlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restlessness/) [Rounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rounds/) [Smiled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiled/) [Smiled Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiled-think-351778/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [You can never have too much coffee”, I said He turned and smiled at me. “You think so, but the rest of us get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/you-can-never-have-too-much-coffee-i-said-he-turned-and-smiled-at-me/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I had braces for two-and-a-half years, and I promise you, I wouldnt have been the same girl if I didnt. I would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-sims/i-had-braces-for-two-and-a-half-years-and-i-promise-you-i-wouldnt/) [Molly Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-sims/) > [“He took in the bubbles covering her and smiled. "I think that's enough." "Enough?" "To get me clean." Taking one step forward, he slipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-bielman/he-took-in-the-bubbles-covering-her-and-smiled-i-think-that-s-enough/) [Robin Bielman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-bielman/) > [“He smiled. “I think a blonde. Anything with black hair has always been trouble for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-raybourn/he-smiled-i-think-a-blonde-anything-with-black-hair-has-always-been/) [Deanna Raybourn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-raybourn/) > [“As James MacDonald wrote, “To really be gripped by your identity in God’s greatness you must wade out of the shallow waters of self-absorption…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-scott/as-james-macdonald-wrote-to-really-be-gripped-by-your-identity-in-god/) [Stuart Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-scott/) > [Sometimes the simplicity of just declaring who God is and the greatness of who He is... sometimes you just have to say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-camp/sometimes-the-simplicity-of-just-declaring-who-god-is-and-the/) [Jeremy Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-camp/) > [Yes, you who called us godless, we found our faith in Adolf Hitler, and through him found God once again. That is the greatness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ley/yes-you-who-called-us-godless-we-found-our-faith-in-adolf-hitler-and/) [Robert Ley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ley/) > [“I never knew the extent of God’s greatness until I hang on to His glorious hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/i-never-knew-the-extent-of-god-s-greatness-until-i-hang-on-to-his/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [What you are doing I cannot do, what I'm doing you cannot do, but together we are doing something beautiful for God, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/what-you-are-doing-i-cannot-do-what-i-m-doing-you-cannot-do-but/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“Tears are one of the wonders that manifest God’s greatness: they ooze out of the eyes to bear off the pain when it gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-shrivastava/tears-are-one-of-the-wonders-that-manifest-god-s-greatness-they-ooze/) [Anurag Shrivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-shrivastava/) > [To know God is to know greatness, to love God is to become greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neng/to-know-god-is-to-know-greatness-to-love-god-is-to-become-greatness/) [Neng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neng/) > [The virtue of Love is nothing and all, or that Nothing visible out of which All Things proceed. Its power is through All Things;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/the-virtue-of-love-is-nothing-and-all-or-that-nothing-visible-out-of/) [Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/) > [The universe is filled with the evidence of God's greatness. In awesome wonder we can consider the worlds He has made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/the-universe-is-filled-with-the-evidence-of-god-s-greatness-in/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [Today I begin to understand what love must be, if it exists. . . . When we are parted, we each feel the lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aroha-janet/today-i-begin-to-understand-what-love-must-be-if-it-exists-when-we/) [Aroha Janet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aroha-janet/) > [“I am afraid I am going to drift into fiction, truthful but incomplete, for lack of some details which I cannot conjure up today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonora-carrington/i-am-afraid-i-am-going-to-drift-into-fiction-truthful-but-incomplete/) [Leonora Carrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonora-carrington/) ## More by Elizabeth Barrett Browning > [I should not dare to call my soul my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/i-should-not-dare-to-call-my-soul-my-own/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Many a crown Covers bald foreheads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/many-a-crown-covers-bald-foreheads/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [And lilies are still lilies, pulled By smutty hands, though spotted from their white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/and-lilies-are-still-lilies-pulled-by-smutty-hands-though-spotted/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [“The face of all the world is changed, I think, Since first I heard the footsteps of they soul Move still, oh, still, beside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-face-of-all-the-world-is-changed-i-think-since-first-i-heard-the/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Wall must get the weather stain Before they grow the ivy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/wall-must-get-the-weather-stain-before-they-grow-the-ivy/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/how-do-i-love-thee-let-me-count-the-ways-i-love-thee-to-the-depth-and/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [With stammering lips and insufficient sound I strive and struggle to deliver right the music of my nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/with-stammering-lips-and-insufficient-sound-i-strive-and-struggle-to/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [The charm, one might say the genius, of memory is that it is choosy, chancy and temperamental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-charm-one-might-say-the-genius-of-memory-is-that-it-is-choosy/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [The flower-girl's prayer to buy roses and pinks, held out in the smoke, like stars by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-flower-girl-s-prayer-to-buy-roses-and-pinks-held-out-in-the-smoke/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [They say that God lives very high! But if you look above the pines You cannot see our God. And why? And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/they-say-that-god-lives-very-high-but-if-you-look-above-the-pines-you/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Men of science, osteologists And surgeons, beat some poets, in respect For nature,-count nought common or unclean, Spend raptures upon perfect specimens Of indurated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/men-of-science-osteologists-and-surgeons-beat-some-poets-in-respect/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [We can't separate our humanity from our poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/we-can-t-separate-our-humanity-from-our-poetry/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Happy are all free peoples, too strong to be dispossessed. But blessed are those among nations who dare to be strong for the rest!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/happy-are-all-free-peoples-too-strong-to-be-dispossessed-but-blessed/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Suddenly, as rare things will, it vanished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/suddenly-as-rare-things-will-it-vanished/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) [Explore all 306 Elizabeth Barrett Browning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) ## More Greatness quotes > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. 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Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Men generally decide upon a middle course, which is most hazardous, for they know neither how to be entirely good nor entirely bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-generally-decide-upon-a-middle-course-which-is-most-hazardous-for/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. 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