--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The one thing that a fish can never find…" description: "\"The one thing that a fish can never find is water; and the one thing that man can never find is God.\" — Eric Butterworth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/eric-butterworth-9094_fish_the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find_1233098.png" --- # The one thing that a fish can never find is water; and the… ![“The one thing that a fish can never find is water; and the one thing that man can never find is God.” quote by Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/eric-butterworth-9094_fish_the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find_1233098.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/eric-butterworth-9094_fish_the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find_1233098.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/eric-butterworth-9094_fish_the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find_1233098.png) > “The one thing that a fish can never find is water; and the one thing that man can never find is God.” [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts the obvious presence of water for fish with humanity's inability to perceive the divine, highlighting how the most essential things can be invisible to us. **In simple terms:** We often overlook what is most essential. Key Takeaway Recognize and seek what is unseen. Themes spirituality perception humility Mood contemplative thoughtful Type aphilosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - philosophical discussion - creative writing Key Concepts existential awareness theology human limitation Questions to Reflect On - What essential truths do you take for granted? - How can you become more aware of the unseen? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex theological concepts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [“They tell us the people we love are 72.8% water- there is no such thing as crying, we are only trying to turn ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mundt/they-tell-us-the-people-we-love-are-72-8-water-there-is-no-such-thing/) Lewis Mundt > [I was under the stars, like a fish is under water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/i-was-under-the-stars-like-a-fish-is-under-water/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [The last thing a fish would ever notice would be water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-linton/the-last-thing-a-fish-would-ever-notice-would-be-water/) Ralph Linton > [The most important thing is to get the fish in quickly and leave it in the water. Forget the hero pose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/the-most-important-thing-is-to-get-the-fish-in-quickly-and-leave-it/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [One thing about which fish know exactly nothing is water, since they have no anti-environment which would enable them to perceive the element they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/one-thing-about-which-fish-know-exactly-nothing-is-water-since-they/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Being a fish out of water is tough, but that's how you evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumail-nanjiani/being-a-fish-out-of-water-is-tough-but-that-s-how-you-evolve/) [Kumail Nanjiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumail-nanjiani/) > [Fish in the water represent pure potential. If the water is not clear, we do not know if they exist at all. To get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/fish-in-the-water-represent-pure-potential-if-the-water-is-not-clear/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [They may the better fish in the water when it is troubled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grafton/they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-when-it-is-troubled/) Richard Grafton > [The fish in the water that is thirsty needs serious professional counseling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/the-fish-in-the-water-that-is-thirsty-needs-serious-professional/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [I take to acting like a fish to water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sowcar-janaki/i-take-to-acting-like-a-fish-to-water/) [Sowcar Janaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sowcar-janaki/) > [“The fish in the water is racked by thirst: I hear about it and burst out laughing. What you are looking for is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/the-fish-in-the-water-is-racked-by-thirst-i-hear-about-it-and-burst/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. You don't grasp the fact that what is most alive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/i-laugh-when-i-hear-that-the-fish-in-the-water-is-thirsty-you-don-t-2/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [I am, out of the ladies' company, like a fish out of the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-shadwell/i-am-out-of-the-ladies-company-like-a-fish-out-of-the-water/) [Thomas Shadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-shadwell/) > [Without you I'm a fish without water, haha I dnt have anyone where it's like tht but eh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-you-i-m-a-fish-without-water-haha-i-dnt-have-anyone-where-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you want to meet fish, you go in water, and if you want to meet birds, visit the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-want-to-meet-fish-you-go-in-water-and-if-you-want-to-meet/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) ## More by Eric Butterworth > [As the Quakers say, "When you pray, move your feet."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/as-the-quakers-say-when-you-pray-move-your-feet/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [The secret of achieving prosperity lies in so vividly keeping yourself centered in the inner focus of affluence that you literally exude the consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-secret-of-achieving-prosperity-lies-in-so-vividly-keeping/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Religious teachings and teachers have conditioned us to think of faith as a magic catalyst that makes God work for us. In no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/religious-teachings-and-teachers-have-conditioned-us-to-think-of/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Affluence = abundant flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/affluence-abundant-flow/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Most people show up for work being physically accoutered but mentally disheveled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/most-people-show-up-for-work-being-physically-accoutered-but-mentally/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [I tell you and you forget. I show you and you remember. I involve you and you understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/i-tell-you-and-you-forget-i-show-you-and-you-remember-i-involve-you/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [The thing I fear comes upon me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-thing-i-fear-comes-upon-me/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Under the sustaining influence of love, the physical body is always at its best. 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We have enshrined them like religious relics in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/we-have-been-taught-to-keep-the-commandments-and-we-have-kept-them/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) [Explore all 75 Eric Butterworth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) ## More Fish quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [I love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [My kids all do love to hunt and fish. When they get together, I think that's what they get together more for than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/my-kids-all-do-love-to-hunt-and-fish-when-they-get-together-i-think/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [“If this were a fairy tale, this would be the part where the fishboy appears and Diana shoots him through the heart. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/if-this-were-a-fairy-tale-this-would-be-the-part-where-the-fishboy/) [Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/) > [I do not believe in eating fish hot. People always insist on hot fish, but that leaves it dried out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/i-do-not-believe-in-eating-fish-hot-people-always-insist-on-hot-fish/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I don't eat meat - chicken, fish, none of that. I eat a lot of vegetable sandwiches, like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-don-t-eat-meat-chicken-fish-none-of-that-i-eat-a-lot-of-vegetable/) Gza > [“Fish are unable, of course, to speak for themselves about how we treat them. They have ways of communicating with each other and, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-morell/fish-are-unable-of-course-to-speak-for-themselves-about-how-we-treat/) [Virginia Morell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-morell/) > [Undoubtedly, church fish fries and picnics help build social cohesion. It was at my dad's medium-size evangelical church - my first real exposure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/undoubtedly-church-fish-fries-and-picnics-help-build-social-cohesion/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [“Similarly, take the time to get into shape so you can get to that great spot and be able to fish it all day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-deeter/similarly-take-the-time-to-get-into-shape-so-you-can-get-to-that/) Kirk Deeter > [“It's a familiar, if not exactly inspiring, message: in the face of slim pickings, lower your standards. It also makes clear the converse: with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-christian-tom-griffiths/it-s-a-familiar-if-not-exactly-inspiring-message-in-the-face-of-slim/) [Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-christian-tom-griffiths/) > [The kind of fishing that I do is pretty much bass, trout or freshwater fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-steyn/the-kind-of-fishing-that-i-do-is-pretty-much-bass-trout-or-freshwater/) [Dale Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-steyn/) [Browse all 2,977 Fish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The one thing that a fish can never find is water; and the one thing that man can never find is God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Butterworth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find-is-water-and-the-one-thing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find-is-water-and-the-one-thing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/eric-butterworth-9094_fish_the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find_1233098.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/eric-butterworth-9094_fish_the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find_1233098.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/eric-butterworth-9094_fish_the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find_1233098.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The one thing that a fish can never find is water; and the one thing that man can never find is God.” — Eric Butterworth", "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": "Eric Butterworth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The one thing that a fish...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find-is-water-and-the-one-thing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find-is-water-and-the-one-thing/#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 } } ] } ```