---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Above everything Ralph aches for unity…"
description: "\"“Above everything Ralph aches for unity with the external feminine caritas - blessed, soul-saving, divine love. Divine here refers to not a supernatura..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/616/gabor-mat-1410_divine_above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-w_2539498.png"
---

#  Above everything Ralph aches for unity with the external…

![“Above everything Ralph aches for unity with the external feminine caritas - blessed, soul-saving, divine love. Divine here refers to not a supernatural deity above us but to the immortal essence of existence that lives in us, through us, beyond us...a search for the external extends far beyond…” quote by Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/616/gabor-mat-1410_divine_above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-w_2539498.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/616/gabor-mat-1410_divine_above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-w_2539498.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/616/gabor-mat-1410_divine_above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-w_2539498.png)

> ““Above everything Ralph aches for unity with the external feminine caritas - blessed, soul-saving, divine love. Divine here refers to not a supernatural deity above us but to the immortal essence of existence that lives in us, through us, beyond us...a search for the external extends far beyond formal religious concepts. One consequence of spiritual deprivation is addiction, and not only to drugs.””

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Spiritual emptiness leads to seeking external love, and lacking this can cause addiction, beyond just substances.

**In simple terms:** Spiritual lack can cause addiction.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner connection and purpose.

Themes

addiction spirituality human connection

Mood

thoughtful hopeful

Type

psychological philosophical

When to use this quote

- recovering addicts
- therapy sessions
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

existential void self‑destruction psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What inner needs are unmet?
- How can one nurture non‑material love?

A Different Perspective

Spiritual emptiness may not be the sole cause; other factors matter.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-love/) [Divine Refers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-refers-1420655/) [Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual Deprivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-deprivation-435937/) [Supernatural Deity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supernatural-deity-1420656/)

## Related quotes

> [“We have created a manic world nauseous with the pursuit of material wealth. Many also bear their cross of imagined deprivation, while their fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/we-have-created-a-manic-world-nauseous-with-the-pursuit-of-material/)

[Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/)

> [Blasphemy: a law to protect an all-powerful, supernatural deity from getting its feelings hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/blasphemy-a-law-to-protect-an-all-powerful-supernatural-deity-from/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [You are a creature of Divine Love connected at all times to Source. Divine Love is when you see God in everyone and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/you-are-a-creature-of-divine-love-connected-at-all-times-to-source/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Whence, then, did the cathedral derive its power? Clearly here: It took back the family into the confidences of religion. It taught man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenkin-lloyd-jones/whence-then-did-the-cathedral-derive-its-power-clearly-here-it-took/)

[Jenkin Lloyd Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenkin-lloyd-jones/)

> [The complementary movement towards divine love is growth in humility which is the acceptence of the reality about ourselves, our own weakness and limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/the-complementary-movement-towards-divine-love-is-growth-in-humility/)

[Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/)

> [It is loving the Cross that one finds one heart, for Divine Love cannot live without suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-soubirous/it-is-loving-the-cross-that-one-finds-one-heart-for-divine-love/)

[Bernadette Soubirous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-soubirous/)

> [It is not through the way in which someone speaks about God that I can see whether that person has passed through the crucible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/it-is-not-through-the-way-in-which-someone-speaks-about-god-that-i/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [“He knows all my thoughts. He knows all I’ve ever done and He loves me all the same. What is our purpose, you ask.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/he-knows-all-my-thoughts-he-knows-all-i-ve-ever-done-and-he-loves-me/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [Let us look upon a crucified Christ, the remedy of all our miseries. His cross hath procured a crown, his passion hath expiated our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-charnock/let-us-look-upon-a-crucified-christ-the-remedy-of-all-our-miseries/)

[Stephen Charnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-charnock/)

> [Envy may justly be called "the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity;" it is the most acid fruit that grows on the stock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/envy-may-justly-be-called-the-gall-of-bitterness-and-bond-of-iniquity/)

[Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/)

> [You can love a person dear to you with a human love, but an enemy can only be loved with divine love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/you-can-love-a-person-dear-to-you-with-a-human-love-but-an-enemy-can/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Unerring wisdom ordained your lot, and selected for you the safest and best condition. Remember this, had any other condition been better for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/unerring-wisdom-ordained-your-lot-and-selected-for-you-the-safest-and/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [The Cross was the manifestation of Divine love without reserve or limit; but it was also the expression of man's unutterable malignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anderson/the-cross-was-the-manifestation-of-divine-love-without-reserve-or/)

[Robert Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anderson/)

> [Divine love is a sacred flower, which in its early bud is happiness, and in its full bloom is heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hervey/divine-love-is-a-sacred-flower-which-in-its-early-bud-is-happiness/)

[James Hervey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hervey/)

> [Human love is needing the other one. Divine love is giving to the other one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-levenson/human-love-is-needing-the-other-one-divine-love-is-giving-to-the/)

[Lester Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-levenson/)

## More by Gabor Maté

> [“As parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“The fact is, we in this society are often quite removed from our own emotional reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-fact-is-we-in-this-society-are-often-quite-removed-from-our-own/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“Shame is the deepest of the “negative emotions,” a feeling we will do almost anything to avoid. Unfortunately, our abiding fear of shame impairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/shame-is-the-deepest-of-the-negative-emotions-a-feeling-we-will-do/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“Many adults have not attained maturity — have not mastered being independent, self-motivated individuals capable of tending their own emotional needs and of respecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/many-adults-have-not-attained-maturity-have-not-mastered-being/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [Autonomy is impossible as long as one is driven by anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/autonomy-is-impossible-as-long-as-one-is-driven-by-anything/)

[Gabor Mate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“If a mother has eight children, there are eight mothers. This is not simply because of the fact that the mother was different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/if-a-mother-has-eight-children-there-are-eight-mothers-this-is-not/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“Without attachment, the parent succeeds at most in cowing a child into obedience, at the price of grave damage to the relationship and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/without-attachment-the-parent-succeeds-at-most-in-cowing-a-child-into/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“Attachment is our connection with the world. In the earliest attachment relationships, we gain or lose the ability to stay open, self-nurturing and healthy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/attachment-is-our-connection-with-the-world-in-the-earliest/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“So what you've actually got is traumatized children. When children are traumatized that affects how they feel about themselves, which is deeply ashamed because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/so-what-you-ve-actually-got-is-traumatized-children-when-children-are/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“Even without world wars, revolutions and emigration, siblings growing up in the same home almost never share the same environment. More accurately, brothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/even-without-world-wars-revolutions-and-emigration-siblings-growing/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“We think that there are people who are normal over here, and then there’s the pathological ones who have depression, anxiety, addiction or schizophrenia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/we-think-that-there-are-people-who-are-normal-over-here-and-then/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“One cannot get much more vulnerable than to expose oneself psychologically. To share oneself with another and then be misunderstood or rejected is, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/one-cannot-get-much-more-vulnerable-than-to-expose-oneself/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“The areas of the cortex responsible for attention and self-regulation develop in response to the emotional interaction with the person whom we may call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-areas-of-the-cortex-responsible-for-attention-and-self-regulation/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“Peer-oriented children live in a universe of severely limited and superficial attachments. The quest for sameness being the least vulnerable way of attaching, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/peer-oriented-children-live-in-a-universe-of-severely-limited-and/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [“The United States contains less than 5 percent of the world’s population but houses nearly a quarter of the world’s prisoners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-united-states-contains-less-than-5-percent-of-the-world-s/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

[Explore all 244 Gabor Maté quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

## More Divine quotes

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/)

[Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/)

> [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/)

[Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Monsters are divine portents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/monsters-are-divine-portents/)

[Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [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/)

> [Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance, but it cannot destroy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/evil-may-mar-the-divine-image-and-cloud-its-brilliance-but-it-cannot/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [Coercion is the basis of every law in the universe,--human or divine. A law is not law without coercion behind it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/coercion-is-the-basis-of-every-law-in-the-universe-human-or-divine-a/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Silence tells the seeker in us to love, to love himself. It tells us it is wrong to hate ourselves because of our imperfections.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/silence-tells-the-seeker-in-us-to-love-to-love-himself-it-tells-us-it/)

[Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/)

> [Friend, you are a divine mingle-mangle of guts and stardust. So hang in there! If doors opened for me, they can open for anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-capra/friend-you-are-a-divine-mingle-mangle-of-guts-and-stardust-so-hang-in/)

[Frank Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-capra/)

> [A woman is more influenced by what she divines than by what she is told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninon-de-l-enclos/a-woman-is-more-influenced-by-what-she-divines-than-by-what-she-is/)

[Ninon de L'Enclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninon-de-l-enclos/)

[Browse all 4,543 Divine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Above everything Ralph aches for unity with the external feminine caritas - blessed, soul-saving, divine love. Divine here refers to not a supernatural deity above us but to the immortal essence of existence that lives in us, through us, beyond us...a search for the external extends far beyond formal religious concepts. One consequence of spiritual deprivation is addiction, and not only to drugs.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gabor Maté"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-with-the-external-feminine/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Divine"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-with-the-external-feminine/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/616/gabor-mat-1410_divine_above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-w_2539498.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/616/gabor-mat-1410_divine_above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-w_2539498.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/616/gabor-mat-1410_divine_above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-w_2539498.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Above everything Ralph aches for unity with the external feminine caritas - blessed, soul-saving, divine…” — Gabor Maté",
                "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": "Gabor Maté",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Above everything Ralph aches for unity...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-with-the-external-feminine/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/above-everything-ralph-aches-for-unity-with-the-external-feminine/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
