---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At first laying down, as a fact…"
description: "\"At first laying down, as a fact fundamental, That nothing with God can be accidental.\" — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_accidents_at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundament_1434951.jpg"
---

#  At first laying down, as a fact fundamental, That nothing…

![“At first laying down, as a fact fundamental, That nothing with God can be accidental.” quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_accidents_at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundament_1434951.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_accidents_at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundament_1434951.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_accidents_at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundament_1434951.jpg)

> “At first laying down, as a fact fundamental, That nothing with God can be accidental.”

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

## About This Quote

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

It asserts that all events involving the divine are purposeful, not random.

**In simple terms:** God‑guided events are intentional.

Key Takeaway

Recognize purpose in life's moments.

Themes

faith determinism purpose

Mood

contemplative solemn

Type

spiritual philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- spiritual reflection
- grief processing

Key Concepts

theology philosophy meaning

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you discern divine intent?
- Can randomness coexist with purpose?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook human agency and randomness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/)

## Related quotes

> [Nothing with God can be accidental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/nothing-with-god-can-be-accidental/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning of life, and identity then it is an idol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-anything-becomes-more-fundamental-than-god-to-your-happiness/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [Nothing is or can be accidental with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/nothing-is-or-can-be-accidental-with-god/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [There is no greater love than that a man lays down his life for his neighbor. When you hear someone complaining and you struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poemen/there-is-no-greater-love-than-that-a-man-lays-down-his-life-for-his/)

[Poemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poemen/)

> [The principles of gain through loss, of joy through sorrow, of getting by giving, of fulfillment by laying down, of life out of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/the-principles-of-gain-through-loss-of-joy-through-sorrow-of-getting/)

[Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/)

> [Pope had been flattered till he thought himself one of the moving powers of the system of life. When he talked of laying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pope-had-been-flattered-till-he-thought-himself-one-of-the-moving/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/fallen-man-is-not-simply-an-imperfect-creature-who-needs-improvement-2/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Yet it seems to me finishing well in this life is not so much about who is the best or greatest at something, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-lewis/yet-it-seems-to-me-finishing-well-in-this-life-is-not-so-much-about/)

[Beverly Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-lewis/)

> [Some people never get their feet on the ground, They're either sitting in a chair or theyre laying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/some-people-never-get-their-feet-on-the-ground-they-re-either-sitting/)

[Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/)

> [It is complete nihilism to propose laying down arms in a world where atom bombs are around. It is very simple: there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-complete-nihilism-to-propose-laying-down-arms-in-a-world-where/)

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

> [She looks up at me with those vulnerable eyes. “What if it means something?” She asks. “What if it does?” “Promise me it won’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/she-looks-up-at-me-with-those-vulnerable-eyes-what-if-it-means/)

[Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/)

> [The best opinion now is, that there are multitudinous forms which are not sufficiently differentiated to be distinctively either plant or animal, while, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/the-best-opinion-now-is-that-there-are-multitudinous-forms-which-are/)

[Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/)

> [Then a lawyer said, But what of our laws, master? And he answered: 'You delight in laying down laws. Yet you delight more in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/then-a-lawyer-said-but-what-of-our-laws-master-and-he-answered-you/)

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

> [Add the hippie-rock-drugs atmosphere circa 1970, and you get Clinton's rechristened group Parliament, decked out in weird costumes, singing cosmic lyrics and laying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-griffin/add-the-hippie-rock-drugs-atmosphere-circa-1970-and-you-get-clinton-s/)

[Eddie Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-griffin/)

> [I just want to keep laying down really great, strong characters, and the more I go unrecognized, the better job I feel I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scoot-mcnairy/i-just-want-to-keep-laying-down-really-great-strong-characters-and/)

[Scoot McNairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scoot-mcnairy/)

## More by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

> [The spring came suddenly, bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, with a laugh and a shout and hands full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-spring-came-suddenly-bursting-upon-the-world-as-a-child-bursts/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [In old age our bodies are worn-out instruments, on which the soul tries in vain to play the melodies of youth. But because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/in-old-age-our-bodies-are-worn-out-instruments-on-which-the-soul/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [“ Endymion The rising moon has hid the stars; Her level rays, like golden bars, Lie on the landscape green, With shadows brown between.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/endymion-the-rising-moon-has-hid-the-stars-her-level-rays-like-golden/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [There's nothing fair nor beautiful, but takes Something from thee, that makes it beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/there-s-nothing-fair-nor-beautiful-but-takes-something-from-thee-that/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Fame comes only when deserved, and then is as inevitable as destiny, for it is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/fame-comes-only-when-deserved-and-then-is-as-inevitable-as-destiny/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Nature paints not; In oils, but frescoes the great dome of heaven; With sunsets, and the lovely forms of clouds; And flying vapors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/nature-paints-not-in-oils-but-frescoes-the-great-dome-of-heaven-with/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [“  Thus dwelt together in love these simple Acadian farmers,—   Dwelt in the love of God and of man. Alike were they free from   Fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-dwelt-together-in-love-these-simple-acadian-farmers-dwelt-in-the/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [The trees are white with dust, that o'er their sleep Wave their broad curtains in the south-wind's breath, While underneath such leafy tents they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-trees-are-white-with-dust-that-o-er-their-sleep-wave-their-broad/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/heights-by-great-men-reached-and-kept-were-not-obtained-by-sudden/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [All things come round to him who will but wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/all-things-come-round-to-him-who-will-but-wait/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Ah, how skillful grows the hand That obeyeth Love's command! It is the heart, and not the brain, That to the highest doth attain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/ah-how-skillful-grows-the-hand-that-obeyeth-love-s-command-it-is-the/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Thus departed Hiawatha, Hiawatha the Beloved, In the glory of the sunset, In the purple mists of evening, To the regions of the home-wind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-departed-hiawatha-hiawatha-the-beloved-in-the-glory-of-the/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Books are sepulchres of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/books-are-sepulchres-of-thought/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Morality without religion is only a kind of dead reckoning - an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/morality-without-religion-is-only-a-kind-of-dead-reckoning-an/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Buried was the bloody hatchet; Buried was the dreadful war-club; Buried were all warlike weapons, And the war-cry was forgotten. Then was peace among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/buried-was-the-bloody-hatchet-buried-was-the-dreadful-war-club-buried/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

[Explore all 755 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

## More Accidental quotes

> [The attempted assassinations against me were not accidental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akhmad-kadyrov/the-attempted-assassinations-against-me-were-not-accidental/)

[Akhmad Kadyrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akhmad-kadyrov/)

> [“Accidental travel happens all the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-w-cooper/accidental-travel-happens-all-the-time/)

Loren W. Cooper

> [Of your philosophy you makeno use If you give place to accidental evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/of-your-philosophy-you-makeno-use-if-you-give-place-to-accidental/)

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

> [I'm kind of an accidental instrument, really, through which I hope that the judgment and the will of this nation can be expressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/i-m-kind-of-an-accidental-instrument-really-through-which-i-hope-that/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [Im an accidental entrepreneur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-massenet/im-an-accidental-entrepreneur/)

[Natalie Massenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-massenet/)

> [Parties are organised happiness but happiness is accidental. You can't legislate for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-skinner/parties-are-organised-happiness-but-happiness-is-accidental-you-can-t/)

[Dennis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-skinner/)

> [“That's how life is: it provides these accidental answers. Or it seems to. You have to judge by results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-munson/that-s-how-life-is-it-provides-these-accidental-answers-or-it-seems/)

Sam Munson

> [My misdeeds are accidental happenings and merely the result of having been in the wrong bar or bed at the wrong time, say most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/my-misdeeds-are-accidental-happenings-and-merely-the-result-of-having/)

[Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/)

> [“You have a real gift for getting into trouble, don’t you? That was one thing I forgot when you left the pack.” “How is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/you-have-a-real-gift-for-getting-into-trouble-don-t-you-that-was-one/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [I never thought I'd be acting. It's very accidental for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reeve-carney/i-never-thought-i-d-be-acting-it-s-very-accidental-for-me/)

[Reeve Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reeve-carney/)

> [Directing is my first love; turning an actor was rather accidental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dileesh-pothan/directing-is-my-first-love-turning-an-actor-was-rather-accidental/)

[Dileesh Pothan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dileesh-pothan/)

> [“In my life's chain of events nothing was accidental. Everything happened according to an inner need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-my-life-s-chain-of-events-nothing-was-accidental-everything/)

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

> [“This accidental Meeting of possibilities Calls itself I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/this-accidental-meeting-of-possibilities-calls-itself-i/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [All my books are accidental books - they come from reacting to things and thinking about things and engaging in a real way. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/all-my-books-are-accidental-books-they-come-from-reacting-to-things/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Any planning that I have in my career is totally accidental really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/any-planning-that-i-have-in-my-career-is-totally-accidental-really/)

[Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/)

Browse all 101 Accidental quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "At first laying down, as a fact fundamental, That nothing with God can be accidental.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundamental-that-nothing-with-god-can/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accidental"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundamental-that-nothing-with-god-can/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_accidents_at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundament_1434951.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_accidents_at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundament_1434951.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_accidents_at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundament_1434951.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At first laying down, as a fact fundamental, That nothing with God can be accidental.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow",
                "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": "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "At first laying down, as a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundamental-that-nothing-with-god-can/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/at-first-laying-down-as-a-fact-fundamental-that-nothing-with-god-can/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
