--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never understood why people who…" description: "\"“I have never understood why people who can swallow the enormous improbability of a personal God boggle at a personal Devil. I have known so intimately..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/graham-greene-441_love_i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-c_3005189.jpg" --- # I have never understood why people who can swallow the… ![“I have never understood why people who can swallow the enormous improbability of a personal God boggle at a personal Devil. I have known so intimately the way that demon works in my imagination. No statement that Sarah ever made was proof against his cunning doubts, though he would usually wait…” quote by Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/graham-greene-441_love_i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-c_3005189.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/graham-greene-441_love_i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-c_3005189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/graham-greene-441_love_i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-c_3005189.jpg) > ““I have never understood why people who can swallow the enormous improbability of a personal God boggle at a personal Devil. I have known so intimately the way that demon works in my imagination. No statement that Sarah ever made was proof against his cunning doubts, though he would usually wait till she had gone to utter them. He would prompt our quarrels long before they occurred: he was not Sarah's enemy so much as the enemy of love, and isn't' that what the devil is supposed to be? I can imagine that if there existed a God who loved, the devil would be driven to destroy even the weakest, the most faulty imitation of that love. Wouldn't he be afraid that the habit of love might grow, and wouldn't he try to trap us all into being traitors, into helping him extinguish love? If there is a God who uses us and makes his saints out of such material as we are, the devil too may have his ambitions: he may dream of training even such a person as myself, even poor Parkis, into being his saints, ready with borrowed fanaticism to destroy love wherever we find it.”” [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. God and devil are intertwined, both influencing love; the devil may aim to corrupt love, while God’s love can be manipulated. **In simple terms:** God and devil affect love, sometimes oppositely. Key Takeaway Question the nature of love and evil. Themes theology love evil philosophy Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - examining personal faith - discussing ethics - writing reflective essays Key Concepts dualism moral ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - What is the role of evil in love? - Can love survive divine manipulation? A Different Perspective Interpretations vary across cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cunning Doubts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cunning-doubts-4790777/) [Devil Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil-supposed-4790778/) [Isn Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isn-devil-2570754/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loved Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-devil-4089989/) [Personal Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-devil-2667091/) ## Related quotes > [“I can imagine that if there existed a God who loved, the devil would be driven to destroy even the weakest, the most faulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-can-imagine-that-if-there-existed-a-god-who-loved-the-devil-would/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [I have never understood why people who can swallow the enormous improbability of a personal God boggle at a personal Devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-can-swallow-the-enormous/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Everybody else is doing it is an excuse, not a reason. 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"Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. 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Damn me, I deserve it, but let her live forever.’ This was the love he should have felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/he-said-oh-god-help-her-damn-me-i-deserve-it-but-let-her-live-forever/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“A police photograph is like a passport photograph: the intelligence which casts a veil over the crude common shape is never recorded by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/a-police-photograph-is-like-a-passport-photograph-the-intelligence/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [ “I tossed up whether I'd see \[the critic\] or not: I knew too well the pompous phrases of his article, the buried significance he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-tossed-up-whether-i-d-see-the-critic-or-not-i-knew-too-well-the/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Success is more dangerous than failure, the ripples break over a wider coastline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/success-is-more-dangerous-than-failure-the-ripples-break-over-a-wider/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“But we do not love people for what they do for us. Love happens to us; it isn't created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/but-we-do-not-love-people-for-what-they-do-for-us-love-happens-to-us/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) [Explore all 550 Graham Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) ## More Love quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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No statement that Sarah ever made was proof against his cunning doubts, though he would usually wait till she had gone to utter them. He would prompt our quarrels long before they occurred: he was not Sarah's enemy so much as the enemy of love, and isn't' that what the devil is supposed to be? I can imagine that if there existed a God who loved, the devil would be driven to destroy even the weakest, the most faulty imitation of that love. Wouldn't he be afraid that the habit of love might grow, and wouldn't he try to trap us all into being traitors, into helping him extinguish love? If there is a God who uses us and makes his saints out of such material as we are, the devil too may have his ambitions: he may dream of training even such a person as myself, even poor Parkis, into being his saints, ready with borrowed fanaticism to destroy love wherever we find it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Graham Greene" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-can-swallow-the-enormous-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Love" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-can-swallow-the-enormous-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/graham-greene-441_love_i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-c_3005189.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/graham-greene-441_love_i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-c_3005189.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/graham-greene-441_love_i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-c_3005189.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have never understood why people who can swallow the enormous improbability of a personal God boggle at a…” — Graham Greene", "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": "Graham Greene", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I have never understood why people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-can-swallow-the-enormous-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-have-never-understood-why-people-who-can-swallow-the-enormous-2/#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 } } ] } ```