--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your conscience is like the nerve endings…" description: "\"Your conscience is like the nerve endings in your fingertips. Its sensitivity to external stimuli can be damaged by the buildup of calluses or even wou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/john-macarthur-1117_empathy_your-conscience-is-like-the-nerve-ending_1910035.jpg" --- # Your conscience is like the nerve endings in your… ![“Your conscience is like the nerve endings in your fingertips. Its sensitivity to external stimuli can be damaged by the buildup of calluses or even wounded so badly as to be virtually impervious to any feeling. Paul also wrote of the dangers of a calloused conscience, a wounded conscience, and a…” quote by John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/john-macarthur-1117_empathy_your-conscience-is-like-the-nerve-ending_1910035.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/john-macarthur-1117_empathy_your-conscience-is-like-the-nerve-ending_1910035.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/john-macarthur-1117_empathy_your-conscience-is-like-the-nerve-ending_1910035.jpg) > “Your conscience is like the nerve endings in your fingertips. Its sensitivity to external stimuli can be damaged by the buildup of calluses or even wounded so badly as to be virtually impervious to any feeling. Paul also wrote of the dangers of a calloused conscience, a wounded conscience, and a seared conscience.” [John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A conscience can become desensitized like callused fingertips, making us indifferent to moral pain and wrongdoing. **In simple terms:** A callused conscience blocks moral feeling. Key Takeaway Guard your conscience by staying sensitive to moral cues. Themes morality awareness empathy Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal decision making - leadership - conflict resolution - ethical training Key Concepts ethical sensitivity psychological defense spiritual health Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when your conscience is numb? - What practices keep moral sensitivity alive? A Different Perspective A hardened conscience may also protect against overwhelming guilt, limiting growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) ## Related quotes > [Oh, come, Divine Physician, and bind up every broken bone. Come with Thy sacred nard which Thou hast compounded of Thine own heart's blood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/oh-come-divine-physician-and-bind-up-every-broken-bone-come-with-thy/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [There is mention of a sword turning every way: parallel whereto is the Word of God in a wounded conscience. Man's heart is full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/there-is-mention-of-a-sword-turning-every-way-parallel-whereto-is-the/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [“When a person denies his conscience for too long, it can become seared. That person becomes susceptible to receiving and accepting all sorts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hon/when-a-person-denies-his-conscience-for-too-long-it-can-become-seared/) [Henry Hon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hon/) > [“While many men indulge freely without any notion of restraint, others are repulsed by their response to pornography. The arousal that they experience sexually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-struthers/while-many-men-indulge-freely-without-any-notion-of-restraint-others/) [William M. Struthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-m-struthers/) > [It is better to have a sore than a seared conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/it-is-better-to-have-a-sore-than-a-seared-conscience/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [Nothing strengthens the judgment and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/nothing-strengthens-the-judgment-and-quickens-the-conscience-like/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [Guilt upon the conscience, like rust upon iron, both defiles and consumes it, gnawing and creeping into it, as that does which at last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-south/guilt-upon-the-conscience-like-rust-upon-iron-both-defiles-and/) [Robert South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-south/) > [Remorse of conscience is like an old wound; a man is in no condition to fight under such circumstances. The pain abates his vigor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-collier/remorse-of-conscience-is-like-an-old-wound-a-man-is-in-no-condition/) [Jeremy Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-collier/) > [A conscience is like a boat or a car. If you feel you need one, rent it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jr/a-conscience-is-like-a-boat-or-a-car-if-you-feel-you-need-one-rent-it/) JR > [“Ever heard that little phrase “Life’s hard, then you die”? Well, that’s a pretty hopeless outlook on life, and it’s definitely not what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-schmidt/ever-heard-that-little-phrase-life-s-hard-then-you-die-well-that-s-a/) [Cary Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-schmidt/) > [Conscience, like a child, is soon lulled to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/conscience-like-a-child-is-soon-lulled-to-sleep/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [A man's conscience, like a warning line on the highway, tells him what he shouldn't do - but it does not keep him from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-a-clark/a-man-s-conscience-like-a-warning-line-on-the-highway-tells-him-what/) [Frank A. Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-a-clark/) > [The moment one begins to solder right and wrong together, one's conscience becomes like a piece of plated goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-brownell-jameson/the-moment-one-begins-to-solder-right-and-wrong-together-one-s/) [Anna Brownell Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-brownell-jameson/) > [I value people with a conscience. It's like a beeper from God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-value-people-with-a-conscience-it-s-like-a-beeper-from-god/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Living with a conscience is like driving with the brakes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/budd-schulberg/living-with-a-conscience-is-like-driving-with-the-brakes-on/) [Budd Schulberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/budd-schulberg/) ## More by John Macarthur > [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-more-you-focus-on-yourself-the-more-distracted-you-will-be-from/) [John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [There are things that God hates, right? One of them is the one who stirs up strife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/there-are-things-that-god-hates-right-one-of-them-is-the-one-who/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [Over the years, I've fought a number of polemical battles against ideas that threaten the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/over-the-years-i-ve-fought-a-number-of-polemical-battles-against/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [“You and I believed the gospel, not because we were wiser or more righteous than anyone else but because God graciously intervened, opening our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/you-and-i-believed-the-gospel-not-because-we-were-wiser-or-more/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [“He call us to obey, not because He needs us but because He knows we need Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/he-call-us-to-obey-not-because-he-needs-us-but-because-he-knows-we/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [“The Spirit works in the church so that men might see Jesus as Lord, recognizing His authority and submitting to His will (1 Cor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-spirit-works-in-the-church-so-that-men-might-see-jesus-as-lord/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [Grace does not grant permission to live in the flesh; it supplies power to live in the Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/grace-does-not-grant-permission-to-live-in-the-flesh-it-supplies/) [John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [Sexual expression within a marriage is not an option or an extra. It is certainly not, as it has sometimes been considered, a necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/sexual-expression-within-a-marriage-is-not-an-option-or-an-extra-it/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [“18O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/18o-my-god-incline-your-ear-and-hear-open-your-eyes-and-see-our/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [“Sin is the monarch that rules the heart of every man. It is the first lord of the soul, and its virus has contaminated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/sin-is-the-monarch-that-rules-the-heart-of-every-man-it-is-the-first/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [“Psalm 13 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/psalm-13-o-lord-how-long-will-you-forget-me-forever-how-long-will-you/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [Scripture repeatedly makes clear that heaven is a realm of unsurpassed joy, unfading glory, undiminished bliss, unlimited delights, and unending pleasures. Nothing about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/scripture-repeatedly-makes-clear-that-heaven-is-a-realm-of/) [John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [God's true church has always been a place where people hunger for the truth from the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/god-s-true-church-has-always-been-a-place-where-people-hunger-for-the/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [The lies of systemic racism and the race hustlers dominate the ideologies of universities and even churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-lies-of-systemic-racism-and-the-race-hustlers-dominate-the/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) [Explore all 279 John Macarthur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) ## More Conscience quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) Rabelaise > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [My morals are important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/my-morals-are-important-to-me/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) [Browse all 3,490 Conscience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Your conscience is like the nerve endings in your fingertips. Its sensitivity to external stimuli can be damaged by the buildup of calluses or even wounded so badly as to be virtually impervious to any feeling. 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