--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we had intellectual vigour enough to…" description: "\"If we had intellectual vigour enough to ascend from effects to causes, we would explain political, economical and social phenomena less by credit sheet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/fulton-j-sheen-675_attitude_if-we-had-intellectual-vigour-enough-to_639606.png" --- # If we had intellectual vigour enough to ascend from… ![“If we had intellectual vigour enough to ascend from effects to causes, we would explain political, economical and social phenomena less by credit sheets, balance of trade and reparations than by our attitude towards God.” quote by Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/fulton-j-sheen-675_attitude_if-we-had-intellectual-vigour-enough-to_639606.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/fulton-j-sheen-675_attitude_if-we-had-intellectual-vigour-enough-to_639606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/fulton-j-sheen-675_attitude_if-we-had-intellectual-vigour-enough-to_639606.png) > “If we had intellectual vigour enough to ascend from effects to causes, we would explain political, economical and social phenomena less by credit sheets, balance of trade and reparations than by our attitude towards God.” [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding causes rather than mere effects leads to deeper insight into societal issues, guided by spiritual perspective. **In simple terms:** Look beyond surface causes to spiritual roots. Key Takeaway Seek deeper causes, not just symptoms. Themes faith causality politics economics spirituality Mood contemplative hopeful serious Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - policy analysis - personal reflection - community building - ethical decision-making Key Concepts theology philosophy systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What role does faith play in your analysis? - Can cause causes be identified without spirituality? A Different Perspective Focusing only on spiritual causes may overlook practical solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Positive attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-attitude/) [Reparations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reparations/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) ## Related quotes > [A right attitude toward your family begins with a right attitude toward God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-right-attitude-toward-your-family-begins-with-a-right-attitude/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your attitude toward others, work, and your daily life is a reflection of your attitude toward God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/your-attitude-toward-others-work-and-your-daily-life-is-a-reflection/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [A wrong attitude toward nature implies, somewhere, a wrong attitude toward God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/a-wrong-attitude-toward-nature-implies-somewhere-a-wrong-attitude/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [To be meek and humble means to have a service attitude towards God, the Vaisnavas, and all living beings. Unless we have that, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/to-be-meek-and-humble-means-to-have-a-service-attitude-towards-god/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [A wrong attitude towards nature implies, somewhere, a wrong attitude towards God, and that the consequence is an inevitable doom. For a long enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/a-wrong-attitude-towards-nature-implies-somewhere-a-wrong-attitude/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [The right attitude is this: that I have my own will, yet I will the will of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/the-right-attitude-is-this-that-i-have-my-own-will-yet-i-will-the/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [Our attitude toward others reveals our genuine attitude toward God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/our-attitude-toward-others-reveals-our-genuine-attitude-toward-god/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [God doesn't want religious duty. He doesn't want a distracted, half-hearted, 'Fine, I'll read a chapter...now are You happy?' attitude. God wants His word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/god-doesn-t-want-religious-duty-he-doesn-t-want-a-distracted-half/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [“The Bible attitude is not that God sends sickness or that sickness is of the devil, but that sickness is a fact usable by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-bible-attitude-is-not-that-god-sends-sickness-or-that-sickness-is/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“if we resist God's right to rule our lives, if we doubt the goodness of his word, if we use one part of Scripture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-smith/if-we-resist-god-s-right-to-rule-our-lives-if-we-doubt-the-goodness/) Claire Smith > [So close was Christ's connection with God that he equated a man's attitude to himself with the man's attitude to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/so-close-was-christ-s-connection-with-god-that-he-equated-a-man-s/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“It may be difficult, but God will not allow a challenge to come into our lives unless He has a divine purpose for it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/it-may-be-difficult-but-god-will-not-allow-a-challenge-to-come-into/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“The enemy can use against you anything you feel you “have to have” to be happy. If you think you have to be married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/the-enemy-can-use-against-you-anything-you-feel-you-have-to-have-to/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“We are not free to love God insofar as we are enslaved to creatures. And we all are. We are addicted to whatever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/we-are-not-free-to-love-god-insofar-as-we-are-enslaved-to-creatures/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Each of us makes his own weather, determines the color of the skies in the emotional universe which he inhabits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/each-of-us-makes-his-own-weather-determines-the-color-of-the-skies-in/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) ## More by Fulton J. Sheen > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [There are 200 million poor in the world who would gladly take the vow of poverty if they could eat, dress and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/there-are-200-million-poor-in-the-world-who-would-gladly-take-the-vow/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Love is the key to the mystery. Love by its very nature is not selfish, but generous. It seeks not its own, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/love-is-the-key-to-the-mystery-love-by-its-very-nature-is-not-selfish/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“This is what Aristotle meant when he said that the object of science is the necessary and the universal; man and not this man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/this-is-what-aristotle-meant-when-he-said-that-the-object-of-science/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Pride is an admission of weakness; it secretly fears all competition and dreads all rivals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/pride-is-an-admission-of-weakness-it-secretly-fears-all-competition/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Calamity, war, famine, plague, death, adversity, disease, injury do not necessarily produce repentance. We may become better in a calamity but it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/calamity-war-famine-plague-death-adversity-disease-injury-do-not/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [No one has ever laughed at a pun who did not see in the one word a twofold meaning. To materialists this world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/no-one-has-ever-laughed-at-a-pun-who-did-not-see-in-the-one-word-a/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Love is a mutual self-giving which ends in self-recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/love-is-a-mutual-self-giving-which-ends-in-self-recovery/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-soviet-union-is-like-the-cross-without-christ-while-american/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“The 'fullness of reality' in the second sense of the term is perceived by a combination of both intellect and sense, the senses knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-fullness-of-reality-in-the-second-sense-of-the-term-is-perceived/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“The mathematical method is disinterested in the efficient cause and the final cause or the goodness of a thing and it should not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-mathematical-method-is-disinterested-in-the-efficient-cause-and/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“The Church makes no man less free than he was before. But we chiefly value freedom in order to give it away; every man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-church-makes-no-man-less-free-than-he-was-before-but-we-chiefly/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“To those who rejected Him, righteousness would one day appear as a terrible justice; to the sinful men who accepted Him and allied themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/to-those-who-rejected-him-righteousness-would-one-day-appear-as-a/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [It is easy to find truth, though it is hard to face it, and harder still to follow it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/it-is-easy-to-find-truth-though-it-is-hard-to-face-it-and-harder/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [One function of the angels is illumination, and the other function is that of being a guardian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/one-function-of-the-angels-is-illumination-and-the-other-function-is/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) [Explore all 414 Fulton J. Sheen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) Isaiah Harden (Me > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) Sheye Hassan > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we had intellectual vigour enough to ascend from effects to causes, we would explain political, economical and social phenomena less by credit sheets, balance of trade and reparations than by our attitude towards God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fulton J. 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