--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When there’s only God to blame, we…" description: "\"When there’s only God to blame, we forgive him. When it’s our fellow man, we destroy him.\" — Hugh Howey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/hugh-howey-841_blame_when-there-s-only-god-to-blame-we-forgiv_1865595.png" --- # When there’s only God to blame, we forgive him. When it’s… ![“When there’s only God to blame, we forgive him. When it’s our fellow man, we destroy him.” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/hugh-howey-841_blame_when-there-s-only-god-to-blame-we-forgiv_1865595.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/hugh-howey-841_blame_when-there-s-only-god-to-blame-we-forgiv_1865595.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/hugh-howey-841_blame_when-there-s-only-god-to-blame-we-forgiv_1865595.png) > “When there’s only God to blame, we forgive him. When it’s our fellow man, we destroy him.” [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We blame divine forces for mistakes, but we readily condemn fellow humans, showing a double standard. **In simple terms:** We forgive God, punish people. Key Takeaway Recognize and correct our bias. Themes justice forgiveness human nature double standard Mood thoughtful critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - conflict resolution - teamwork - community building - personal relationships Key Concepts ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - Why do we hold humans to higher standards? - How can we extend forgiveness equally? A Different Perspective Changing ingrained biases takes effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fellow man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellow-man/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [How can we let Go if we don't let God If we want God to forgive us We gonna have to learn to forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-we-let-go-if-we-don-t-let-god-if-we-want-god-to-forgive-us-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People may fail many times, but they become failures only when they begin to blame someone else. Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/people-may-fail-many-times-but-they-become-failures-only-when-they-3/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Those who succeed can't forgive a fellow for being a failure, and those who fail can't forgive him for being a success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/those-who-succeed-can-t-forgive-a-fellow-for-being-a-failure-and/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) > [Don't blame, forgive, All healing is self-healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/don-t-blame-forgive-all-healing-is-self-healing/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Imagine the first discovery that one of these epidemics was man-made—the panic, the violence that would ensue. That’s where the end would come. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/imagine-the-first-discovery-that-one-of-these-epidemics-was-man-made/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [It takes a group of men to destroy a house, yet it only takes one stupid man to destroy a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jabu-bravo/it-takes-a-group-of-men-to-destroy-a-house-yet-it-only-takes-one/) Jabu Bravo > [“I let a man destroy me, and as a result, I became a coward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-renee/i-let-a-man-destroy-me-and-as-a-result-i-became-a-coward/) [Holly Renee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-renee/) > [“I wouldn't destroy an entire house to destroy one man. But I would destroy a man to destroy a house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/i-wouldn-t-destroy-an-entire-house-to-destroy-one-man-but-i-would/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [“Beware the self-righteous man, for he will destroy the world many times over before he sees his folly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/beware-the-self-righteous-man-for-he-will-destroy-the-world-many/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [“Man will destroy what man fears!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadina-boun/man-will-destroy-what-man-fears/) [Nadina Boun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadina-boun/) > [It would be the easiest thing in the world for the white man to destroy all Black Muslims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/it-would-be-the-easiest-thing-in-the-world-for-the-white-man-to/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Someday, man will destroy themselves, and it is perhaps just as well. Then maybe the world will experience the status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattias-konradsson/someday-man-will-destroy-themselves-and-it-is-perhaps-just-as-well/) [Mattias Konradsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattias-konradsson/) > [When I was a boy, my parents would buy me a new toy and I would destroy it. Oh man, I would destroy it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-ruiz-jr/when-i-was-a-boy-my-parents-would-buy-me-a-new-toy-and-i-would/) [Andy Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-ruiz-jr/) > [“Listen!” said Roosta urgently. “You can kill a man, destroy his body, break his spirit, but only the Total Perspective Vortex can annihilate a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/listen-said-roosta-urgently-you-can-kill-a-man-destroy-his-body-break/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/if-one-man-can-destroy-everything-why-can-t-one-girl-change-it/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) ## More by Hugh Howey > [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“The Loud came before the quiet. That was a Rule of the World, for the bangs and shouts need somewhere to echo, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-loud-came-before-the-quiet-that-was-a-rule-of-the-world-for-the/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“People from IT sent to replace those they’d killed. Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) [Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## More Blame quotes > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Me mum used to always have the radio on - even now she has it on in every room. Me girlfriend sort of blames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/me-mum-used-to-always-have-the-radio-on-even-now-she-has-it-on-in/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/i-like-to-praise-and-reward-loudly-to-blame-quietly/) [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) > [Some of the things that I said I hated to say, but blame yourself mother fucker you made it this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedi-mind-tricks/some-of-the-things-that-i-said-i-hated-to-say-but-blame-yourself/) [Jedi Mind Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedi-mind-tricks/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“Stop Blaming Others For Your Own Actions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-g-roldan/stop-blaming-others-for-your-own-actions/) [Alexis G. Roldan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-g-roldan/) > [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't blame anyone .. I did this to myself .. It's my fault .. Everything is my FAULT ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nurnizz95/i-don-t-blame-anyone-i-did-this-to-myself-it-s-my-fault-everything-is/) Nurnizz95 > [“They would congratulate themselves every morning on keeping their integrity, and blame themselves each night for that missed opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/they-would-congratulate-themselves-every-morning-on-keeping-their/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/i-try-to-live-my-life-where-i-end-up-at-a-point-where-i-have-no/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [How come you don't feel that magic in the air? I guess I knew you'll never be there. I guess I knew you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-come-you-don-t-feel-that-magic-in-the-air-i-guess-i-knew-you-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am down mentally. I can't understand how it happened and who is to blame? I don't know why the ground was rolled before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeasin-khan/i-am-down-mentally-i-can-t-understand-how-it-happened-and-who-is-to/) Yeasin Khan > [A refusal to admit one's mistake & not accepting responsibility for that mistake by blaming everyone else, is d beginning of one's decline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-refusal-to-admit-one-s-mistake-not-accepting-responsibility-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listen, the guy was not created by coverage from MSNBC and CNN. If you want to blame us for making Donald Trump president because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/listen-the-guy-was-not-created-by-coverage-from-msnbc-and-cnn-if-you/) [Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/) Browse all 3,779 Blame quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When there’s only God to blame, we forgive him. 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