--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In reality, each thought we have carries…" description: "\"In reality, each thought we have carries with it a little spiritual power, a tug toward or away from God. No thought is purely neutral.\" — John Ortberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/john-ortberg-932_carrie_in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries_115407.png" --- # In reality, each thought we have carries with it a little… ![“In reality, each thought we have carries with it a little spiritual power, a tug toward or away from God. No thought is purely neutral.” quote by John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/john-ortberg-932_carrie_in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries_115407.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/john-ortberg-932_carrie_in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries_115407.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/john-ortberg-932_carrie_in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries_115407.png) > “In reality, each thought we have carries with it a little spiritual power, a tug toward or away from God. No thought is purely neutral.” [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Every thought carries a subtle spiritual direction, nudging us toward or away from the divine; neutrality is an illusion. **In simple terms:** Thoughts influence our spiritual orientation. Key Takeaway Thoughts shape spiritual alignment. Themes spirituality mindfulness intentionality belief Mood contemplative reflective Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - prayerful reflection - decision-making under moral pressure - journaling about values Key Concepts cognitive bias metaphysical agency Practical Applications - consciously frame thoughts to support desired spiritual outcomes Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice the subtle direction of your thoughts? - Can you practice neutral thinking, and what does that feel like? A Different Perspective Some may argue thoughts are purely neural events without inherent spiritual power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-power/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [I don't really care what other people see me as. I seriously don't. I've always worried about what my opinion of myself is. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajol/i-don-t-really-care-what-other-people-see-me-as-i-seriously-don-t-i/) [Kajol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajol/) > [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/) > [“Spiritual power lies on Unseen Helper, God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/spiritual-power-lies-on-unseen-helper-god/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Whatever brings you to your knees in weakness carries the greatest potential for your personal success and spiritual victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/whatever-brings-you-to-your-knees-in-weakness-carries-the-greatest/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) > [“Anyone I love takes away part of my freedom, but in that case it is I who wished it; and there is so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-de-montherlant/anyone-i-love-takes-away-part-of-my-freedom-but-in-that-case-it-is-i/) [Henry de Montherlant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-de-montherlant/) > [Frankly, the president, during the first opportunity I had to be in a Cabinet meeting, before we started the meeting, he said, Folks, before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/frankly-the-president-during-the-first-opportunity-i-had-to-be-in-a/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [A mother is as different from anything else that God ever thought of, as can possibly be. She is a distinct and individual creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/a-mother-is-as-different-from-anything-else-that-god-ever-thought-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Gradually there crept into my mind the realization that God sees this all the time. He sees it, experiences it, knows it from every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/gradually-there-crept-into-my-mind-the-realization-that-god-sees-this/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, He wants me as His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/there-is-however-equally-great-incentive-to-worship-and-love-god-in/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [“By God, he thought, she was a fascinating person. She was going to take some knowing, some understanding. For the first time in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/by-god-he-thought-she-was-a-fascinating-person-she-was-going-to-take/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [God smiles as He has always smiled; Ere suns and moons could wax and wane, Ere stars were thundergirt, or piled The Heavens, God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/god-smiles-as-he-has-always-smiled-ere-suns-and-moons-could-wax-and/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [“One entry was entitled: "About God": "This thought has been ascribed to Voltaire: If God did not exist, mankind would have invented Him. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-pontoppidan/one-entry-was-entitled-about-god-this-thought-has-been-ascribed-to/) Henrik Pontoppidan > [We didn't think much in the air corps of a fellow who wangled a cushy job out of his C.O. by buttering him up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/we-didn-t-think-much-in-the-air-corps-of-a-fellow-who-wangled-a-cushy/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [ “\[T\]o think God is therefore to affirm what God is, to establish the being of God as an act. That God is thought, cognised,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/t-o-think-god-is-therefore-to-affirm-what-god-is-to-establish-the/) [Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/) > [My Gram said that I would get the role in whichever show God thought was right but it wouldn't hurt to express a preference.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-olsen/my-gram-said-that-i-would-get-the-role-in-whichever-show-god-thought/) [Susan Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-olsen/) ## More by John Ortberg > [“What do we do in the dark night? We do nothing. We wait. We remember that we are not God. We hold on. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/what-do-we-do-in-the-dark-night-we-do-nothing-we-wait-we-remember/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [If we are serious about loving God, we must begin with people, all people. And especially we must learn to love those that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/if-we-are-serious-about-loving-god-we-must-begin-with-people-all/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. It leads to grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/true-repentance-never-leads-to-despair-its-leads-home-it-leads-to/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [The greatest bloodbaths in the history of the human race were recorded in the twentieth century in countries that sought to eliminate God, worship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-greatest-bloodbaths-in-the-history-of-the-human-race-were/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [There is no way for a human being to come to God that does not involve surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/there-is-no-way-for-a-human-being-to-come-to-god-that-does-not/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Will you keep going when you don't know why? When you can't get any answers that would make the pain go away, will you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/will-you-keep-going-when-you-don-t-know-why-when-you-can-t-get-any/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Death is the prerequisite to resurrection, the new life God intends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/death-is-the-prerequisite-to-resurrection-the-new-life-god-intends/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [From ancient times, the core idea of the soul is the soul is the capacity to integrate different functions into a single being or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/from-ancient-times-the-core-idea-of-the-soul-is-the-soul-is-the/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/hurry-is-the-great-enemy-of-spiritual-life-in-our-day-you-must/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [The miracle of Sunday is that a dead man lives. The miracle of Saturday is that the eternal Son of God lies dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-miracle-of-sunday-is-that-a-dead-man-lives-the-miracle-of/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“The most important thing about you,” Dallas would often say, “is not the things that you achieve; it is the person that you become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-most-important-thing-about-you-dallas-would-often-say-is-not-the/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Jesus had a universal concern for those who suffered that transcended the rules of the ancient world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/jesus-had-a-universal-concern-for-those-who-suffered-that-transcended/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [God is a God of endless opportunities to do good; the God of the open door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/god-is-a-god-of-endless-opportunities-to-do-good-the-god-of-the-open/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [One of the most painful aspects of suffering is the loneliness of it. Others may offer support or empathy, but no one can walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/one-of-the-most-painful-aspects-of-suffering-is-the-loneliness-of-it/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [The Holy Spirit will lead you to be with people as Jesus would be with them if He were in your place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-holy-spirit-will-lead-you-to-be-with-people-as-jesus-would-be/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) [Explore all 325 John Ortberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) ## More Carrie quotes > [Each person carries an entire world within himself, and everything exists twice: once the way it is, the other the way he perceives it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-korczak/each-person-carries-an-entire-world-within-himself-and-everything/) [Janusz Korczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-korczak/) > [We should picture the instrument that carries our mental functioning as resembling a compound microscope or photographic apparatus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-should-picture-the-instrument-that-carries-our-mental-functioning/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Genius finds its own road and carries its own lamp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/genius-finds-its-own-road-and-carries-its-own-lamp/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I don't think anybody who carries a rifle carries the future. Because I don't believe that you can really change the world by killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-don-t-think-anybody-who-carries-a-rifle-carries-the-future-because/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Your graciousness is what carries you. It isn't how old you are, how young you are, how beautiful you are, or how short your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/your-graciousness-is-what-carries-you-it-isn-t-how-old-you-are-how/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [If God was the owner, I was the manager. I needed to adopt a steward's mentality toward the assets He had entrusted - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/if-god-was-the-owner-i-was-the-manager-i-needed-to-adopt-a-steward-s/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [Every man carries his kingdom within, and no one knows what is taking place in another's kingdom. 'No one understands me!' Of course they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/every-man-carries-his-kingdom-within-and-no-one-knows-what-is-taking/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The footnote would seem to be the smallest detail in a work of history. Yet it carries a large burden of responsibility, testifying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/the-footnote-would-seem-to-be-the-smallest-detail-in-a-work-of/) [Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/) > [Whatever brings you to your knees in weakness carries the greatest potential for your personal success and spiritual victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/whatever-brings-you-to-your-knees-in-weakness-carries-the-greatest/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) > [A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful. He isn't likely to grow dim or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-who-carries-a-cat-by-the-tail-is-getting-experience-that-will/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A timely and incisive look into the history, politics, and future of the Muslim Brotherhood by the foremost expert on Islamism in Egypt. Carrie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/a-timely-and-incisive-look-into-the-history-politics-and-future-of/) [Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/) > [Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the brain, the thinking man. The singing is the emotion. The dancing is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the-speaking-is-the-brain-the/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [from one minute to the next the present is merely an honorary past. It must be filled unceasingly anew to dissemble the curse it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/from-one-minute-to-the-next-the-present-is-merely-an-honorary-past-it/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The human qualities of the raw materials show through. Naivety, error, contradiction, even (as in the cursing Psalms) wickedness are not removed. The total…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-human-qualities-of-the-raw-materials-show-through-naivety-error/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The name is not important anymore - it's the tone that counts. I feel like an old dog I know. He will come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/the-name-is-not-important-anymore-it-s-the-tone-that-counts-i-feel/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) Browse all 703 Carrie quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In reality, each thought we have carries with it a little spiritual power, a tug toward or away from God. No thought is purely neutral.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Ortberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries-with-it-a-little-spiritual/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Carrie" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries-with-it-a-little-spiritual/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/john-ortberg-932_carrie_in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries_115407.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/john-ortberg-932_carrie_in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries_115407.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/john-ortberg-932_carrie_in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries_115407.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In reality, each thought we have carries with it a little spiritual power, a tug toward or away from God. No…” — John Ortberg", "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 Ortberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In reality, each thought we have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries-with-it-a-little-spiritual/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries-with-it-a-little-spiritual/#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 } } ] } ```