--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man may sink by such slow degrees that…" description: "\"A man may sink by such slow degrees that, long after he is a devil, he may go on being a good churchman or a good dissenter and thinking himself a good..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/george-macdonald-295_christian_a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that_2423227.jpg" --- # A man may sink by such slow degrees that, long after he is… ![“A man may sink by such slow degrees that, long after he is a devil, he may go on being a good churchman or a good dissenter and thinking himself a good Christian.” quote by George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/george-macdonald-295_christian_a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that_2423227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/george-macdonald-295_christian_a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that_2423227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/george-macdonald-295_christian_a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that_2423227.jpg) > “A man may sink by such slow degrees that, long after he is a devil, he may go on being a good churchman or a good dissenter and thinking himself a good Christian.” [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person can gradually become evil yet still consider themselves virtuous, maintaining a respectable façade. **In simple terms:** Slow moral decline can hide behind a good image. Key Takeaway Monitor inner motives, not just outward actions. Themes morality hypocrisy selfdeception religion gradualism Mood cautionary introspective Type philosophical religious When to use this quote - personal development - leadership training - spiritual counseling - ethical audits Key Concepts Ethical philosophy psychology of self religious critique Questions to Reflect On - What signs reveal hidden moral decay? - Can outward goodness mask inner corruption? A Different Perspective The quote may ignore capacity for genuine change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Churchman Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/churchman-good-6139916/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Good christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-christian/) [Good Churchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-churchman-6139915/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Sink Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sink-slow-6139917/) [Slow Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-degrees-2801632/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Every one, though born of God in an instant, yet undoubtedly grows by slow degrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/every-one-though-born-of-god-in-an-instant-yet-undoubtedly-grows-by/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [We have not wings we cannot soar; but, we have feet to scale and climb, by slow degrees, by more and more, the cloudy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/we-have-not-wings-we-cannot-soar-but-we-have-feet-to-scale-and-climb/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/perfection-is-attained-by-slow-degrees-it-requires-the-hand-of-time/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Many believe one can be a "good Christian" without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God would strongly disagree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/many-believe-one-can-be-a-good-christian-without-joining-or-even/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I am not one to talk about being a Good Christian by no means at all...But I don't understand how people make it through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-one-to-talk-about-being-a-good-christian-by-no-means-at-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Jesus served as the supreme example of good Christian leadership through servant-hood, humility, taking risks, sharing responsibilities with others, and building a team. 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No, I don't That would be to take it from somebody else. 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Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man may sink by such slow degrees that, long after he is a devil, he may go on being a good churchman or a good dissenter and thinking himself a good Christian.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George MacDonald" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that-long-after-he-is-a-devil-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Christian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that-long-after-he-is-a-devil-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/george-macdonald-295_christian_a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that_2423227.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/george-macdonald-295_christian_a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that_2423227.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/george-macdonald-295_christian_a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that_2423227.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man may sink by such slow degrees that, long after he is a devil, he may go on being a good churchman or a…” — George MacDonald", "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": "George MacDonald", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man may sink by such...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that-long-after-he-is-a-devil-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/a-man-may-sink-by-such-slow-degrees-that-long-after-he-is-a-devil-he/#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 } } ] } ```