--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once the process [of conversion] is begun…" description: "\"Once the process [of conversion] is begun and continues...you are continually turning inward toward God and away from your own egocentricity...you have..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/flannery-o-connor-639_communication_once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun_2834541.png" --- # Once the process \[of conversion\] is begun and… ![“Once the process [of conversion] is begun and continues...you are continually turning inward toward God and away from your own egocentricity...you have to see this selfish side of yourself in order to turn away from it. I measure God by everything I am not. I begin with that.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/flannery-o-connor-639_communication_once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun_2834541.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/flannery-o-connor-639_communication_once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun_2834541.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/flannery-o-connor-639_communication_once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun_2834541.png) > “Once the process \[of conversion\] is begun and continues...you are continually turning inward toward God and away from your own egocentricity...you have to see this selfish side of yourself in order to turn away from it. I measure God by everything I am not. I begin with that.” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Turning inward away from ego reveals God; self‑knowledge leads to spiritual growth. **In simple terms:** Seeing selfishness shows divine truth. Key Takeaway Reflect on ego to find higher purpose. Themes spirituality ego self‑awareness growth Mood reflective serious Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - personal meditation - religious practice - counseling Key Concepts theology psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself resist change? - How does humility open you to the divine? A Different Perspective Ego can be hard to confront. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversion/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) ## Related quotes > [“On April 1, the Holy Spirit descended into the body of President Jerry Falwell I, who, it turned out, was in the last year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-attwood/on-april-1-the-holy-spirit-descended-into-the-body-of-president-jerry/) [Randy Attwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-attwood/) > [Woman must be the pioneer in this turning inward for strength. In a sense, she has always been the pioneer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/woman-must-be-the-pioneer-in-this-turning-inward-for-strength-in-a/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [I think people are turning inward more now cause the world's got in such a weird, crazy state. I think its making people think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-davies/i-think-people-are-turning-inward-more-now-cause-the-world-s-got-in/) [Dave Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-davies/) > [“I've learned that turning inward is where you develop emotional awareness. This is the place where you connect with your soul, to God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hocker/i-ve-learned-that-turning-inward-is-where-you-develop-emotional/) [Alice Hocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hocker/) > [Why in the case of the ear, is there withdrawal and turning inward, a making resonant, but in the case of the eye, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-nancy/why-in-the-case-of-the-ear-is-there-withdrawal-and-turning-inward-a/) Jean-Luc Nancy > [“Pain and anger have to go somewhere. If we keep stuffing them down instead of processing them, we’ll end up either turning them inward,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-velasquez/pain-and-anger-have-to-go-somewhere-if-we-keep-stuffing-them-down/) [Lizzie Velásquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-velasquez/) > [America is turning inward, and that's making the whole world a more dangerous place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-cupp/america-is-turning-inward-and-that-s-making-the-whole-world-a-more/) [S.E. Cupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-cupp/) > [“Isn't the easiest thing at this point to start living in a guarded, safe, controlled way? To sop taking risks and to be ruled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/isn-t-the-easiest-thing-at-this-point-to-start-living-in-a-guarded/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [We lived in Atlanta for a couple of years, and had a lot of fun, but my best work happens when I isolate myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washed-out/we-lived-in-atlanta-for-a-couple-of-years-and-had-a-lot-of-fun-but-my/) [Washed Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washed-out/) > [“A compulsive external search only leads us to the interpretation of another’s path. True identity and sustained harmony can only be achieved by turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hopkins/a-compulsive-external-search-only-leads-us-to-the-interpretation-of/) [Gary Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hopkins/) > [“Life is like walking a tightrope: A balance between turning inward Often enough to find your happy core And focusing outward Often enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/life-is-like-walking-a-tightrope-a-balance-between-turning-inward/) [Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/) > [“What would our hospitality look like if we believed that Jesus’s death on the cross was the measure of God’s compassion for someone?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-furman/what-would-our-hospitality-look-like-if-we-believed-that-jesus-s/) [Gloria Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-furman/) > [Do not measure God's mind by your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/do-not-measure-god-s-mind-by-your-own/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [“Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/think-of-the-purest-most-all-consuming-love-you-can-imagine-now/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [“The very measure of God's power in a believer's life is dependent on how much of his life is ordered by the Holy Ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-roberson/the-very-measure-of-god-s-power-in-a-believer-s-life-is-dependent-on/) Dave Roberson ## More by Flannery O'Connor > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis-except-to-tell-you-that-i/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/everything-that-gave-her-pleasure-was-small-and-depressed-him/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-the-hard-of-hearing-you-shout-and-for-the-almost-blind-you-draw/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“He felt his hunger no longer as a pain but as a tide. He felt it rising in himself through time and darkness, rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/he-felt-his-hunger-no-longer-as-a-pain-but-as-a-tide-he-felt-it/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/where-you-come-from-is-gone-where-you-thought-you-were-going-to-never/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/technique-in-the-minds-of-many-is-something-rigid-something-like-a/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“There are all kinds of truth ... but behind all of them there is only one truth and that is that there's no truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/there-are-all-kinds-of-truth-but-behind-all-of-them-there-is-only-one/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Mrs. May winced. She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. Their father had gone to a one-room schoolhouse through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/she-had-observed-that-the-more-education-they-got-the-less-they-could/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [One of the awful things about writing when you are a Christian is that for you the ultimate reality is the Incarnation, the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/one-of-the-awful-things-about-writing-when-you-are-a-christian-is/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Hazel Motes sat at a forward angel on the green plush train seat, looking one minute at the window as if he might want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/hazel-motes-sat-at-a-forward-angel-on-the-green-plush-train-seat/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) [Explore all 432 Flannery O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once the process [of conversion] is begun and continues...you are continually turning inward toward God and away from your own egocentricity...you have to see this selfish side of yourself in order to turn away from it. I measure God by everything I am not. I begin with that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Flannery O'Connor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun-and-continues-you-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun-and-continues-you-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/flannery-o-connor-639_communication_once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun_2834541.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/flannery-o-connor-639_communication_once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun_2834541.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/flannery-o-connor-639_communication_once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun_2834541.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once the process [of conversion] is begun and continues...you are continually turning inward toward God and…” — Flannery O'Connor", "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": "Flannery O'Connor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Once the process [of conversion] is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun-and-continues-you-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/once-the-process-of-conversion-is-begun-and-continues-you-are/#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 } } ] } ```