---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That image or rather that Person, so…"
description: "\"That image or rather that Person, so human, yet so entirely Divine, has a power to fill the imagination, to arrest the affections, to deepen and purify..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/john-campbell-shairp-34694_affection_that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-huma_817034.jpg"
---

#  That image or rather that Person, so human, yet so…

![“That image or rather that Person, so human, yet so entirely Divine, has a power to fill the imagination, to arrest the affections, to deepen and purify the conscience, which nothing else in the world has.” quote by John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/john-campbell-shairp-34694_affection_that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-huma_817034.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/john-campbell-shairp-34694_affection_that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-huma_817034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/john-campbell-shairp-34694_affection_that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-huma_817034.jpg)

> “That image or rather that Person, so human, yet so entirely Divine, has a power to fill the imagination, to arrest the affections, to deepen and purify the conscience, which nothing else in the world has.”

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

## About This Quote

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

The divine human inspires imagination, stirs emotions, and purifies conscience unlike any worldly thing.

**In simple terms:** Divine humanity awakens mind and heart.

Key Takeaway

Seek experiences that elevate both mind and spirit.

Themes

spirituality art conscience

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

philosophical poetic

When to use this quote

- reading poetry
- contemplating art
- ethical decision making

Key Concepts

human divinity aesthetic influence moral purification

Questions to Reflect On

- How does divine imagery affect your moral choices?
- Can art truly purify conscience?

A Different Perspective

May idealize the divine, overlooking human flaws.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-power/) [Entirely Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entirely-divine-333280/) [Human Entirely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-entirely-333282/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagination Arrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-arrest-333281/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“A human being should be entirely beautiful: the face, the clothes, the mind, the thoughts. Your step-mother is, of course, beautiful to look at,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/a-human-being-should-be-entirely-beautiful-the-face-the-clothes-the/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“No human being is entirely innocent”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/no-human-being-is-entirely-innocent/)

[William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/)

> [“You start to live when you commit your life to cause higher than yourself. You must learn to depend on divine power for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-giftyakita/you-start-to-live-when-you-commit-your-life-to-cause-higher-than/)

[Lailah GiftyAkita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-giftyakita/)

> [“There is a divine power and invisible supreme-being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/there-is-a-divine-power-and-invisible-supreme-being/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“Creation takes place through words, a series of 'And God Saids' bringing each new stage of life into being. Language is God's divine power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myla-goldberg/creation-takes-place-through-words-a-series-of-and-god-saids-bringing/)

[Myla Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myla-goldberg/)

> [Few men are so obstinate in their atheism, that a pressing danger will not compel them to acknowledgment of a divine power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/few-men-are-so-obstinate-in-their-atheism-that-a-pressing-danger-will/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [The Black church is extremely important in Black America. I think most Americans themselves believe in a divine power, in a god, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-lennix/the-black-church-is-extremely-important-in-black-america-i-think-most/)

[Harry Lennix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-lennix/)

> [ We are compelled by reflection to recognize that God is not to be placed against the material world \[as in Christianity\], but must be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/we-are-compelled-by-reflection-to-recognize-that-god-is-not-to-be/)

[Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/)

> [Thich Nhat Hanh has the ability to bring forth the state of peace that we each inherently posses merely by his presence in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/thich-nhat-hanh-has-the-ability-to-bring-forth-the-state-of-peace/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [Even if I knew nothing of the atoms, I would venture to assert on the evidence of the celestial phenomena themselves, supported by many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/even-if-i-knew-nothing-of-the-atoms-i-would-venture-to-assert-on-the/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice-2/)

[Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/)

> [“The Sermon on the Mount is law, not grace, for it demands as the condition of blessingMt 5:3-9 that perfect character which grace, through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-law-not-grace-for-it-demands-as-the/)

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

> [“Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice/)

[Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/)

> [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The entire cosmos is one vast burning bush, permeated by the fire of the divine power and glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kallistos-ware/the-entire-cosmos-is-one-vast-burning-bush-permeated-by-the-fire-of/)

[Kallistos Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kallistos-ware/)

## More by John Campbell Shairp

> [The ground of all religion, that which makes it possible, is the relation in which the human soul stands to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/the-ground-of-all-religion-that-which-makes-it-possible-is-the/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [They who seek religion for culture's sake are aesthetic, not religious, and will never gain that grace which religion adds to culture, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/they-who-seek-religion-for-culture-s-sake-are-aesthetic-not-religious/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [We are not called on to believe this or that doctrine which may be proposed to us till we can do so from honest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/we-are-not-called-on-to-believe-this-or-that-doctrine-which-may-be/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [The main condition is that the spiritual ear should be open to overhear and patiently take in, and the will ready to obey that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/the-main-condition-is-that-the-spiritual-ear-should-be-open-to/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [There is perhaps no truer sign that a man is really advancing than that he is learning to forget himself, that he is losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/there-is-perhaps-no-truer-sign-that-a-man-is-really-advancing-than/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [Criticism is not religion, and by no process can it be substituted for it. It is not the critic's eye, but the child's heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/criticism-is-not-religion-and-by-no-process-can-it-be-substituted-for/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [For with all our pretension to enlightenment, are we not now a talking, desultory, rather than a meditative generation?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/for-with-all-our-pretension-to-enlightenment-are-we-not-now-a-talking/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [The sense that a man is serving a Higher than himself, with a service which will become ever more and more perfect freedom, evokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/the-sense-that-a-man-is-serving-a-higher-than-himself-with-a-service/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [It is quite certain that, if from childhood men were to begin to follow the first intimations of conscience, honestly to obey them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/it-is-quite-certain-that-if-from-childhood-men-were-to-begin-to/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [Great men, great events, great epochs, it has been said, grow as we recede from them; and the rate at which they grow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/great-men-great-events-great-epochs-it-has-been-said-grow-as-we/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [The belief in a Divine education, open to each man and to all men, takes up into itself all that is true in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/the-belief-in-a-divine-education-open-to-each-man-and-to-all-men/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [Not as men of science , not as critics , not as philosophers , but as little children , shall we enter into the kingdom of heaven .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/not-as-men-of-science-not-as-critics-not-as-philosophers-but-as/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [Beauty comes, we scarce know how, as an emanation from sources deeper than itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/beauty-comes-we-scarce-know-how-as-an-emanation-from-sources-deeper/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

[Explore all 14 John Campbell Shairp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

## More Affection quotes

> [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/)

[Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/)

> [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/)

[Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/)

> [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [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/)

> [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/)

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

> [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/)

[Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/)

> [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/)

[Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/)

> [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/)

[Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/)

> [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/)

[David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/)

> [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/)

[Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/)

> [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/)

[John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/)

> [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

[Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That image or rather that Person, so human, yet so entirely Divine, has a power to fill the imagination, to arrest the affections, to deepen and purify the conscience, which nothing else in the world has.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Campbell Shairp"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-human-yet-so-entirely-divine-has/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affection"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-human-yet-so-entirely-divine-has/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/john-campbell-shairp-34694_affection_that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-huma_817034.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/john-campbell-shairp-34694_affection_that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-huma_817034.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/john-campbell-shairp-34694_affection_that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-huma_817034.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That image or rather that Person, so human, yet so entirely Divine, has a power to fill the imagination, to…” — John Campbell Shairp",
                "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": "John Campbell Shairp",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That image or rather that Person,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-human-yet-so-entirely-divine-has/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/that-image-or-rather-that-person-so-human-yet-so-entirely-divine-has/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
