---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God has made us so that we must be…"
description: "\"God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent. We may ignore our own dependence, or refuse to acknowledge that others depend upon us in more re..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/elizabeth-gaskell-894_acknowledge_god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutua_2914288.jpg"
---

#  God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent. We…

![“God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent. We may ignore our own dependence, or refuse to acknowledge that others depend upon us in more respects than the payment of weekly wages; but the thing must be, nevertheless. Neither you nor any other master can help yourselves. The most…” quote by Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/elizabeth-gaskell-894_acknowledge_god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutua_2914288.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/elizabeth-gaskell-894_acknowledge_god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutua_2914288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/elizabeth-gaskell-894_acknowledge_god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutua_2914288.jpg)

> “God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent. We may ignore our own dependence, or refuse to acknowledge that others depend upon us in more respects than the payment of weekly wages; but the thing must be, nevertheless. Neither you nor any other master can help yourselves. The most proudly independent man depends on those around him for their insensible influence on his character - his life.”

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

## 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 inevitably rely on each other for emotional, social, and practical support, even if they deny it.

**In simple terms:** We all need each other.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and value hidden interdependence.

Themes

interdependence community humility

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- workplace teamwork
- family caregiving
- friendship building
- community organizing

Key Concepts

social psychology systems theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you acknowledge others’ unseen influence on you?
- What costs arise from ignoring mutual dependence?

A Different Perspective

Denial of dependence can lead to isolation and resentment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Dependence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependence/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Payment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/payment/) [Wages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wages/)

## Related quotes

> [“I had never had any heart-pumping spiritual moments, the ones that would have made me think there was someone up there with my best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-never-had-any-heart-pumping-spiritual-moments-the-ones-that/)

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

> [“Because anger is the ultimate expression of pride, anger and a feeling of closeness to God are mutually exclusive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-feldman/because-anger-is-the-ultimate-expression-of-pride-anger-and-a-feeling/)

[Aharon Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-feldman/)

> [“water and waves, being mutually dependent, can be identified. In like manner fire and heat, air and wind, a machine and its working, mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/water-and-waves-being-mutually-dependent-can-be-identified-in-like/)

[Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/)

> [“Discipline and freedom are not mutually exclusive but mutually dependent because otherwise, you’d sink into chaos.” Paulo Coelho”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ballantyne/discipline-and-freedom-are-not-mutually-exclusive-but-mutually-2/)

[Craig Ballantyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ballantyne/)

> [The amount of detailed information which an individual has at his command and his theoretical elaborations of the same are mutually dependent; they grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-ebbinghaus/the-amount-of-detailed-information-which-an-individual-has-at-his/)

[Hermann Ebbinghaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-ebbinghaus/)

> [I feel like an independent man, and I am. This is the kind of feeling I always wanted. You can rarely get that... Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kirby/i-feel-like-an-independent-man-and-i-am-this-is-the-kind-of-feeling-i/)

[Jack Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kirby/)

> [“...freedom is of more account than the height of a roof beam. I ought to know; mine cost me eighteen years' slavery. The man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/freedom-is-of-more-account-than-the-height-of-a-roof-beam-i-ought-to/)

[Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/)

> [There are so many societies, so many churches, so many -isms, that it is almost impossible for an independent man to succeed in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/there-are-so-many-societies-so-many-churches-so-many-isms-that-it-is/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [My grandfather, as I said, was industrious. He'd had a variety of jobs and decided sometime in the 1940s that he would never work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/my-grandfather-as-i-said-was-industrious-he-d-had-a-variety-of-jobs/)

[Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/)

> [No Universe can be INDEPENDENT of man and cannot be created outside the man as long as the man knows it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/no-universe-can-be-independent-of-man-and-cannot-be-created-outside/)

[Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/)

> [Profit is vital to human well-being. Profit is the payment to entrepreneurs just as wages are payments to labor, interest to capital and rent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/profit-is-vital-to-human-well-being-profit-is-the-payment-to/)

[Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/)

> [Requiring the payment of higher wages will lead to a loss of some jobs and a raising of prices which drives companies to search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/requiring-the-payment-of-higher-wages-will-lead-to-a-loss-of-some/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [The industrial economy which divides society absolutely into two portions, the payers of wages and the receivers of them, the first counted by thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-industrial-economy-which-divides-society-absolutely-into-two/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-bird/if-there-was-a-payment-to-the-bank-due-and-we-needed-shoes-she-d-get/)

[Larry Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-bird/)

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

## More by Elizabeth Gaskell

> [“Osborne and Roger knowing that the wife of the former was a Frenchwoman, and, conscious of each other's knowledge, felt doubly awkward; while Molly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/osborne-and-roger-knowing-that-the-wife-of-the-former-was-a/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Well, He had known what love was-a sharp pang, a fierce experience, in the midst of whose flames he was struggling! but, through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/well-he-had-known-what-love-was-a-sharp-pang-a-fierce-experience-in/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [In all disappointments sympathy is a great balm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/in-all-disappointments-sympathy-is-a-great-balm/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [But Margaret went less abroad, among machinery and men; saw less of power in its public effect, and, as it happened, she was thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/but-margaret-went-less-abroad-among-machinery-and-men-saw-less-of/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“And besides, in the matter of friendship, I have observed that the disappointment here arises chiefly, not from liking our friends too well, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/and-besides-in-the-matter-of-friendship-i-have-observed-that-the/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [What other people may think of the rightness or wrongness is nothing in comparison to my own deep knowledge, my innate conviction that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/what-other-people-may-think-of-the-rightness-or-wrongness-is-nothing/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“The first question sobbed out by his choking voice, oppressed with emotion, was-- "Where is she?" They led him to the room where his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/the-first-question-sobbed-out-by-his-choking-voice-oppressed-with/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Wearily she went to bed, wearily she arose in four or five hours' time. But with the morning came hope, and a brighter view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/wearily-she-went-to-bed-wearily-she-arose-in-four-or-five-hours-time/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [No one loves me, - no one cares for me, but you, mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/no-one-loves-me-no-one-cares-for-me-but-you-mother/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [I won't say she was silly, but I think one of us was silly, and it wasn't me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/i-won-t-say-she-was-silly-but-i-think-one-of-us-was-silly-and-it-wasn/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Mr. Thorton love Margaret! Why, Margraret would never think of him, I'm sure! Such a thing has never entered her head." "Entering her heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/mr-thorton-love-margaret-why-margraret-would-never-think-of-him-i-m/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“He never looked at her; and yet, the careful avoidance of his eyes betokened that in some way he knew exactly where, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/he-never-looked-at-her-and-yet-the-careful-avoidance-of-his-eyes/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“Ay! but mother's words are scarce, and weigh heavy. Father's liker me, and we talk a deal o' rubble; but mother's words are liker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/ay-but-mother-s-words-are-scarce-and-weigh-heavy-father-s-liker-me/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Margaret liked this smile; it was the first thing she had admired in this new friend of her father's; and the opposition of character,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-first-thing-she-had-admired-in/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Don’t be afraid,” she said, coldly, “ as far as love may go she may be worthy of you. It must have taken a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/don-t-be-afraid-she-said-coldly-as-far-as-love-may-go-she-may-be/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

[Explore all 330 Elizabeth Gaskell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

## More Acknowledge quotes

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

Frank B. Wilderson III

> [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [The only way to ease our fear and be truly happy is to acknowledge our fear and look deeply at its source. Instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-way-to-ease-our-fear-and-be-truly-happy-is-to-acknowledge/)

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

> [On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/on-thanksgiving-day-we-acknowledge-our-dependence/)

[William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/)

> [You can't go into games with any fear. You can acknowledge a good team but you can't go in worrying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/you-can-t-go-into-games-with-any-fear-you-can-acknowledge-a-good-team/)

[Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/)

> [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/)

[Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/)

> [We must acknowledge that bearing and raising children is not some pesky, peripheral activity that we engage in, but the whole point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/we-must-acknowledge-that-bearing-and-raising-children-is-not-some/)

[Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/)

> [When we pray, we must begin by conceiving God in full and vigorous images, but we must go on to acknowledge the inadequacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-farrer/when-we-pray-we-must-begin-by-conceiving-god-in-full-and-vigorous/)

[Austin Farrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-farrer/)

> [Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [Actually, when I look at my old notebooks, I think I have been a bit self-indulgent and have given myself too much time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/actually-when-i-look-at-my-old-notebooks-i-think-i-have-been-a-bit/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [I would like, then, to end by putting in a good word for the non-industrious poor. At least they aren’t hurting anyone. Insofar as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/i-would-like-then-to-end-by-putting-in-a-good-word-for-the-non/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/)

[Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/)

> [As objects of contemplation, images of the atrocious can answer to several different needs. To steel oneself against weakness. To make oneself more numb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/as-objects-of-contemplation-images-of-the-atrocious-can-answer-to/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [It is in the measure that special methods acknowledge their common core in transcendental method, that norms common to all the sciences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/it-is-in-the-measure-that-special-methods-acknowledge-their-common/)

[Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/)

> [I can hear of the brilliant accomplishments of any of my sex with pleasure and rejoice in that liberality of sentiment which acknowledges them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-adams/i-can-hear-of-the-brilliant-accomplishments-of-any-of-my-sex-with/)

[Abigail Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-adams/)

Browse all 1,475 Acknowledge quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent. We may ignore our own dependence, or refuse to acknowledge that others depend upon us in more respects than the payment of weekly wages; but the thing must be, nevertheless. Neither you nor any other master can help yourselves. The most proudly independent man depends on those around him for their insensible influence on his character - his life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Gaskell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutually-dependent-we-may-ignore/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acknowledge"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutually-dependent-we-may-ignore/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/elizabeth-gaskell-894_acknowledge_god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutua_2914288.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/elizabeth-gaskell-894_acknowledge_god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutua_2914288.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/elizabeth-gaskell-894_acknowledge_god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutua_2914288.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent. We may ignore our own dependence, or refuse to…” — Elizabeth Gaskell",
                "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": "Elizabeth Gaskell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "God has made us so that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutually-dependent-we-may-ignore/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/god-has-made-us-so-that-we-must-be-mutually-dependent-we-may-ignore/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
