--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't go around believing in a God that…" description: "\"I can't go around believing in a God that believes suffering is good for me.\" — John Maynard Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/john-maynard-smith-28856_believe_i-can-t-go-around-believing-in-a-god-tha_707436.png" --- # I can't go around believing in a God that believes… ![“I can't go around believing in a God that believes suffering is good for me.” quote by John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/john-maynard-smith-28856_believe_i-can-t-go-around-believing-in-a-god-tha_707436.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/john-maynard-smith-28856_believe_i-can-t-go-around-believing-in-a-god-tha_707436.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/john-maynard-smith-28856_believe_i-can-t-go-around-believing-in-a-god-tha_707436.png) > “I can't go around believing in a God that believes suffering is good for me.” [John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-smith/) ## 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 rejects belief in a deity that justifies suffering as beneficial. **In simple terms:** Rejects a God who sees suffering as good. Key Takeaway Question the moral basis of divine suffering. Themes theology ethics belief suffering justice Mood conflicted skeptical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - personal faith crises - theological debates - ethical discussions - spiritual counseling Key Concepts moral philosophy theodicy religious critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile faith with the existence of suffering? - What alternatives exist to a God who endorses suffering? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believes Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believes-suffering-3916442/) [Believing God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-god/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Believes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-believes-532512/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-good-957812/) ## Related quotes > [“Pain exists only in the mind. Whether an event is real or not doesn’t matter, only that the mind believes it is. Suffering can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-herrera/pain-exists-only-in-the-mind-whether-an-event-is-real-or-not-doesn-t/) [Elizabeth Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-herrera/) > [Suffering is not holding you. You are holding suffering. When you become good at the art of letting sufferings go, then you'll come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/suffering-is-not-holding-you-you-are-holding-suffering-when-you/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Suffering is not good for the soul, unless it teaches you to stop suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/suffering-is-not-good-for-the-soul-unless-it-teaches-you-to-stop/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [In teaching your child, do not forget that suffering is good too. It makes a person rich in character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/in-teaching-your-child-do-not-forget-that-suffering-is-good-too-it/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“I regard you as one of those men who would stand and smile at their torturer while he cuts their entrails out, if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-regard-you-as-one-of-those-men-who-would-stand-and-smile-at-their/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Suffering is not good for the soul, unless it teaches you how to stop suffering. That is its purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/suffering-is-not-good-for-the-soul-unless-it-teaches-you-how-to-stop/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [As Shantideva says, suffering has many good qualities because it purifies our negative karma, increases our renunciation and compassion, reduces our pride, and helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/as-shantideva-says-suffering-has-many-good-qualities-because-it/) [Geshe Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/) > [“Suffering with another is typically not pure suffering; there is some good or positive in this experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hoffman/suffering-with-another-is-typically-not-pure-suffering-there-is-some/) [Louis Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-hoffman/) > [I sometimes wish I were suffering in a good cause, or risking my life for the good of others, instead of just being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-sometimes-wish-i-were-suffering-in-a-good-cause-or-risking-my-life/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I think the person who has had more experience of hardships can stand more firmly in the face of problems than the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-think-the-person-who-has-had-more-experience-of-hardships-can-stand/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“When I think of war, I see blood. Pain and suffering. Nothing good comes from war. But there is good. There will be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafsah-laziaf/when-i-think-of-war-i-see-blood-pain-and-suffering-nothing-good-comes/) [Hafsah Laziaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafsah-laziaf/) > [“suffering is not good in itself. What is good in any painful experience is, for the sufferer, his submission to the will of God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/suffering-is-not-good-in-itself-what-is-good-in-any-painful/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Suffering is also good, it makes a person rich in charachter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/suffering-is-also-good-it-makes-a-person-rich-in-charachter/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“I wanted to quit because I was suffering. That is not a good enough reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-corbitt/i-wanted-to-quit-because-i-was-suffering-that-is-not-a-good-enough/) [Ted Corbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-corbitt/) > [“If we want to benefit most from our suffering, by prayer and meditation, we will approach our suffering as a good soldier approaches war.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-ligon-duncan-iii/if-we-want-to-benefit-most-from-our-suffering-by-prayer-and/) [J. Ligon Duncan III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-ligon-duncan-iii/) ## More by John Maynard Smith > [It is an occupational risk of biologists to claim, towards the end of their careers, that the problems which they have not solved are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-smith/it-is-an-occupational-risk-of-biologists-to-claim-towards-the-end-of/) [John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-smith/) > [As an evolutionary biologist, I have learned over the years that most people do not want to see themselves as lumbering robots programmed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-smith/as-an-evolutionary-biologist-i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-most/) [John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-smith/) > [It is in the nature of science that once a position becomes orthodox it should be suggested to criticism… It does not follow that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-smith/it-is-in-the-nature-of-science-that-once-a-position-becomes-orthodox/) [John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-smith/) > [Scientific theories tell us what is possible; myths tell us what is desirable. 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