--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For outlandish creatures like us, on our…" description: "\"For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a brain, and courage, Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning - not hom..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/frederick-buechner-883_advent_for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our_2714827.png" --- # For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a… ![“For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a brain, and courage, Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning - not home but the place through which we must pass if ever we are to reach home at last.” quote by Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/frederick-buechner-883_advent_for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our_2714827.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/frederick-buechner-883_advent_for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our_2714827.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/frederick-buechner-883_advent_for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our_2714827.png) > “For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a brain, and courage, Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning - not home but the place through which we must pass if ever we are to reach home at last.” [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s spiritual journey continues beyond symbolic milestones; true home is reached through ongoing growth and purpose. **In simple terms:** Spiritual growth continues after milestones. Key Takeaway Seek ongoing purpose beyond symbols. Themes spirituality journey purpose Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal transformation - faith practice - life transitions - goal setting Key Concepts theology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What symbolic “end” are you clinging to? - How can you view milestones as waypoints, not destinations? A Different Perspective Milestones may give false closure, hindering further growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advent/) [Bethlehem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bethlehem/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Courage Bethlehem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage-bethlehem-2835950/) [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [End Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-journey/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Outlandish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlandish/) [Reach Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reach-home-1183999/) [Road](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/road/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [This Advent we look to the Wise Men to teach us where to focus our attention. We set our sights on things above, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zimmermann/this-advent-we-look-to-the-wise-men-to-teach-us-where-to-focus-our/) [Mark Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zimmermann/) > [Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem. May we let ourselves be drawn by the light of God made man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/advent-is-a-journey-towards-bethlehem-may-we-let-ourselves-be-drawn/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [We have to stumble through so much dirt and humbug before we reach home. And we have no one to guide us. Our only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/we-have-to-stumble-through-so-much-dirt-and-humbug-before-we-reach/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [In order to reach home, where you have the guidance of cosmic insight, you must first depart from your present location. You cannot remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/in-order-to-reach-home-where-you-have-the-guidance-of-cosmic-insight/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [“I crossed seas, mountains to reach the home of my loved one. Yet I crossed my limitation, the fact I thought before I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-prilogan/i-crossed-seas-mountains-to-reach-the-home-of-my-loved-one-yet-i/) [Simona Prilogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-prilogan/) > [“Ah, Harry, we have to stumble through so much dirt and humbug before we reach home. And we have no one to guide us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/ah-harry-we-have-to-stumble-through-so-much-dirt-and-humbug-before-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“You know that you will reach your home in My perfect timing: not one moment too soon or too late. Let the hope of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-young/you-know-that-you-will-reach-your-home-in-my-perfect-timing-not-one/) [Sarah Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-young/) > [“The conversations rests uneasily; one doesn't expect good-byes to be burdened by such trivialities. This is not how it is in the books, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mason/the-conversations-rests-uneasily-one-doesn-t-expect-good-byes-to-be/) [Daniel Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mason/) > [Home is the place you return to when you have finally lost your soul. Home is the place where life is born, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/home-is-the-place-you-return-to-when-you-have-finally-lost-your-soul/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) > [“Once we have seen Him in a stable, we can never be sure where He will appear or to what lengths he will go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/once-we-have-seen-him-in-a-stable-we-can-never-be-sure-where-he-will/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [“The real turning point in human history is less apt to be the day the wheel is invented or Rome falls than the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-real-turning-point-in-human-history-is-less-apt-to-be-the-day-the/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-silence-of-a-midwinter-dusk-there-is-a-sound-so-faint-that-for/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [“The house lights go off and the footlights come on. Even the chattiest stop chattering as they wait in darkness for the curtain to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-house-lights-go-off-and-the-footlights-come-on-even-the-chattiest/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangfroid-stalker/end-no-the-journey-doesn-t-end-here-death-is-just-another-path-one/) [SangFroid Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangfroid-stalker/) > [They spoke less and less between them until at last they were silent altogether as is often the way with travelers approaching the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-spoke-less-and-less-between-them-until-at-last-they-were-silent/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More by Frederick Buechner > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it didfor millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-impossible-to-conceive-how-different-things-would-have-turned/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [At least to look back over their own lives, as I have looked back over mine, for certain themes and patterns and signals that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/at-least-to-look-back-over-their-own-lives-as-i-have-looked-back-over/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Snobs are people who look down on other people, but that does not justify our looking down on them. Who can say what dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/snobs-are-people-who-look-down-on-other-people-but-that-does-not/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [I could, of course, have done no more if no less than affiliated myself in one way or another with a particular church, could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/i-could-of-course-have-done-no-more-if-no-less-than-affiliated-myself/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Even the saddest things can become, once we have made peace with them, a source of wisdom and strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/even-the-saddest-things-can-become-once-we-have-made-peace-with-them/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [A Christian isn't necessarily any nicer than anybody else, just better informed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/a-christian-isn-t-necessarily-any-nicer-than-anybody-else-just-better/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [“The things that the world fills time with are enough to turn the heart to stone, but the goodness of time itself is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-things-that-the-world-fills-time-with-are-enough-to-turn-the/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The pride that keeps us from forgiving is the same pride which keeps us from accepting forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-pride-that-keeps-us-from-forgiving-is-the-same-pride-which-keeps/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but a the same time you carry them with you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/you-can-kiss-your-family-and-friends-good-bye-and-put-miles-between/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [If the truth is worth telling, it is worth making a fool of yourself to tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/if-the-truth-is-worth-telling-it-is-worth-making-a-fool-of-yourself/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [I suspect that Jesus spoke many of his parables as a kind of sad and holy joke and that that may be part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/i-suspect-that-jesus-spoke-many-of-his-parables-as-a-kind-of-sad-and/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [“How Adewen stuffed her braid in her mouth at that! Or she'd cover her mirth with her hands and shake till you'd think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/how-adewen-stuffed-her-braid-in-her-mouth-at-that-or-she-d-cover-her/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/resurrection-means-that-the-worst-thing-is-never-the-last-thing/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) [Explore all 339 Frederick Buechner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) ## More Advent quotes > [“Liturgy gathers the holy community as it reads the Holy Scriptures into the sweeping tidal rhythms of the church year in which the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/liturgy-gathers-the-holy-community-as-it-reads-the-holy-scriptures/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [“History reveals that times of suffering for the church have also been times of looking upward. Tribulation has always sobered God’s people and encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/history-reveals-that-times-of-suffering-for-the-church-have-also-been/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [Advent is patience it's how God has made us a people of promise, in a world of impatience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/advent-is-patience-it-s-how-god-has-made-us-a-people-of-promise-in-a/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [ Hypertext makes a virtue out of lack of organization, allowing ideas and thoughts to be juxtaposed at will. \[...\] The advent of hypertext is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-norman/hypertext-makes-a-virtue-out-of-lack-of-organization-allowing-ideas/) [Donald A. Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-a-norman/) > [Critics of the war plans (including myself) have pointed to the disastrous political results that must be expected: Iraq would break into three parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uri-avnery/critics-of-the-war-plans-including-myself-have-pointed-to-the/) [Uri Avnery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uri-avnery/) > [The true sovereign is not the American president nor the English king, but the Lord of the Second Advent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/the-true-sovereign-is-not-the-american-president-nor-the-english-king/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) > [For years, particularly with the advent of the Internet, people have been griping about lessening attention spans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/for-years-particularly-with-the-advent-of-the-internet-people-have/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [“It is now, at Advent, that I am given the chance to suspend all expectation...and instead to revel in the mystery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerusalem-jackson-greer/it-is-now-at-advent-that-i-am-given-the-chance-to-suspend-all/) [Jerusalem Jackson Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerusalem-jackson-greer/) > [“On this eve of Christmas, whether you feel yourself to be surrounded by earthly blessings or whether you feel your blessings to be few,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-van-der-vinne/on-this-eve-of-christmas-whether-you-feel-yourself-to-be-surrounded/) [Kerry van der Vinne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-van-der-vinne/) > [If you thought the advent of the Internet, the spread of cheap and efficient information technology, and the growing fragmentation of the consumer market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/if-you-thought-the-advent-of-the-internet-the-spread-of-cheap-and/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [I think there is no doubt that the advent of 24/7 news channels, which are voracious in their demand for constant new content, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-think-there-is-no-doubt-that-the-advent-of-24-7-news-channels-which/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [The advent of AIDS circa 1980 has really forced medicine and biology to take enormous steps just for sheer survival. The same way war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-di-filippo/the-advent-of-aids-circa-1980-has-really-forced-medicine-and-biology/) [Paul Di Filippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-di-filippo/) > [“I believe deeply that God does his best work in our lives during times of great heartbreak and loss, and I believe that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-believe-deeply-that-god-does-his-best-work-in-our-lives-during/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Equality is the share of every one at their advent upon earth, and equality is also theirs when placed beneath it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninon-de-l-enclos/equality-is-the-share-of-every-one-at-their-advent-upon-earth-and/) [Ninon de L'Enclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninon-de-l-enclos/) [Browse all 258 Advent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a brain, and courage, Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning - not home but the place through which we must pass if ever we are to reach home at last.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frederick Buechner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our-way-to-a-heart-a-brain-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our-way-to-a-heart-a-brain-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/frederick-buechner-883_advent_for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our_2714827.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/frederick-buechner-883_advent_for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our_2714827.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/frederick-buechner-883_advent_for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our_2714827.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a brain, and courage, Bethlehem is not the end of…” — Frederick Buechner", "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": "Frederick Buechner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For outlandish creatures like us, on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our-way-to-a-heart-a-brain-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/for-outlandish-creatures-like-us-on-our-way-to-a-heart-a-brain-and/#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 } } ] } ```