---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought of God as being able to talk…"
description: "\"I thought of God as being able to talk big and write *very* small.\" — John Hersey"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/john-hersey-18533_able_i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-b_1697820.png"
---

#  I thought of God as being able to talk big and write…

![“I thought of God as being able to talk big and write &#42;very&#42; small.” quote by John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/john-hersey-18533_able_i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-b_1697820.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/john-hersey-18533_able_i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-b_1697820.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/john-hersey-18533_able_i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-b_1697820.png)

> “I thought of God as being able to talk big and write \*very\* small.”

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests God can express grand ideas while also attending to minute details.

**In simple terms:** God can speak grandly and write tiny.

Key Takeaway

Notice both big and small in life.

Themes

spirituality perspective humility

Mood

contemplative inspired

Type

aphilosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- meditation
- daily observation

Key Concepts

theology communication scale

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance grand visions with tiny tasks?
- What small details reveal larger truths?

A Different Perspective

May overlook the importance of small acts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Enthusiasm is big. When I write a book, it's a three-year commitment. Toward the end, I'm writing seven days a week, and it's exhausting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-philbrick/enthusiasm-is-big-when-i-write-a-book-it-s-a-three-year-commitment/)

[Nathaniel Philbrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-philbrick/)

> [I put on a big show when I write something I think is funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/i-put-on-a-big-show-when-i-write-something-i-think-is-funny/)

[Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/)

> [It’s much better to be a tribal writer, writing for all people and reflecting many voices through us, than to be a cloistered being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/it-s-much-better-to-be-a-tribal-writer-writing-for-all-people-and/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [My God is able; he shall be your stonghood in time of troubles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-god-is-able-he-shall-be-your-stonghood-in-time-of-troubles/)

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

> [I always tell my students, about the biggest baddest things in life you must try to write small and light, save the big writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-houston/i-always-tell-my-students-about-the-biggest-baddest-things-in-life/)

[Pam Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-houston/)

> [A lot of times, writers are told write as big as you can, and that's not untrue. But at times I think it's better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/a-lot-of-times-writers-are-told-write-as-big-as-you-can-and-that-s/)

[Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/)

> [Write about small, self-contained incidents that are still vivid in your memory. If you remember them, it's because they contain a larger truth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/write-about-small-self-contained-incidents-that-are-still-vivid-in/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [I write small and weird. Romcoms are not in my skill set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/i-write-small-and-weird-romcoms-are-not-in-my-skill-set/)

[Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/)

> [“I write small poems— the kind that fit on a postcard… and still can break your heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-j-geddes/i-write-small-poems-the-kind-that-fit-on-a-postcard-and-still-can/)

[john j geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-j-geddes/)

> [I need to write in a small room - the smaller the better. I can't write in a big room where someone might sneak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/i-need-to-write-in-a-small-room-the-smaller-the-better-i-can-t-write/)

[Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/)

> [“Let’s not trust those who write in small letters, using cabalistic figures or enigmatic codes, as it frequently comes down to a manipulative strategy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-s-not-trust-those-who-write-in-small-letters-using-cabalistic/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [I write for the still, small possibility of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-write-for-the-still-small-possibility-of-justice/)

[Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/)

> [I try to write about small things. Paper, animals, a house…love is kind of big. I have written a love song, though. In this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-try-to-write-about-small-things-paper-animals-a-house-love-is-kind/)

[David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/)

> [Some of the best songs that I know are the ones I haven't written yet, and it doesn't even matter if I don't ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/some-of-the-best-songs-that-i-know-are-the-ones-i-haven-t-written-yet/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [The best journalism is sometimes about footnotes—when we write small to say something big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/the-best-journalism-is-sometimes-about-footnotes-when-we-write-small/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

## More by John Hersey

> [When the writing is really working, I think there is something like dreaming going on. I don't know how to draw the line between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/when-the-writing-is-really-working-i-think-there-is-something-like/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [Learning starts with failure; the first failure is the beginning of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/learning-starts-with-failure-the-first-failure-is-the-beginning-of/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-crux-of-the-matter-is-whether-total-war-in-its-present-form-is/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [“Mankind must destroy anti-humanity before it becomes extinct itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/mankind-must-destroy-anti-humanity-before-it-becomes-extinct-itself/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [“This private estate was far enough away from the explosion so that its bamboos, pines, laurel, and maples were still alive, and the green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/this-private-estate-was-far-enough-away-from-the-explosion-so-that/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [And, as if nature were protecting man against his own ingenuity, the reproductive processes were affected for a time; men became sterile, women had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/and-as-if-nature-were-protecting-man-against-his-own-ingenuity-the/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [To my great surprise, I never heard anyone cry out in the disorder, even though they suffered in great agony. They died in silence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/to-my-great-surprise-i-never-heard-anyone-cry-out-in-the-disorder/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [“…she looked like Vivien, the Lady of the Lake, only she was fat and her lake was dust, sand and dust, bones and dust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/she-looked-like-vivien-the-lady-of-the-lake-only-she-was-fat-and-her/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [The writer must not invent. The legend on the license must read: NONE OF THIS WAS MADE UP.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-writer-must-not-invent-the-legend-on-the-license-must-read-none/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/journalism-allows-its-readers-to-witness-history-fiction-gives-its/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [The third stage was the reaction that came when the body struggled to compensate for its ills - when, for instance, the white count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-came-when-the-body-struggled-to/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [The first stage had been all over before the doctors even knew they were dealing with a new sickness; it was the direct reaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-first-stage-had-been-all-over-before-the-doctors-even-knew-they/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [Do not work primarily for money; do your duty to patients first and let the money follow; our life is short, we don't live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/do-not-work-primarily-for-money-do-your-duty-to-patients-first-and/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [At exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, on August 6, 1945, Japanese time, at the moment when the atomic bomb flashed above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/at-exactly-fifteen-minutes-past-eight-in-the-morning-on-august-6-1945/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

> [Many people who did not die right away came down with nausea, headache, diarrhea, malaise, and fever, which lasted several days. Doctors could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/many-people-who-did-not-die-right-away-came-down-with-nausea-headache/)

[John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

[Explore all 34 John Hersey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/)

## 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. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. 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 thought of God as being able to talk big and write *very* small.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Hersey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-big-and-write-very-small/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-big-and-write-very-small/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/john-hersey-18533_able_i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-b_1697820.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/john-hersey-18533_able_i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-b_1697820.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/john-hersey-18533_able_i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-b_1697820.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I thought of God as being able to talk big and write *very* small.” — John Hersey",
                "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 Hersey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I thought of God as being...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-big-and-write-very-small/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/i-thought-of-god-as-being-able-to-talk-big-and-write-very-small/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
