---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there is such a thing as saintly…"
description: "\"If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is renouncing small gains for better gains; not for no gains, but seeing with open eyes what is be..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/hazrat-inayat-khan-1646_choices_if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renu_3188214.png"
---

#  If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is…

![“If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is renouncing small gains for better gains; not for no gains, but seeing with open eyes what is better and what is inferior. Even if the choice has to lie between two momentary gains, one of these would always be found to be more real and…” quote by Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/hazrat-inayat-khan-1646_choices_if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renu_3188214.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/hazrat-inayat-khan-1646_choices_if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renu_3188214.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/hazrat-inayat-khan-1646_choices_if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renu_3188214.png)

> “If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is renouncing small gains for better gains; not for no gains, but seeing with open eyes what is better and what is inferior. Even if the choice has to lie between two momentary gains, one of these would always be found to be more real and lasting; that is the one that should be followed for the time.”

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

## About This Quote

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

Renouncing minor, immediate benefits for deeper, lasting ones reflects true spiritual discernment.

**In simple terms:** Choose lasting value over short‑term gain.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize enduring growth.

Themes

spirituality values decision‑making

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career choices
- investment decisions
- personal relationships
- ethical dilemmas

Key Concepts

renunciation discernment long‑term perspective

Questions to Reflect On

- What lasting benefit are you overlooking?
- How can you recognize true value beyond immediate appeal?

A Different Perspective

Short‑term gains may seem tempting and harder to resist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inferiors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inferiors/) [Lasting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Momentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/momentary/) [Momentary Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/momentary-gains-5869470/) [Open eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-eyes/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Renunciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renunciation/) [Renunciation Renouncing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renunciation-renouncing-5869468/) [Saintly Renunciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saintly-renunciation-5869469/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Small Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-gains-1128391/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/)

## Related quotes

> [I always thought, 'That's just the way you do it.' You work as hard as you can for as long as you can, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-payton/i-always-thought-that-s-just-the-way-you-do-it-you-work-as-hard-as/)

[Walter Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-payton/)

> [Sometimes during the day, I consciously focus on some ordinary object and allow myself a momentary "paying-attention." This paying-attention gives meaning to my life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/sometimes-during-the-day-i-consciously-focus-on-some-ordinary-object/)

[Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/)

> [The important task rarely must be done today, or even this week...But the urgent task calls for instant action...The momentary appeal of these tasks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hummel/the-important-task-rarely-must-be-done-today-or-even-this-week-but/)

[Charles Hummel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hummel/)

> [Music, being identical with heaven, isn't a thing of momentary thrills, or even hourly ones. It's a condition of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-holst/music-being-identical-with-heaven-isn-t-a-thing-of-momentary-thrills/)

[Gustav Holst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-holst/)

> [A mass of dust, world's momentary slave, Is man, in state of our old Adam made, Soon born to die, soon flourishing to fade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnabe-barnes/a-mass-of-dust-world-s-momentary-slave-is-man-in-state-of-our-old/)

[Barnabe Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnabe-barnes/)

> [Anger is momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anger-is-momentary-madness-so-control-your-passion-or-it-will-control/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Social laughter is momentary, soon burns itself out and passes away like the fire and smokes of straw, but genius shakes the very skies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-sidis/social-laughter-is-momentary-soon-burns-itself-out-and-passes-away/)

[Boris Sidis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-sidis/)

> [Like the panic stricken populace of 'The War of the Worlds' and countless other 1950s invasion movies, the victims are there to provide the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-tudor/like-the-panic-stricken-populace-of-the-war-of-the-worlds-and/)

[Andrew Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-tudor/)

> [Drunkeness is temporary suicide: the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/drunkeness-is-temporary-suicide-the-happiness-that-it-brings-is/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/victory-attained-by-violence-is-tantamount-to-a-defeat-for-it-is/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Our worlds are so momentary. We are along all our lives and then go off that way as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/our-worlds-are-so-momentary-we-are-along-all-our-lives-and-then-go/)

[Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/)

> [the greater part of the suffering in the world is caused not by wicked intents and hard hearts, but by the careless desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marah-ellis-ryan/the-greater-part-of-the-suffering-in-the-world-is-caused-not-by/)

[Marah Ellis Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marah-ellis-ryan/)

> [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/)

[T.I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-i/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

> [No woman ever yet either reasoned or acted long together consequentially; but some little thing, some love, some resentment, somepresent momentary interest, some supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/no-woman-ever-yet-either-reasoned-or-acted-long-together/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

## More by Hazrat Inayat Khan

> [“To a soul which is wide awake, the Judgment Day does not come after death. For that soul every day is a Judgment Day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/to-a-soul-which-is-wide-awake-the-judgment-day-does-not-come-after/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [The only way to live in the midst of inharmonious influences is to strengthen the will power and endure all things, yet keeping fineness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/the-only-way-to-live-in-the-midst-of-inharmonious-influences-is-to/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [The first lesson to learn is to resign oneself to the little difficulties in life, not to hit out at everything one comes up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/the-first-lesson-to-learn-is-to-resign-oneself-to-the-little/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [Among all the valuable things of this world, the word is the most precious. For in the word one can find a light which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/among-all-the-valuable-things-of-this-world-the-word-is-the-most/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [There should be balance in all our actions; to be either extreme or lukewarm is equally bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/there-should-be-balance-in-all-our-actions-to-be-either-extreme-or/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [It is a presumption on the part of man when he demands in words an explanation of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/it-is-a-presumption-on-the-part-of-man-when-he-demands-in-words-an/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [All that produces longing in the heart deprives it of its freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/all-that-produces-longing-in-the-heart-deprives-it-of-its-freedom/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [If someone strikes my heart, it does not break, but it bursts, and the flame coming out of it becomes a torch on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/if-someone-strikes-my-heart-it-does-not-break-but-it-bursts-and-the/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [I played the vina until my heart turned into the same instrument. Then I offered this instrument to the Divine Musician, the only muscian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/i-played-the-vina-until-my-heart-turned-into-the-same-instrument-then/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [Our virtues are made by love, and our sins are caused by the lack of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/our-virtues-are-made-by-love-and-our-sins-are-caused-by-the-lack-of-it/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [Life is a place where it is necessary to move gently. Whether it be in thought, speech, or action, the rhythm must be controlled;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/life-is-a-place-where-it-is-necessary-to-move-gently-whether-it-be-in/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [The voice is not only indicative of man's character, but it is the expression of his spirit. Other sounds can be louder than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/the-voice-is-not-only-indicative-of-man-s-character-but-it-is-the/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [People who have never had an ideal may hope to find one; they are in a better state than the people who allow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/people-who-have-never-had-an-ideal-may-hope-to-find-one-they-are-in-a/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [In a small affair or in a big affair, first consult yourself and find out if there is any conflict in your own being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/in-a-small-affair-or-in-a-big-affair-first-consult-yourself-and-find/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [The one Spirit of life is given different names, the sacred names. We more easily recognize the Spirit of life by the particular name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/the-one-spirit-of-life-is-given-different-names-the-sacred-names-we/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

[Explore all 219 Hazrat Inayat Khan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

## More Choices quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/)

[Alison James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-james/)

> [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/)

[Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/)

[Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/)

[Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/)

> [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/)

[Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/)

> [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/)

[Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/)

> [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/)

[Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/)

> [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

[Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is renouncing small gains for better gains; not for no gains, but seeing with open eyes what is better and what is inferior. Even if the choice has to lie between two momentary gains, one of these would always be found to be more real and lasting; that is the one that should be followed for the time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hazrat Inayat Khan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renunciation-it-is-renouncing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Choices"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renunciation-it-is-renouncing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/hazrat-inayat-khan-1646_choices_if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renu_3188214.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/hazrat-inayat-khan-1646_choices_if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renu_3188214.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/hazrat-inayat-khan-1646_choices_if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renu_3188214.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is renouncing small gains for better gains; not for no…” — Hazrat Inayat Khan",
                "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": "Hazrat Inayat Khan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If there is such a thing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renunciation-it-is-renouncing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-saintly-renunciation-it-is-renouncing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
