--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And human love needs human meriting: How…" description: "\"“And human love needs human meriting: How has thou merited- Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot? Alack, thou knowest not How little worthy of a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/francis-thompson-19986_god-s-love_and-human-love-needs-human-meriting-how_1636693.jpg" --- # And human love needs human meriting: How has thou merited… ![“And human love needs human meriting: How has thou merited- Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot? Alack, thou knowest not How little worthy of any love thou art! Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee Save Me, save only Me?” quote by Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/francis-thompson-19986_god-s-love_and-human-love-needs-human-meriting-how_1636693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/francis-thompson-19986_god-s-love_and-human-love-needs-human-meriting-how_1636693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/francis-thompson-19986_god-s-love_and-human-love-needs-human-meriting-how_1636693.jpg) > ““And human love needs human meriting: How has thou merited- Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot? Alack, thou knowest not How little worthy of any love thou art! Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee Save Me, save only Me?”” [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love demands worthiness; the speaker feels unlovable and seeks redemption through divine love. **In simple terms:** Love requires merit; the speaker feels unworthy and seeks salvation. Key Takeaway Seek self-worth and divine grace. Themes love worthiness redemption spirituality Mood melancholic hopeful Type poetic spiritual When to use this quote - personal crisis - spiritual seeking - relationship doubts Key Concepts self-esteem divine love human frailty Questions to Reflect On - Can love be unconditional? - What defines true worthiness? A Different Perspective Human love is often conditional, limiting compassion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee Save Me, save only Me? All which I took from thee I did but take, Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/whom-wilt-thou-find-to-love-ignoble-thee-save-me-save-only-me-all/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [“We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods: then they become demons. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/we-may-give-our-human-loves-the-unconditional-allegiance-which-we-owe/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [God has no needs. Human love, as Plato teaches us, is the child of Poverty – of want or lack; it is caused by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-has-no-needs-human-love-as-plato-teaches-us-is-the-child-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Marilla felt more embarrassed than ever. She had intended to teach Anne the childish classic, "Now I lay me down to sleep." But she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/marilla-felt-more-embarrassed-than-ever-she-had-intended-to-teach/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [It is the "where I am" that makes heaven. The life after death might become through its very endlessness a burden to our spirits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maltbie-davenport-babcock/it-is-the-where-i-am-that-makes-heaven-the-life-after-death-might/) [Maltbie Davenport Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maltbie-davenport-babcock/) > [“The same God who loves us as we are also loves us to much to leave us as we are. Perhpas because we tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-langford/the-same-god-who-loves-us-as-we-are-also-loves-us-to-much-to-leave-us/) Joseph Langford > [O SON OF MAN! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baha-u-llah/o-son-of-man-i-loved-thy-creation-hence-i-created-thee-wherefore-do/) [Bahá'u'lláh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baha-u-llah/) > [“Marry, if you would put me to verses or to dance for your sake, Kate, why you undid me: for the one, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/marry-if-you-would-put-me-to-verses-or-to-dance-for-your-sake-kate/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“If thou must love me, let it be for naught Except for love's sake only. Do not say, 'I love her for her smile—her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/if-thou-must-love-me-let-it-be-for-naught-except-for-love-s-sake-only/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Stern daughter of the voice of God! O Duty! if that name thou love Who art a light to guide, a rod To check…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/stern-daughter-of-the-voice-of-god-o-duty-if-that-name-thou-love-who/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Whatever dies, was not mix'd equally ;If our two loves be one, or thou and I Love so alike that none can slacken, none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/whatever-dies-was-not-mix-d-equally-if-our-two-loves-be-one-or-thou/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [If thou love each thing thou wilt perceive the mystery of God in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/if-thou-love-each-thing-thou-wilt-perceive-the-mystery-of-god-in-all/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [Once for all, then, a short precept is given thee: Love, and do what thou wilt: whether thou hold thy peace, through love hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-for-all-then-a-short-precept-is-given-thee-love-and-do-what-thou/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some swore he was a maid in man's attire, For in his looks were all that men desire, A pleasant smiling cheeke, a speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/some-swore-he-was-a-maid-in-man-s-attire-for-in-his-looks-were-all/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“I come not, Ambrosia for any of the purposes thou hast named," replied Marcela, "but to defend myself and to prove how unreasonable are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cervantes/i-come-not-ambrosia-for-any-of-the-purposes-thou-hast-named-replied/) [Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cervantes/) ## More by Francis Thompson > [Babies breathe a lot more rapidly than adults do, and what's more, they're also growing quickly and so they're absorbing lots more into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/babies-breathe-a-lot-more-rapidly-than-adults-do-and-what-s-more-they/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [And left the flushed print in a poppy there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/and-left-the-flushed-print-in-a-poppy-there/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [Look for me in the nurseries of Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/look-for-me-in-the-nurseries-of-heaven/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [“The fairest things have fleetest end, Their scent survives their close: But the rose's scent is bitterness To her who loved the rose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/the-fairest-things-have-fleetest-end-their-scent-survives-their-close-2/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [“Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee Save Me, save only Me? All which I took from thee I did but take, Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/whom-wilt-thou-find-to-love-ignoble-thee-save-me-save-only-me-all/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [“ A Corymbus for Autumn How are the veins of thee, Autumn, laden? Umbered juices, And pulpèd oozes Pappy out of the cherry-bruises, Froth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/a-corymbus-for-autumn-how-are-the-veins-of-thee-autumn-laden-umbered/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [But lilies, stolen from grassy mold, No more curled state unfold, Translated to a vase of gold; In burning throne though they keep still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/but-lilies-stolen-from-grassy-mold-no-more-curled-state-unfold/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [Happiness is the shadow of things past, Wich fools still take for that which is to be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/happiness-is-the-shadow-of-things-past-wich-fools-still-take-for-that/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [An atheist is a man who believes himself an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/an-atheist-is-a-man-who-believes-himself-an-accident/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [Oh invisible, we view thee, O world intangible, we touch thee, o world unknowable, we know thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/oh-invisible-we-view-thee-o-world-intangible-we-touch-thee-o-world/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [“I fled Him down the nights and down the days I fled Him down the arches of the years I fled Him down the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/i-fled-him-down-the-nights-and-down-the-days-i-fled-him-down-the/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [The devil doesn't know how to sing, only how to howl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/the-devil-doesn-t-know-how-to-sing-only-how-to-howl/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [Agnosticism is the everlasting perhaps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/agnosticism-is-the-everlasting-perhaps/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [Baby smiled, mother wailed, Earthward while the sweetling sailed; Mother smiled, baby wailed, When to earth came Viola.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/baby-smiled-mother-wailed-earthward-while-the-sweetling-sailed-mother/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [In all change, well looked into, the germinal good out-veils the apparent ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/in-all-change-well-looked-into-the-germinal-good-out-veils-the/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) [Explore all 31 Francis Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) ## More God-s-love quotes > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [God's love is as objective as light. Because the sun in a sense is light, or the source of light rather than being lit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-love-is-as-objective-as-light-because-the-sun-in-a-sense-is/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods: then they become demons. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/we-may-give-our-human-loves-the-unconditional-allegiance-which-we-owe/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [By experience; by a sense of human frailty; by a perception of "the soul of goodness in things evil;" by a cheerful trust in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-robertson/by-experience-by-a-sense-of-human-frailty-by-a-perception-of-the-soul/) [Frederick William Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-william-robertson/) > [“There is nothing we could ever do to make God love us more; there is nothing we can do to make Him love us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-burroughs/there-is-nothing-we-could-ever-do-to-make-god-love-us-more-there-is/) [Dillon Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-burroughs/) > [ “\[THE DAILY BREATH\] I love the ending of the novel "The Shack" by William Young. Mackenzie, the main character, encounters Jesus during his near-death… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/the-daily-breath-i-love-the-ending-of-the-novel-the-shack-by-william/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [God's love never ceases. Never... God doesn't love us less if we fail or more if we succeed. God's love never ceases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/god-s-love-never-ceases-never-god-doesn-t-love-us-less-if-we-fail-or/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you want those around you to accept God and His many gifts, first accept His love for you. Then help build an environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mangan/if-you-want-those-around-you-to-accept-god-and-his-many-gifts-first/) David Mangan > [There's no limit to God's love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/there-s-no-limit-to-god-s-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [God's love is not wearied by our sins & is relentless in its determination that we be cured at whatever cost to us or Him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/god-s-love-is-not-wearied-by-our-sins-is-relentless-in-its/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [And the reason is found in the first lie - the lie which you hold as the truth about God - that God cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/and-the-reason-is-found-in-the-first-lie-the-lie-which-you-hold-as/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [ATTRIBUTES OF GOD Because God is spirit...I will seek intimate fellowship with Him. Because God is all-powerful...He can help me with anything. Because God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-william-r-bright/attributes-of-god-because-god-is-spirit-i-will-seek-intimate/) Dr William R Bright > [If other people choose to believe because I do, great. I want to show people God's love through what I do and who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-aiken/if-other-people-choose-to-believe-because-i-do-great-i-want-to-show/) [Clay Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-aiken/) > [God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/god-s-love-is-there-for-you-whether-or-not-you-feel-you-deserve-love/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [Jesus says, "Keep your heart on the kingdom first. Keep your heart on God's love. Keep focused on the fact that you are God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/jesus-says-keep-your-heart-on-the-kingdom-first-keep-your-heart-on/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) Browse all 494 God-s-love quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And human love needs human meriting: How has thou merited- Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot? Alack, thou knowest not How little worthy of any love thou art! 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