---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The meaning of the universe lies outside…"
description: "\"The meaning of the universe lies outside the universe.\" — Jonathan Sacks"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/jonathan-sacks-2788_lies_the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside_2810224.png"
---

#  The meaning of the universe lies outside the universe.

![“The meaning of the universe lies outside the universe.” quote by Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/jonathan-sacks-2788_lies_the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside_2810224.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/jonathan-sacks-2788_lies_the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside_2810224.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/jonathan-sacks-2788_lies_the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside_2810224.png)

> “The meaning of the universe lies outside the universe.”

[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.

The universe’s purpose lies beyond its physical bounds, hinting at spiritual or metaphysical realms.

**In simple terms:** Purpose exists outside the cosmos.

Key Takeaway

Seek meaning beyond material.

Themes

spirituality cosmology purpose

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- philosophical debate
- religious practice
- scientific inquiry

Key Concepts

metaphysics theology

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you believe in a purpose beyond the universe?
- How does this view affect your life?

A Different Perspective

Material evidence may be lacking for external meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/)

## Related quotes

> [The miracle often lies outside our comfort zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-miracle-often-lies-outside-our-comfort-zone/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [It's a man's jobno place for women's plans here!what lies outside. Stay home and cause no trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/it-s-a-man-s-jobno-place-for-women-s-plans-here-what-lies-outside/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [There is no such thing as outside the universe, as far as we can tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-m-carroll/there-is-no-such-thing-as-outside-the-universe-as-far-as-we-can-tell/)

[Sean M. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-m-carroll/)

> [But when we face the great questions about gravitation Does it require time? Is it polar to the 'outside of the universe' or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clerk-maxwell/but-when-we-face-the-great-questions-about-gravitation-does-it/)

[James Clerk Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clerk-maxwell/)

> [“If there was a controlling power outside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-there-was-a-controlling-power-outside-the-universe-it-could-not-2/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [There is nothing outside the universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/there-is-nothing-outside-the-universe/)

[Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/)

> [Although we don't know what is outside our universe, astronomers still wonder. Several pictures of what there might be have been dreamed up. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-bell-burnell/although-we-don-t-know-what-is-outside-our-universe-astronomers-still/)

[Jocelyn Bell Burnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-bell-burnell/)

> [“Until I looked outside I could not see the universe was standing by for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/until-i-looked-outside-i-could-not-see-the-universe-was-standing-by/)

[Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/)

> [“If there was a controlling power outside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe—no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-there-was-a-controlling-power-outside-the-universe-it-could-not/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [Is there no God, then, but at best an absentee God, sitting idle, ever since the first Sabbath, at the outside of his Universe?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/is-there-no-god-then-but-at-best-an-absentee-god-sitting-idle-ever/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [“Everything we know in this world is “contingent,” has a cause outside of itself. Therefore the universe, which is just a huge pile of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-j-keller/everything-we-know-in-this-world-is-contingent-has-a-cause-outside-of/)

[Timothy J. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-j-keller/)

> [Since you must admit that there is nothing outside the universe, it can have no limit and is accordingly without end or measure. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/since-you-must-admit-that-there-is-nothing-outside-the-universe-it/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [We live inside our universe and cannot get a bird's-eye view of it from outside. And we cannot even see all of our universe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-bell-burnell/we-live-inside-our-universe-and-cannot-get-a-bird-s-eye-view-of-it/)

[Jocelyn Bell Burnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-bell-burnell/)

> [Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

## 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 Lies quotes

> [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/)

[Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/)

> [Heaven lies around us in our infancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/heaven-lies-around-us-in-our-infancy/)

[William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“What shapes us is not always our achievements but our omissions. Not lies; simply the truths we don’t tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-tudor/what-shapes-us-is-not-always-our-achievements-but-our-omissions-not/)

[C.J. Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-tudor/)

> [He is almost a statesman. He lies well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-is-almost-a-statesman-he-lies-well/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-lie-the-loudest-when-we-lie-to-ourselves/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [The greatest gift you can give to those around you is honesty. Sometimes honest words may sting the heart, but dishonesty pierces deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-to-those-around-you-is-honesty/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“It's the basic truth of the human condition: everybody lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/it-s-the-basic-truth-of-the-human-condition-everybody-lies/)

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

> [A lie always needs a truth for a handle to it. The worst lies are those whose blade is false, but whose handle is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/a-lie-always-needs-a-truth-for-a-handle-to-it-the-worst-lies-are/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [Words To Remember: Nobody's phone is ever off. They're lying...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-to-remember-nobody-s-phone-is-ever-off-they-re-lying/)

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

> [Those who know New York City primarily through tourism or mass culture may think of us natives as possessing certain shared characteristics, not all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/those-who-know-new-york-city-primarily-through-tourism-or-mass/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [“I'm over your lies and I'm over your games. I'm over you asking me when you know I'm not okay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-mcphee/i-m-over-your-lies-and-i-m-over-your-games-i-m-over-you-asking-me/)

[Katharine McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-mcphee/)

> [“DIGITAL TRUTH DIGITAL LIES • Searches • Social media posts • Views • Social media likes • Clicks • Dating profiles • Swipes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-stephens-davidowitz/digital-truth-digital-lies-searches-social-media-posts-views-social/)

[Seth Stephens-Davidowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-stephens-davidowitz/)

> [You said you loved me, You said you cared for me, you said you wouldn't let anything happen to me. Then we got into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nohaterzz/you-said-you-loved-me-you-said-you-cared-for-me-you-said-you-wouldn-t/)

NoHaterzz

[Browse all 4,881 Lies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The meaning of the universe lies outside the universe.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Sacks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside-the-universe/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Lies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside-the-universe/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/jonathan-sacks-2788_lies_the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside_2810224.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/jonathan-sacks-2788_lies_the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside_2810224.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/jonathan-sacks-2788_lies_the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside_2810224.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The meaning of the universe lies outside the universe.” — Jonathan Sacks",
                "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": "Jonathan Sacks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The meaning of the universe lies...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside-the-universe/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-meaning-of-the-universe-lies-outside-the-universe/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
