--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the dignity of human life is…" description: "\"But the dignity of human life is unbreakably linked to the existence of the personal-infinite God. It is because there is a personal-infinite God who h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/francis-schaeffer-2607_authority_but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreak_2899379.jpg" --- # But the dignity of human life is unbreakably linked to the… ![“But the dignity of human life is unbreakably linked to the existence of the personal-infinite God. It is because there is a personal-infinite God who has made men and women in His own image that they have a unique dignity of life as human beings. Human life then is filled with dignity, and the…” quote by Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/francis-schaeffer-2607_authority_but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreak_2899379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/francis-schaeffer-2607_authority_but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreak_2899379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/francis-schaeffer-2607_authority_but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreak_2899379.jpg) > “But the dignity of human life is unbreakably linked to the existence of the personal-infinite God. It is because there is a personal-infinite God who has made men and women in His own image that they have a unique dignity of life as human beings. Human life then is filled with dignity, and the state and humanistically oriented law have no right and no authority to take human life arbitrarily in the way it is being taken.” [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human dignity is rooted in being created in God's image, so life is sacred and cannot be arbitrarily taken by law. **In simple terms:** Human life is sacred because we reflect God. Key Takeaway Protect life, limit state power over it. Themes dignity human rights theology Mood serious reflective Type ethical theological When to use this quote - medical ethics debates - legislative policy - public protests - court cases - faith‑based advocacy Key Concepts anthropology ethics theology of personhood Questions to Reflect On - How should societies define the limits of state authority over life? - What role does religious belief play in public policy? A Different Perspective Balancing individual autonomy with collective moral standards is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Being human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-human/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) ## Related quotes > [I'm saying that people who are enmeshed in situations of subjugation and have to live, have to find ways to project their dignity as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-taylor/i-m-saying-that-people-who-are-enmeshed-in-situations-of-subjugation/) [Cecil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-taylor/) > [Above all, we value the dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person, and share the hope of every soul to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/above-all-we-value-the-dignity-of-every-human-life-protect-the-rights/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“He’d valued his dignity more than his own life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyeonseo-lee/he-d-valued-his-dignity-more-than-his-own-life/) [Hyeonseo Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyeonseo-lee/) > [We must appreciate the dignity of life in all its seasons, even the path of the elderly in the twilight of their years, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-must-appreciate-the-dignity-of-life-in-all-its-seasons-even-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The call to the creative life is a call to dignity, to a life of vulnerability and adventure and the call to a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-call-to-the-creative-life-is-a-call-to-dignity-to-a-life-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we value so highly the dignity of life, how can we not also value the dignity of death No death may be called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/if-we-value-so-highly-the-dignity-of-life-how-can-we-not-also-value/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [The greatest dignity to be found in death is the dignity of the life that preceded it. This is a form of hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/the-greatest-dignity-to-be-found-in-death-is-the-dignity-of-the-life/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/only-morality-in-our-actions-can-give-beauty-and-dignity-to-life/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Life is a series of problems to figure out how to solve gracefully and with dignity. That is what life is and I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-mann/life-is-a-series-of-problems-to-figure-out-how-to-solve-gracefully/) [Aimee Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-mann/) > [“Just because I wasn’t human, didn’t mean I could discount human life. (Eric)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-a-thompson/just-because-i-wasn-t-human-didn-t-mean-i-could-discount-human-life/) [Shannon A. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-a-thompson/) > [There is no dignity when the human dimension is eliminated from the person. In short, the problem with pornography is not that it shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/there-is-no-dignity-when-the-human-dimension-is-eliminated-from-the/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [Human dignity is the same for all human beings: when I trample on the dignity of another, I am trampling on my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/human-dignity-is-the-same-for-all-human-beings-when-i-trample-on-the/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Dignity of human nature requires that we must face the storms of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/dignity-of-human-nature-requires-that-we-must-face-the-storms-of-life/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Joy is found when you focus your energy on improving human dignity, human capacity and human values.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/joy-is-found-when-you-focus-your-energy-on-improving-human-dignity/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [If we want a free and peaceful world, if we want to make the deserts bloom and man grow to greater dignity as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/if-we-want-a-free-and-peaceful-world-if-we-want-to-make-the-deserts/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) ## More by Francis Schaeffer > [Jesus taught that the mark of the Christian is the observable love shown among all true believers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/jesus-taught-that-the-mark-of-the-christian-is-the-observable-love/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [As evangelical Christians we have tended to relegate art to the very fringe of life. The rest of human life we feel is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/as-evangelical-christians-we-have-tended-to-relegate-art-to-the-very/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [Belief does not change what is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/belief-does-not-change-what-is/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [The overall way of thinking in the United States has shifted away from basic Biblical values, and the media share in the responsibility for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/the-overall-way-of-thinking-in-the-united-states-has-shifted-away/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [In God's world the individual counts. Therefore, Christian art should deal with the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/in-god-s-world-the-individual-counts-therefore-christian-art-should/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [As evangelical Christians, we have tended to relegate art to the very fringe of life. The rest of human life we feel is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/as-evangelical-christians-we-have-tended-to-relegate-art-to-the-very-2/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [In the 20th century, evangelical Christians in America have naively accepted the role assigned to us by an anti-religious, anti-Christian consensus in our society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/in-the-20th-century-evangelical-christians-in-america-have-naively/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [Humanism is not wrong in its cry for sociological healing, but humanism is not producing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/humanism-is-not-wrong-in-its-cry-for-sociological-healing-but/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [To die is to be with the Lord. It is not just an idea, it is a reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/to-die-is-to-be-with-the-lord-it-is-not-just-an-idea-it-is-a-reality/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [The purpose of apologetics is not just to win an argument or a discussion, but that people with whom we are in contact may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/the-purpose-of-apologetics-is-not-just-to-win-an-argument-or-a/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [If the church is what it should be, young people will be there. But they will not just 'be there' - they will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/if-the-church-is-what-it-should-be-young-people-will-be-there-but/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [With the Fall all became abnormal. It is not just that the individual is separated from God by his true moral guilt, but each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/with-the-fall-all-became-abnormal-it-is-not-just-that-the-individual/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [There is nothing more ugly than an orthodoxy without understanding or compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/there-is-nothing-more-ugly-than-an-orthodoxy-without-understanding-or/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [This is not an age in which to be a soft Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/this-is-not-an-age-in-which-to-be-a-soft-christian/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [The great distinction of a true Christian is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How careful should he be, lest anything in his thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/the-great-distinction-of-a-true-christian-is-the-indwelling-of-the/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) [Explore all 158 Francis Schaeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But the dignity of human life is unbreakably linked to the existence of the personal-infinite God. It is because there is a personal-infinite God who has made men and women in His own image that they have a unique dignity of life as human beings. Human life then is filled with dignity, and the state and humanistically oriented law have no right and no authority to take human life arbitrarily in the way it is being taken.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis Schaeffer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreakably-linked-to-the-existence/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authority" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreakably-linked-to-the-existence/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/francis-schaeffer-2607_authority_but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreak_2899379.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/francis-schaeffer-2607_authority_but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreak_2899379.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/francis-schaeffer-2607_authority_but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreak_2899379.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But the dignity of human life is unbreakably linked to the existence of the personal-infinite God. It is…” — Francis Schaeffer", "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": "Francis Schaeffer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But the dignity of human life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreakably-linked-to-the-existence/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/but-the-dignity-of-human-life-is-unbreakably-linked-to-the-existence/#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 } } ] } ```