--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was not apathy or passiveness. For…" description: "\"It was not apathy or passiveness. For him, prayer was a display of the strongest possible activity.\" — Eric Metaxas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/eric-metaxas-1651_apathy_it-was-not-apathy-or-passiveness-for-him_663577.png" --- # It was not apathy or passiveness. For him, prayer was a… ![“It was not apathy or passiveness. For him, prayer was a display of the strongest possible activity.” quote by Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/eric-metaxas-1651_apathy_it-was-not-apathy-or-passiveness-for-him_663577.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/eric-metaxas-1651_apathy_it-was-not-apathy-or-passiveness-for-him_663577.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/eric-metaxas-1651_apathy_it-was-not-apathy-or-passiveness-for-him_663577.png) > “It was not apathy or passiveness. For him, prayer was a display of the strongest possible activity.” [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prayer is portrayed as an active, powerful expression rather than passive indifference. **In simple terms:** Prayer is a strong, active act. Key Takeaway View prayer as purposeful action. Themes faith action prayer spirituality strength Mood inspirational contemplative Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - community worship - decision making Key Concepts theology psychology of religion agency Questions to Reflect On - How does active prayer differ from mere hope? - Can action replace prayer in times of need? A Different Perspective Active prayer may not guarantee desired outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) [Passiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passiveness/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) ## Related quotes > [To God your every Want In instant Prayer display, Pray always; Pray, and never faint; Pray, without ceasing, Pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wesley/to-god-your-every-want-in-instant-prayer-display-pray-always-pray-and/) [Charles Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wesley/) > [“Apathetic people sit back and wait for things to get better before they move. Radical people make things get better, by how they move.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/apathetic-people-sit-back-and-wait-for-things-to-get-better-before/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [And the passiveness, you know, the apathy, well, that's not responsible citizenship. When I'm asked, why am I an activist, I say, well that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/and-the-passiveness-you-know-the-apathy-well-that-s-not-responsible/) [Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/) > [Passiveness affects everything. It affects you on the bases and on defense. It affects your thinking. I can't be passive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-rollins/passiveness-affects-everything-it-affects-you-on-the-bases-and-on/) [Jimmy Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-rollins/) > [The anything-goes passiveness of the religious and political Left is matched by the preachy moralism of the religious and political Right. The person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/the-anything-goes-passiveness-of-the-religious-and-political-left-is/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Nor less I deem that there are Powers Which of themselves our minds impress; That we can feed this mind of ours In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/nor-less-i-deem-that-there-are-powers-which-of-themselves-our-minds/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [I'm not looking for Bible verses to back up a lifestyle of passiveness. I'm looking for Bible verses and life experiences to teach me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-bickle/i-m-not-looking-for-bible-verses-to-back-up-a-lifestyle-of/) [Mike Bickle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-bickle/) > [At one of the largest advertising agencies in America psychologists on the staff are probing sample humans in an attempt to find how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-packard/at-one-of-the-largest-advertising-agencies-in-america-psychologists/) [Vance Packard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-packard/) > [As I grow older part of my emotional survival plan must be to actively seek inspiration instead of passively waiting for it to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-moore-campbell/as-i-grow-older-part-of-my-emotional-survival-plan-must-be-to/) [Bebe Moore Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-moore-campbell/) > [A really wise man is feminine, receptive, passive. That's why Buddha looks so feminine. That quality of passiveness, that quality of receptivity... He is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-really-wise-man-is-feminine-receptive-passive-that-s-why-buddha/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Our countrymen have all the folly of the ass and all the passiveness of the sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/our-countrymen-have-all-the-folly-of-the-ass-and-all-the-passiveness/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/apathy-can-be-overcome-by-enthusiasm/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Try to greet troubles with apathy. Hello's are never what they used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-swellers/try-to-greet-troubles-with-apathy-hello-s-are-never-what-they-used-to/) [The Swellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-swellers/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [If possible, I want to hear POLITICS defined without either sympathy or apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-possible-i-want-to-hear-politics-defined-without-either-sympathy/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) ## More by Eric Metaxas > [“If we believe miracles cannot happen today but happened to our distant ancestors, what we really seem to be saying is not that miracles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/if-we-believe-miracles-cannot-happen-today-but-happened-to-our/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“(Bonhoeffer's) change was not an ungainly, embarrassing leap from which he would have to retreat slightly when he gained more maturity and perspective. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/bonhoeffer-s-change-was-not-an-ungainly-embarrassing-leap-from-which/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [Religious liberty is the salt and light that has made us the great nation we are in a whole number of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/religious-liberty-is-the-salt-and-light-that-has-made-us-the-great/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“But we know that true grace comes to us by costly sacrifice. And if God was willing to go to the cross and endure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/but-we-know-that-true-grace-comes-to-us-by-costly-sacrifice-and-if/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [Created in the awesome image of God, men and women know that life has a meaning beyond 'eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/created-in-the-awesome-image-of-god-men-and-women-know-that-life-has/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [I have no doubt, if people are really seeking the big questions, it will lead them to the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/i-have-no-doubt-if-people-are-really-seeking-the-big-questions-it/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“human beings were taken from the earth and don’t just consist of thin air and thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/human-beings-were-taken-from-the-earth-and-don-t-just-consist-of-thin/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“If you board the wrong train it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction. —DIETRICH BONHOEFFER”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/if-you-board-the-wrong-train-it-is-no-use-running-along-the-corridor/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“Some illustrations of the fine-tuning of our universe deal with the so-called four fundamental forces physicists talk about, and with which most laymen are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/some-illustrations-of-the-fine-tuning-of-our-universe-deal-with-the/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“Many years later, after Niemöller had been imprisoned for eight years in concentration camps as the personal prisoner of Adolf Hitler, he penned these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/many-years-later-after-niem-ller-had-been-imprisoned-for-eight-years/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [Today, Wilberforce University welcomes many of America's poorest and most underserved populations and transforms their educational dreams into realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/today-wilberforce-university-welcomes-many-of-america-s-poorest-and/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“Although I know full well and hear every day that many people think little of me and say that I only write little pamphlets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/although-i-know-full-well-and-hear-every-day-that-many-people-think/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“The line between courageous faith and foolish idealism is, almost by definition, one angstrom wide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/the-line-between-courageous-faith-and-foolish-idealism-is-almost-by/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [Part of my life's thesis is that we live in a culture that has bought into the patently silly idea that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/part-of-my-life-s-thesis-is-that-we-live-in-a-culture-that-has-bought/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [God designed humans to live in community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/god-designed-humans-to-live-in-community/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) [Explore all 219 Eric Metaxas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) ## More Apathy quotes > [If possible, I want to hear POLITICS defined without either sympathy or apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-possible-i-want-to-hear-politics-defined-without-either-sympathy/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Try to greet troubles with apathy. Hello's are never what they used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-swellers/try-to-greet-troubles-with-apathy-hello-s-are-never-what-they-used-to/) [The Swellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-swellers/) > [Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/apathy-can-be-overcome-by-enthusiasm/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [Insect politics, indifferent universe. Bang your head against the wall, but apathy is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/insect-politics-indifferent-universe-bang-your-head-against-the-wall/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [“And there's a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/and-there-s-a-freedom-in-apathy-a-wild-dizzying-liberation-on-which/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [“Just because a person is silent doesn’t mean there’s no message.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/just-because-a-person-is-silent-doesn-t-mean-there-s-no-message/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“If someone with a high level of authority were to ask me, "Suzy, how can we make people so incredibly stupid and apathetic, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-someone-with-a-high-level-of-authority-were-to-ask-me-suzy-how-can/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“It takes more than one kick in the pants to reverse a lifetime of unplanned apathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/it-takes-more-than-one-kick-in-the-pants-to-reverse-a-lifetime-of/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Use the apathy of your logic to solve your problems and then the passion of your soul to enjoy life after that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelos-michalopoulos/use-the-apathy-of-your-logic-to-solve-your-problems-and-then-the/) [Angelos Michalopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelos-michalopoulos/) > [“The fundamental basis by which the court’s decision might be made is, in itself, imperfect and subject to contradictions. There is very little consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-fundamental-basis-by-which-the-court-s-decision-might-be-made-is/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“The young woman had read a good many novels, and she had seen a good many films; this education by newspaper, serial and film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-renard/the-young-woman-had-read-a-good-many-novels-and-she-had-seen-a-good/) [Maurice Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-renard/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) [Browse all 619 Apathy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was not apathy or passiveness. 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