---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God will put up with a great many things…"
description: "\"God will put up with a great many things in the human heart, but there is one thing that He will not put up with in it--a second place. He who offers G..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/john-ruskin-314_gods-will_god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things_1597331.jpg"
---

#  God will put up with a great many things in the human…

![“God will put up with a great many things in the human heart, but there is one thing that He will not put up with in it--a second place. He who offers God a second place, offers Him no place.” quote by John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/john-ruskin-314_gods-will_god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things_1597331.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/john-ruskin-314_gods-will_god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things_1597331.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/john-ruskin-314_gods-will_god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things_1597331.jpg)

> “God will put up with a great many things in the human heart, but there is one thing that He will not put up with in it--a second place. He who offers God a second place, offers Him no place.”

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

## About This Quote

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

Putting God second in importance reduces Him to a peripheral role, undermining true devotion.

**In simple terms:** God must be primary; no second place.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize the divine above all else.

Themes

faith devotion priority

Mood

contemplative serious

Type

moral spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal prayer
- church leadership
- ethical decision making

Key Concepts

theocentrism spiritual hierarchy

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to give God a 'second place' in daily life?
- How can one balance personal needs with spiritual devotion?

A Different Perspective

Human emotions and practical concerns can challenge absolute devotion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gods will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-will/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Idolatry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idolatry/) [Second place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-place/)

## Related quotes

> [He who offers God a second place offers Him no place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/he-who-offers-god-a-second-place-offers-him-no-place/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [There is no such thing as second place. Either you're first or you're nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-paul/there-is-no-such-thing-as-second-place-either-you-re-first-or-you-re/)

[Gabe Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-paul/)

> [If you can't do the best thing, do the second best thing..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-you-can-t-do-the-best-thing-do-the-second-best-thing/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [I put up with a lot of shit, but one thing I will not put up with is being someone's second choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-put-up-with-a-lot-of-shit-but-one-thing-i-will-not-put-up-with-is/)

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

> [In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus offers more than God's personal email or private cell number - He offers us a heart transplant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hart/in-the-lord-s-prayer-jesus-offers-more-than-god-s-personal-email-or/)

[Mark Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hart/)

> [The two chief things are faith and love. Faith receives the good; love gives the good. Faith offers us God as our own; love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/the-two-chief-things-are-faith-and-love-faith-receives-the-good-love/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [Jesus offers himself as God's doorway into the life that is truly life. Confidence in him leads us today, as in other times, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/jesus-offers-himself-as-god-s-doorway-into-the-life-that-is-truly-2/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [Man offers himself to God. He stands before Him like the canvas before the painter or the marble before the sculptor. At the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-carrel/man-offers-himself-to-god-he-stands-before-him-like-the-canvas-before/)

[Alexis Carrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-carrel/)

> [Greatness is not a teachable nor gainable thing, but the expression of the mind of a God-made great man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/greatness-is-not-a-teachable-nor-gainable-thing-but-the-expression-of/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Your first obligation, I suppose, is to your God. Your second is to your family. And your third is to your community. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-murphy/your-first-obligation-i-suppose-is-to-your-god-your-second-is-to-your/)

[Dick Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-murphy/)

> [ “IN THIS LITTLE THING \[LIKE a hazelnut\] I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second is that he loves… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-e-dahill/in-this-little-thing-like-a-hazelnut-i-saw-three-properties-the-first/)

[Lisa E. Dahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-e-dahill/)

> [Woman was God's second mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/woman-was-god-s-second-mistake/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [I believe in a God of a second chance and a God of love and mercy, because I need so much more of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-believe-in-a-god-of-a-second-chance-and-a-god-of-love-and-mercy/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“Thank you, God, for second chances,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/thank-you-god-for-second-chances/)

[Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/)

> [“It does not take God one second to re-write your ugly past .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osunsakin-adewale/it-does-not-take-god-one-second-to-re-write-your-ugly-past/)

[Osunsakin Adewale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osunsakin-adewale/)

## More by John Ruskin

> [“Occult Theft,--Theft which hides itself even from itself, and is legal, respectable, and cowardly,--corrupts the body and soul of man, to the last fibre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/occult-theft-theft-which-hides-itself-even-from-itself-and-is-legal/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Mighty of heart, mighty of mind, magnanimous-to be this is indeed to be great in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/mighty-of-heart-mighty-of-mind-magnanimous-to-be-this-is-indeed-to-be/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Life is a magic vase filled to the brim, so made that you cannot dip from it nor draw from it; but it overflows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/life-is-a-magic-vase-filled-to-the-brim-so-made-that-you-cannot-dip/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [As in the instances of alchemy, astrology, witchcraft, and other such popular creeds, political economy, has a plausible idea at the root of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/as-in-the-instances-of-alchemy-astrology-witchcraft-and-other-such/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [I am far more provoked at being thought foolish by foolish people, than pleased at being thought sensible by sensible people; and the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/i-am-far-more-provoked-at-being-thought-foolish-by-foolish-people/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [When we build ... let it not be for present delights nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/when-we-build-let-it-not-be-for-present-delights-nor-for-present-use/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [It is far more difficult to be simple than to be complicated; far more difficult to sacrifice skill and easy execution in the proper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-is-far-more-difficult-to-be-simple-than-to-be-complicated-far-more/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [It is a good and safe rule to sojourn in every place as if you meant to spend your life there, never omitting an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-is-a-good-and-safe-rule-to-sojourn-in-every-place-as-if-you-meant/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [“You may trust to the truth of my sympathy; but you must remember that I am engaged in the investigation of enormous religious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/you-may-trust-to-the-truth-of-my-sympathy-but-you-must-remember-that/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [And remember, child, that nothing is ever done beautifully, which is done in rivalship; or nobly, which is done in pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/and-remember-child-that-nothing-is-ever-done-beautifully-which-is/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-s-unwise-to-pay-too-much-but-it-s-worse-to-pay-too-little/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [The world is full of vulgar Purists, who bring discredit on all selection by the silliness of their choice; and this the more, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-world-is-full-of-vulgar-purists-who-bring-discredit-on-all/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Like other beautiful things in this world, its end (that of a shaft) is to be beautiful; and, in proportion to its beauty, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/like-other-beautiful-things-in-this-world-its-end-that-of-a-shaft-is/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [All are to be men of genius in their degree,--rivulets or rivers, it does not matter, so that the souls be clear and pure;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/all-are-to-be-men-of-genius-in-their-degree-rivulets-or-rivers-it/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [The art of drawing which is of more real importance to the human race than that of writing...should be taught to every child just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-art-of-drawing-which-is-of-more-real-importance-to-the-human-race/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

[Explore all 696 John Ruskin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

## More Gods will quotes

> [If you perform your part, God will fulfill His. And once you put off specifically, you should just as thoroughly believe that God will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/if-you-perform-your-part-god-will-fulfill-his-and-once-you-put-off/)

[Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/)

> [The truth is, sometimes you have to get left before you can get right. Sometimes God will take you left on your journey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jentezen-franklin/the-truth-is-sometimes-you-have-to-get-left-before-you-can-get-right/)

[Jentezen Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jentezen-franklin/)

> [Revival is the Spirit's passion within the believer to know and to obey the total will of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/revival-is-the-spirit-s-passion-within-the-believer-to-know-and-to/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/one-of-the-most-powerful-concepts-one-which-is-a-sure-cure-for-lack/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [The things of the world are ever rising and falling, and in perpetual change; and this change must be according to the will of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-von-humboldt/the-things-of-the-world-are-ever-rising-and-falling-and-in-perpetual/)

[Wilhelm von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-von-humboldt/)

> [Lord save us, first you have a heart, now you have a god? Will wonders never cease?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/lord-save-us-first-you-have-a-heart-now-you-have-a-god-will-wonders/)

[Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/)

> [To every soul, God will look like its first love because He IS its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/to-every-soul-god-will-look-like-its-first-love-because-he-is-its/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [In the future, all religions will sink, only God will remain stand still! The untruth can survive only for a while and then it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-the-future-all-religions-will-sink-only-god-will-remain-stand/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [I think it is a sin to look at another person as inferior to yourself because of race or because of ethnic background and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-it-is-a-sin-to-look-at-another-person-as-inferior-to-yourself/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-in-danger-of-forgetting-that-we-cannot-do-what-god-does-and/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [Don't be intimidated by the size of your problem or the size of your dream. God will see to it that it is finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-be-intimidated-by-the-size-of-your-problem-or-the-size-of-your/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [God will keep His promises to you as you honor your covenants with Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-m-stephens/god-will-keep-his-promises-to-you-as-you-honor-your-covenants-with-him/)

[Carole M. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-m-stephens/)

> [Don't you know that day dawns after night, showers displace drought, and spring and summer follow winter? Then, have hope! Hope forever, for God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/don-t-you-know-that-day-dawns-after-night-showers-displace-drought/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

[Browse all 1,301 Gods will quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-will/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "God will put up with a great many things in the human heart, but there is one thing that He will not put up with in it--a second place. He who offers God a second place, offers Him no place.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Ruskin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things-in-the-human-heart-but-there/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Gods will"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things-in-the-human-heart-but-there/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/john-ruskin-314_gods-will_god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things_1597331.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/john-ruskin-314_gods-will_god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things_1597331.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/john-ruskin-314_gods-will_god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things_1597331.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“God will put up with a great many things in the human heart, but there is one thing that He will not put up…” — John Ruskin",
                "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 Ruskin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "God will put up with a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things-in-the-human-heart-but-there/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/god-will-put-up-with-a-great-many-things-in-the-human-heart-but-there/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
