--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Faith is not certainty. It is the courage…" description: "\"“Faith is not certainty. It is the courage to live with uncertainty.”\" — Jonathan Sacks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jonathan-sacks-2788_certainty_faith-is-not-certainty-it-is-the-courage_2970731.png" --- # Faith is not certainty. It is the courage to live with… ![“Faith is not certainty. It is the courage to live with uncertainty.” quote by Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jonathan-sacks-2788_certainty_faith-is-not-certainty-it-is-the-courage_2970731.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jonathan-sacks-2788_certainty_faith-is-not-certainty-it-is-the-courage_2970731.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jonathan-sacks-2788_certainty_faith-is-not-certainty-it-is-the-courage_2970731.png) > ““Faith is not certainty. It is the courage to live with uncertainty.”” [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith involves living despite not having absolute certainty. **In simple terms:** Faith is courage amid uncertainty. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty with bravery. Themes faith philosophy psychology Mood hopeful contemplative Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal crises - spiritual practice - decision making Key Concepts existentialism resilience Questions to Reflect On - What gives you courage in doubt? - How do you balance faith and reason? 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Faith is the courage to live with uncertainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/faith-is-not-a-certainty-faith-is-the-courage-to-live-with-uncertainty/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [ “I don’t know,” \[my father\] said, after clearing his throat. “But I know that he loves you.” . . . Twenty years later, I’m… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-don-t-know-my-father-said-after-clearing-his-throat-but-i-know-that/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Out of the element of participation follows the certainty of faith; out of the element of separation follows the doubt in faith. And each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/out-of-the-element-of-participation-follows-the-certainty-of-faith/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [There are no means of attaining faith and certainty except through the Qur'an.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/there-are-no-means-of-attaining-faith-and-certainty-except-through/) [Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/) > [“Her ballad did nothing to make the serpants lovely. Her ballad hid nothing of their dread. But the music itself spoke of faith and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wangerin-jr/her-ballad-did-nothing-to-make-the-serpants-lovely-her-ballad-hid/) [Walter Wangerin Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wangerin-jr/) > [Moses became America's true founding father because he evangelized action; he justified risk. He gave ordinary people the courage to live with uncertainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/moses-became-america-s-true-founding-father-because-he-evangelized/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [“Regrets of the Dying.” She shared the five most common regrets of the people she had come to know: 1. I wish I’d had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/regrets-of-the-dying-she-shared-the-five-most-common-regrets-of-the/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [“Though what could anyone really say these days with one hundred percent certainty?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/though-what-could-anyone-really-say-these-days-with-one-hundred/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/go-for-broke-always-try-and-do-too-much-dispense-with-safety-nets/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-allen-paulos/uncertainty-is-the-only-certainty-there-is-and-knowing-how-to-live/) [John Allen Paulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-allen-paulos/) > [Criticism, though dignified from the earliest ages by the labours of men eminent for knowledge and sagacity, has not yet attained the certainty and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/criticism-though-dignified-from-the-earliest-ages-by-the-labours-of/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) ## More by Jonathan Sacks > [We from every religion feel comfortable in Britain because there is a host. The Church of England is a good host, it has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/we-from-every-religion-feel-comfortable-in-britain-because-there-is-a/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [Food prices are often kept artificially high. The result is that the Millennium Development Goals set out by the United Nations at the start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/food-prices-are-often-kept-artificially-high-the-result-is-that-the/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [In her religious role, the Queen is head of the Church of England, but in her civic role she cares for all her subjects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/in-her-religious-role-the-queen-is-head-of-the-church-of-england-but/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [The market economy is deeply congruent with the values set out in the Hebrew Bible. Material prosperity is a divine blessing. Poverty crushes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-market-economy-is-deeply-congruent-with-the-values-set-out-in-the/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [Man was not made for the service of economies; economies were made to serve mankind; and men and women were made - so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/man-was-not-made-for-the-service-of-economies-economies-were-made-to/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [A perfect storm is in the making: financial uncertainty, economic downturn, government cuts, rising unemployment and a future that looks less clear the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-perfect-storm-is-in-the-making-financial-uncertainty-economic/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [“To whom is an international corporation answerable? Often they do not employ workers. They outsource manufacturing to places far away. If wages rise in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/to-whom-is-an-international-corporation-answerable-often-they-do-not/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [A survey carried out across the U.S. between 2004 and 2006 showed that frequent church- or synagogue-goers are more likely to give money to charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-survey-carried-out-across-the-u-s-between-2004-and-2006-showed-that/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [The Holocaust survivors are among the most inspiring people I have had the privilege to meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-holocaust-survivors-are-among-the-most-inspiring-people-i-have/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [Jews read the books of Moses not just as history but as divine command. The question to which they are an answer is not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/jews-read-the-books-of-moses-not-just-as-history-but-as-divine/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [What I find fascinating about Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights we celebrate at this time of the year, is the way its story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/what-i-find-fascinating-about-hanukkah-the-jewish-festival-of-lights/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [Find people not to envy but to admire. Do not the profitable but the admirable deed. Live by ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/find-people-not-to-envy-but-to-admire-do-not-the-profitable-but-the/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [The message of Passover remains as powerful as ever. Freedom is won not on the battlefield but in the classroom and the home. Teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-message-of-passover-remains-as-powerful-as-ever-freedom-is-won/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [Which European leader today would not relish the wonder-working powers of a Moses? Budget deficit? Unpopular cuts? How about just a little miracle, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/which-european-leader-today-would-not-relish-the-wonder-working/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [The twenty-first century is, and will remain, the Age of Insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-twenty-first-century-is-and-will-remain-the-age-of-insecurity/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) [Explore all 150 Jonathan Sacks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. 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I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. 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