--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had never been able to believe that God…" description: "\"I had never been able to believe that God would give us poor frail humans only one chance at making it -- that we would be assigned to some kind of hel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/jane-goodall-950_able_i-had-never-been-able-to-believe-that-go_384311.jpg" --- # I had never been able to believe that God would give us… ![“I had never been able to believe that God would give us poor frail humans only one chance at making it -- that we would be assigned to some kind of hell because we failed during one experience of mortal life. ... So the concepts of karma and reincarnation made logical sense to me.” quote by Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/jane-goodall-950_able_i-had-never-been-able-to-believe-that-go_384311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/jane-goodall-950_able_i-had-never-been-able-to-believe-that-go_384311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/jane-goodall-950_able_i-had-never-been-able-to-believe-that-go_384311.jpg) > “I had never been able to believe that God would give us poor frail humans only one chance at making it -- that we would be assigned to some kind of hell because we failed during one experience of mortal life. ... So the concepts of karma and reincarnation made logical sense to me.” [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She reflects on human mortality, limited chances, and finds comfort in karma and reincarnation as explanations for life's challenges. **In simple terms:** Human life is brief and imperfect, so belief in karma and rebirth offers meaning. Key Takeaway Consider how belief systems shape coping with mortality. Themes mortality belief spirituality Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - grief counseling - philosophical discussions - personal reflection Key Concepts karma reincarnation existential meaning Questions to Reflect On - How do you find comfort in ideas of afterlife? - What alternative views explain human suffering? A Different Perspective Some may argue karma lacks empirical evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Karma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karma/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mortals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortals/) [One chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-chance/) [Reincarnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reincarnation/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a great believer in the hereafter, in karma, in reincarnation. It does make sense. I believe that God is not just a law-giver,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-m-a-great-believer-in-the-hereafter-in-karma-in-reincarnation-it/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Forgiveness is the key to breaking the cycle of karma and reincarnation. Forgiveness doesn't mean: "What you did was okay." It simply means, "I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/forgiveness-is-the-key-to-breaking-the-cycle-of-karma-and/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [“if I had to crawl to do so. I would have walked through Hell to get back to you, and only failed because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/if-i-had-to-crawl-to-do-so-i-would-have-walked-through-hell-to-get/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Hell, I'd even failed with women. Three wives. Nothing really wrong each time. It all got destroyed by petty bickering. Railing about nothing. Getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/hell-i-d-even-failed-with-women-three-wives-nothing-really-wrong-each/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“I never believed in dharma. karma, reincarnation, or any of that spiritual crap, which caused sort of a problem growing up because my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-singh/i-never-believed-in-dharma-karma-reincarnation-or-any-of-that/) Sonia Singh > [One of the things about animation is it's so expensive to do the animation, that you can't produce coverage. You only have one chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/one-of-the-things-about-animation-is-it-s-so-expensive-to-do-the/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Opportunity is a parade. Even as one chance passes, the next is a fife and drum echoing in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/opportunity-is-a-parade-even-as-one-chance-passes-the-next-is-a-fife/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Dream what you dare to dream. Go where you want to go. Be what you want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/dream-what-you-dare-to-dream-go-where-you-want-to-go-be-what-you-want/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Scientists have calculated that the chances of something so patently absurd actually existing are millions to one. But magicians have calculated that million-to-one chances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/scientists-have-calculated-that-the-chances-of-something-so-patently/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/they-may-take-our-lives-but-they-ll-never-take-our-freedom/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see, one chance out between two worlds, fire walk with me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/through-the-darkness-of-future-past-the-magician-longs-to-see-one/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [You had only one chance for a signature in life, but most people left no impression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/you-had-only-one-chance-for-a-signature-in-life-but-most-people-left/) [Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/) > [Only one chance one bullet in the gun. This is my life and I only got one, yeah. The safety’s off and I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/only-one-chance-one-bullet-in-the-gun-this-is-my-life-and-i-only-got/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [You only get one chance of an England debut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shearer/you-only-get-one-chance-of-an-england-debut/) [Alan Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shearer/) > [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More by Jane Goodall > [The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-voice-of-the-natural-world-would-be-could-you-please-give-us/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [What makes us human, I think, is an ability to ask questions, a consequence of our sophisticated spoken language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/what-makes-us-human-i-think-is-an-ability-to-ask-questions-a/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan shave been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest,living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/chimpanzees-gorillas-orangutan-shave-been-living-for-hundreds-of/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [I did this book 'Harvest for Hope,' and I learned so much about food. And one thing I learned is that we have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-did-this-book-harvest-for-hope-and-i-learned-so-much-about-food-and/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/from-my-perspective-i-absolutely-believe-in-a-greater-spiritual-power/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We are always talking about how we can get more environmental and humanitarian education. It is about listening to the voice of young people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-are-always-talking-about-how-we-can-get-more-environmental-and/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Some humans are mathematicians-others aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/some-humans-are-mathematicians-others-aren-t/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We started off with physical evolution and got our form. Then we somehow developed language, which meant cultural evolution could race so we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-started-off-with-physical-evolution-and-got-our-form-then-we/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [It was both fascinating and appalling to learn that chimpanzees were capable of hostile and territorial behavior that was not unlike certain forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-was-both-fascinating-and-appalling-to-learn-that-chimpanzees-were/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [I wanted to talk to the animals like Dr. Dolittle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-wanted-to-talk-to-the-animals-like-dr-dolittle/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are inevitable. I say rubbish: Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/some-people-say-therefore-that-violence-and-war-are-inevitable-i-say/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [It's been proven by quite a few studies that plants are good for our psychological development. If you green an area, the rate of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-s-been-proven-by-quite-a-few-studies-that-plants-are-good-for-our/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Having respect for animals makes us better humans..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/having-respect-for-animals-makes-us-better-humans/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [If we kill off the wild, then we are killing a part of our souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/if-we-kill-off-the-wild-then-we-are-killing-a-part-of-our-souls/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“We still have a long way to go. But we are moving in the right direction. If only we can overcome cruelty, to human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-still-have-a-long-way-to-go-but-we-are-moving-in-the-right/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) [Explore all 321 Jane Goodall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had never been able to believe that God would give us poor frail humans only one chance at making it -- that we would be assigned to some kind of hell because we failed during one experience of mortal life. ... 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