--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did, indeed, retain a cloudy reverence…" description: "\"“I did, indeed, retain a cloudy reverence for a cosmic deity and a great historical interest in the Founder of Christianity. But I certainly regarded H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/g-k-chesterton-224_quote_i-did-indeed-retain-a-cloudy-reverence-f_1329633.jpg" --- # I did, indeed, retain a cloudy reverence for a cosmic… ![“I did, indeed, retain a cloudy reverence for a cosmic deity and a great historical interest in the Founder of Christianity. But I certainly regarded Him as a man; though perhaps I thought that, even in that point, He had an advantage over some of His modern critics.” quote by G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/g-k-chesterton-224_quote_i-did-indeed-retain-a-cloudy-reverence-f_1329633.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/g-k-chesterton-224_quote_i-did-indeed-retain-a-cloudy-reverence-f_1329633.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/g-k-chesterton-224_quote_i-did-indeed-retain-a-cloudy-reverence-f_1329633.jpg) > ““I did, indeed, retain a cloudy reverence for a cosmic deity and a great historical interest in the Founder of Christianity. But I certainly regarded Him as a man; though perhaps I thought that, even in that point, He had an advantage over some of His modern critics.”” [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even if divine, the founder is viewed as a human with unique insights. **In simple terms:** Humanize religious figures. Key Takeaway Recognize both humanity and influence of leaders. Themes religion history humanity Mood thoughtful respectful Type theological historical When to use this quote - faith discussions - educational curricula - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts theology historical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing a founder as human affect belief? - What balance between humanity and divinity is appropriate? A Different Perspective Risk of diminishing sacred reverence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cosmic Deity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmic-deity-4456968/) [Deity Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deity-great-4456969/) [Man Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-thought/) [Regarded Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regarded-man-1347534/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) ## Related quotes > [Existence alone had never been enough for him; he had always wanted more. 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One man. Or one woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-o-neal/one-man-she-thought-then-could-build-or-destroy-could-change-time-and/) [Barbara O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-o-neal/) > [It's the man I thought you were that I can't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-skaj/it-s-the-man-i-thought-you-were-that-i-can-t-let-go/) [Ann Skaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-skaj/) > [The reality of man is his thought, not his material body. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although man is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/the-reality-of-man-is-his-thought-not-his-material-body-the-thought/) [Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/) > [“I've heard two ways of looking at it. 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If I were to say that today's tomatoes were an index of the decline of Western man I should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/i-had-a-salad-if-i-were-to-say-that-today-s-tomatoes-were-an-index-of/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“How many of us have gazed at a man and thought, ‘yes, him,’ only to have him pay his attentions to someone else? And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-enoch/how-many-of-us-have-gazed-at-a-man-and-thought-yes-him-only-to-have/) [Suzanne Enoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-enoch/) ## More by G.K. Chesterton > [“I never use paradox. The statements I make are wearisome and obvious common sense. I have even been driven to the tedium of reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/i-never-use-paradox-the-statements-i-make-are-wearisome-and-obvious/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Nothing, again, could be more prosaic and impenetrable than the domestic energies of Miss Diana Duke. But Innocent had somehow blundered on the discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/nothing-again-could-be-more-prosaic-and-impenetrable-than-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“The mass of men have been forced to be gay about the little things, but sad about the big ones. Nevertheless (I offer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-mass-of-men-have-been-forced-to-be-gay-about-the-little-things/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“ask yourself how many people you have met who grumbled at a thing as incurable, and how many who attacked it as curable? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/ask-yourself-how-many-people-you-have-met-who-grumbled-at-a-thing-as/) [G.K. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“There was a short railway official travelling up to the terminus, three fairly short market-gardeners picked up two stations afterwards, one very short widow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-was-a-short-railway-official-travelling-up-to-the-terminus/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/humility-is-the-mother-of-giants-one-sees-great-things-from-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/anything-worth-doing-is-worth-doing-badly/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-exists-in-such-a-case-a-certain-institution-or-law-let-us-say/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Man, by a blind instinct, knew that if once things were wildly questioned, reason could be questioned first. The authority of priests to absolve,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/man-by-a-blind-instinct-knew-that-if-once-things-were-wildly/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-is-idle-to-talk-always-of-the-alternative-of-reason-and-faith/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“But in order that life should be a story or romance to us, it is necessary that a great part of it, at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/but-in-order-that-life-should-be-a-story-or-romance-to-us-it-is/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Buddhism seeks after God with the largest conception it can find, the all-producing and all-absorbing One; Christianity seeks after God with the most elementary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/buddhism-seeks-after-god-with-the-largest-conception-it-can-find-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Man is more himself, more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing and grief superficial.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/man-is-more-himself-more-manlike-when-joy-is-the-fundamental-thing/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) [Explore all 853 G.K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) ## More Reverence quotes > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [... we need to interrogate "reverence," for idolization can be another way one is objectified and not really taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/we-need-to-interrogate-reverence-for-idolization-can-be-another-way/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [The man who builds a factory builds a temple, that the man who works there worships there, and to each is due, not scorn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/the-man-who-builds-a-factory-builds-a-temple-that-the-man-who-works/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [As we contemplate with reverence and awe how our Savior embraces us, comforts us, and heals us, let us commit to become His hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/as-we-contemplate-with-reverence-and-awe-how-our-savior-embraces-us/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [We must turn back to God. We have thrown God out of our homes, schools, colleges and universities and the vacuum so created has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-j-p-vaswani-2/we-must-turn-back-to-god-we-have-thrown-god-out-of-our-homes-schools/) [Dada J P Vaswani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-j-p-vaswani-2/) > [If we want revivals, we must revive our reverence for the Word of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-we-want-revivals-we-must-revive-our-reverence-for-the-word-of-god/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [All religious vows, codes, and commitments are null & void herein. Please refrain from contaminating the ideosphere with harmful memes through prayer, reverence, holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-erwin/all-religious-vows-codes-and-commitments-are-null-void-herein-please/) [Greg Erwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-erwin/) > [People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/people-of-our-time-are-losing-the-power-of-celebration-instead-of/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [Reverence is an attitude of honoring life. Reverence automatically brings forth patience. Reverence permits non-judgemental justice. Reverence is a perception of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/reverence-is-an-attitude-of-honoring-life-reverence-automatically/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached...let us not rush into God’s presence careless, reckless, and unprepared, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/sunday-morning-before-we-go-to-hear-the-word-of-god-preached-let-us/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [Reverence is fatal to literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/reverence-is-fatal-to-literature/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Does not every true man feel that he is himself made higher by doing reverence to what is really above him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/does-not-every-true-man-feel-that-he-is-himself-made-higher-by-doing/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [No parent can consistently teach faith in Christ who profanes the name of Deity. Profanity is never heard in the well-ordered home. Swearing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/no-parent-can-consistently-teach-faith-in-christ-who-profanes-the/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > ["Civilization" has been thrust upon me since the days of the reservations, and it has not added one whit to my sense of justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-standing-bear/civilization-has-been-thrust-upon-me-since-the-days-of-the/) [Luther Standing Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-standing-bear/) [Browse all 883 Reverence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I did, indeed, retain a cloudy reverence for a cosmic deity and a great historical interest in the Founder of Christianity. But I certainly regarded Him as a man; though perhaps I thought that, even in that point, He had an advantage over some of His modern critics.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "G.K. 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