--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sin is, somehow, at the root of all human…" description: "\"Sin is, somehow, at the root of all human misery. Sin is what keeps us from God and from life. It is in the face of every battered woman, the cry of ev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/john-ortberg-932_addict_sin-is-somehow-at-the-root-of-all-human_2584639.jpg" --- # Sin is, somehow, at the root of all human misery. Sin is… ![“Sin is, somehow, at the root of all human misery. Sin is what keeps us from God and from life. It is in the face of every battered woman, the cry of every neglected child, the despair of every addict, the death of every victim of every war.” quote by John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/john-ortberg-932_addict_sin-is-somehow-at-the-root-of-all-human_2584639.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/john-ortberg-932_addict_sin-is-somehow-at-the-root-of-all-human_2584639.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/john-ortberg-932_addict_sin-is-somehow-at-the-root-of-all-human_2584639.jpg) > “Sin is, somehow, at the root of all human misery. Sin is what keeps us from God and from life. It is in the face of every battered woman, the cry of every neglected child, the despair of every addict, the death of every victim of every war.” [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. Sin separates humanity from divine and earthly life, causing widespread suffering. **In simple terms:** Sin creates distance from God and life. Key Takeaway Seek forgiveness and compassion. Themes morality spirituality human suffering Mood somber thoughtful Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - addiction recovery - social justice - war trauma Key Concepts theology psychology of guilt Questions to Reflect On - Can we define sin without religion? - How does personal responsibility factor in? A Different Perspective Sin is often interpreted subjectively, not universally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict/) [Battered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battered/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-life/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-misery/) [Keeps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeps/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Misery Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery-sin-358723/) [Neglected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neglected/) [Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sin Keeps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin-keeps-1808394/) [Sin Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin-root-1808395/) [Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinner/) [Somehow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somehow/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/) ## Related quotes > [“Every sin, at its root, is based in something we do not fully believe about God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-allen/every-sin-at-its-root-is-based-in-something-we-do-not-fully-believe/) [Jennie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-allen/) > [Sin keeps a man from prayer, and prayer keeps a man from sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/sin-keeps-a-man-from-prayer-and-prayer-keeps-a-man-from-sin/) [Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/) > [“The human heart is certainly an abyss of misery and sin, but God lies in its depths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-philippe/the-human-heart-is-certainly-an-abyss-of-misery-and-sin-but-god-lies/) [Jacques Philippe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-philippe/) > [Religion informs us that misery and sin were produced together. 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We want to sin without misery, just as the prodigal son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-want-to-be-saved-from-our-misery-but-not-from-our-sin-we-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Far from being the crown of human thought and religion as its supporters have claimed for several bloody millennia, \[monotheism\] is in fact a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bonewits/far-from-being-the-crown-of-human-thought-and-religion-as-its/) [Isaac Bonewits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bonewits/) > [“Wherever you find human misery, you find lawyers, either causing it or making a profit from it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wherever-you-find-human-misery-you-find-lawyers-either-causing-it-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My world of human beings had perished. I was utterly alone in the world and for friends I had the streets, and the streets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/my-world-of-human-beings-had-perished-i-was-utterly-alone-in-the/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [There’s no democratic state that’s not compromised to the very core by its part in generating human misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/there-s-no-democratic-state-that-s-not-compromised-to-the-very-core/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [“I wandered aimlessly through this muddy lane bespattered with blood, fragments of the past detached themselves and floated listlessly before my eyes, taunting me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-wandered-aimlessly-through-this-muddy-lane-bespattered-with-blood/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The need for gain, and advantage over others, is one of the chief driving forces behind all human misery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-need-for-gain-and-advantage-over-others-is-one-of-the-chief/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Human misery is too great for men to do without faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/human-misery-is-too-great-for-men-to-do-without-faith/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > ["Spirituality" wrongly understood or pursued is a major source of human misery and rebellion against God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/spirituality-wrongly-understood-or-pursued-is-a-major-source-of-human/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [There's never any ebb in human misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/there-s-never-any-ebb-in-human-misery/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) ## 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? 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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/) > [In reality, each thought we have carries with it a little spiritual power, a tug toward or away from God. No thought is purely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries-with-it-a-little-spiritual/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [The miracle of Sunday is that a dead man lives. 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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/) [Explore all 325 John Ortberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) ## More Addict quotes > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. 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What does this mean about me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-was-ashamed-my-son-is-a-drug-addict-what-does-this-mean-about-me/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. 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Once they have it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/addiction-is-a-decision-an-individual-wants-something-whatever-that/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) [Browse all 634 Addict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sin is, somehow, at the root of all human misery. Sin is what keeps us from God and from life. 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