--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God does not keep his hands to himself…" description: "\"“God does not keep his hands to himself. Believe, or not; your neighbor’s belief will wound you just as surely as your own. The”\" — Erika Johansen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/erika-johansen-21873_faith_god-does-not-keep-his-hands-to-himself-b_1155467.jpg" --- # God does not keep his hands to himself. Believe, or not… ![“God does not keep his hands to himself. Believe, or not; your neighbor’s belief will wound you just as surely as your own. The” quote by Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/erika-johansen-21873_faith_god-does-not-keep-his-hands-to-himself-b_1155467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/erika-johansen-21873_faith_god-does-not-keep-his-hands-to-himself-b_1155467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/erika-johansen-21873_faith_god-does-not-keep-his-hands-to-himself-b_1155467.jpg) > ““God does not keep his hands to himself. Believe, or not; your neighbor’s belief will wound you just as surely as your own. The”” [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) ## 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 warns that imposing one's beliefs on others can cause harm, just as one's own beliefs can be hurtful. **In simple terms:** Beliefs can hurt others and yourself. Key Takeaway Respect others' beliefs to avoid causing pain. Themes religion interpersonal dynamics psychology Mood thoughtful cautionary Type ethical psychological When to use this quote - counseling sessions - interfaith dialogues - family discussions - online forums Key Concepts belief systems empathy boundaries Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle conflicts over belief? - What strategies promote respectful belief exchange? A Different Perspective People may resist changing deeply held beliefs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief Wound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-wound-3285505/) [Believe Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-neighbor-1788405/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [God Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-does/) [Hands Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands-believe-1398271/) [Neighbor Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor-belief-3285504/) ## Related quotes > [Belief is the wound that knowledge heals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/belief-is-the-wound-that-knowledge-heals/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“If there’s a disaster, do you go over to your neighbor’s house with: a) a covered dish or b) a shotgun? It’s game theory.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/if-there-s-a-disaster-do-you-go-over-to-your-neighbor-s-house-with-a/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“I know we don’t need everyone in the world to agree for this to work, but there’s got to be a critical mass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-know-we-don-t-need-everyone-in-the-world-to-agree-for-this-to-work/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“-You're pretty hard-boiled, Tinker Bell. -Call me that name again and you'll be wondering how your bollocks wound up lodged in your windpipe--from below.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/you-re-pretty-hard-boiled-tinker-bell-call-me-that-name-again-and-you/) [Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/) > [I lift my hands to believe again. You are my refuge. You are my strength. 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When we offer up all the stuff in our life to God and ask Him to do some housecleaning from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joann-durgin/one-thing-i-ve-learned-when-we-offer-up-all-the-stuff-in-our-life-to/) [JoAnn Durgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joann-durgin/) > [“God does not love us in our goodness; God loves us in our entirety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sj-james-f-keenan/god-does-not-love-us-in-our-goodness-god-loves-us-in-our-entirety/) [SJ, James F. Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sj-james-f-keenan/) > [There is no way for a human being to come to God that does not involve surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/there-is-no-way-for-a-human-being-to-come-to-god-that-does-not/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [God does not ask your ability Or your inability. He asks only your availability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/god-does-not-ask-your-ability-or-your-inability-he-asks-only-your/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [It turns out that the God whose word will stand forever does not exist to insure our fantasies that we will not have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/it-turns-out-that-the-god-whose-word-will-stand-forever-does-not/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-in-danger-of-forgetting-that-we-cannot-do-what-god-does-and/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“Scientists say that these things evolved this way over millions of years." He shook his head. "That's a bunch of bunk. I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-martin/scientists-say-that-these-things-evolved-this-way-over-millions-of/) [Charles Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-martin/) > [God does not redeem the personal man by death. He redeems himself by freeing himself from the personality of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-hartmann/god-does-not-redeem-the-personal-man-by-death-he-redeems-himself-by/) [Franz Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-hartmann/) ## More by Erika Johansen > [“You are special, everyone is special. But you are not better. All are valuable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/you-are-special-everyone-is-special-but-you-are-not-better-all-are/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“Even a book can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and when that happens, you blame the hands, but you also read the book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/even-a-book-can-be-dangerous-in-the-wrong-hands-and-when-that-happens/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“He doesn't need to be perfect, she decided suddenly. The idea is perfect, and the idea is bigger than the man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/he-doesn-t-need-to-be-perfect-she-decided-suddenly-the-idea-is/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“The mark of the true hero is that the most heroic of his deeds is done in secret. We never hear of it. 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""You never play around with history, because the change you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/the-butterfly-effect-deals-in-the-tendency-of-infinitesimal/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“Entire countries would close their borders and build walls to keep out phantom threats.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/entire-countries-would-close-their-borders-and-build-walls-to-keep/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“The mistake of utopia is to assume that all will be perfect. Perfection may be the definition, but we are human, and even into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/the-mistake-of-utopia-is-to-assume-that-all-will-be-perfect/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“The butterfly effect deals in the tendency of infinitesimal variations to amplify over time. ""You never play around with history, because the change you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/the-butterfly-effect-deals-in-the-tendency-of-infinitesimal-2/) [Erika johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“The mark of the true hero is that the most heroic of his deeds is done in secret. We never hear of it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/the-mark-of-the-true-hero-is-that-the-most-heroic-of-his-deeds-is-2/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“There was no quick and easy eradication of evil. There was only the passage of time, of generations, of people raising children who would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/there-was-no-quick-and-easy-eradication-of-evil-there-was-only-the/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) > [“They had fought and starved and even died in pursuit of mankind's oldest dream, but they hadn't known that Tear's vision was flawed. Too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-johansen/they-had-fought-and-starved-and-even-died-in-pursuit-of-mankind-s/) [Erika Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) [Explore all 27 Erika Johansen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-johansen/) ## More Faith quotes > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. 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