---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The delight we take in our senses is an…"
description: "\"The delight we take in our senses is an implicit desire to know the ultimate reason for things, the highest cause. The desire for wisdom that philosoph..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/josef-pieper-11414_causes_the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an_80668.png"
---

#  The delight we take in our senses is an implicit desire to…

![“The delight we take in our senses is an implicit desire to know the ultimate reason for things, the highest cause. The desire for wisdom that philosophy etymologically is is a desire for the highest or divine causes. Philosophy culminates in theology. All other knowledge contains the seeds of…” quote by Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/josef-pieper-11414_causes_the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an_80668.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/josef-pieper-11414_causes_the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an_80668.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/josef-pieper-11414_causes_the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an_80668.png)

> “The delight we take in our senses is an implicit desire to know the ultimate reason for things, the highest cause. The desire for wisdom that philosophy etymologically is is a desire for the highest or divine causes. Philosophy culminates in theology. All other knowledge contains the seeds of contemplation of the divine.”

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote argues that sensory enjoyment reveals a deeper drive to understand ultimate causes, linking philosophy’s quest for wisdom to divine inquiry and suggesting all knowledge points toward contemplation of the divine.

**In simple terms:** Sensory delight reveals a deeper quest for ultimate causes.

Key Takeaway

Philosophy seeks the divine cause behind all knowledge.

Themes

metaphysics epistemology theology philosophy of mind aesthetics

Mood

contemplative inquisitive reverent

Type

philosophical theological reflective

When to use this quote

- academic lectures on philosophy
- personal meditation on nature
- theological debates
- interdisciplinary research

Key Concepts

causality divine purpose human curiosity contemplation

Practical Applications

- Developing curricula that integrate philosophy and theology
- Designing reflective practices that connect sensory experience with existential inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- How does sensory experience shape our metaphysical assumptions?
- In what ways can philosophy serve as a bridge to theological thought?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Causes Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-philosophy-1028711/) [Contemplation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplation/) [Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-wisdom-1028712/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Etymologically Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/etymologically-desire-1028710/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy Etymologically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-etymologically-1028709/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theology/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-philosophy-222655/)

## Related quotes

> [We lie in the lap of immense intelligence, which makes us receivers of its truth and organ of its activity. When we discern justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-lie-in-the-lap-of-immense-intelligence-which-makes-us-receivers-of/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“You may think that you know nothing, yet all wisdom is yours. Unlearn what your mind accepted as the only way. Remember what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/you-may-think-that-you-know-nothing-yet-all-wisdom-is-yours-unlearn/)

[Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/)

> [If you desire wisdom like money and buried treasures, then you'll find it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon/if-you-desire-wisdom-like-money-and-buried-treasures-then-you-ll-find/)

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

> [“men who desire nothing but material riches and are absolutely devoid of the desire for wisdom, which is the sustenance and truly dependable wealth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/men-who-desire-nothing-but-material-riches-and-are-absolutely-devoid/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Only the search for truth is valid, the desire for wisdom the motive. The method is assimilation, not study.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/only-the-search-for-truth-is-valid-the-desire-for-wisdom-the-motive/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom &amp; Philosophy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/music-is-a-higher-revelation-than-all-wisdom-philosophy/)

[Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

> [Even if I am but a pretender to wisdom, that in itself is philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/even-if-i-am-but-a-pretender-to-wisdom-that-in-itself-is-philosophy/)

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

> [Only in the West did a philosophy develop that was not only no longer the love of wisdom but went so far as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develop-that-was-not-only-no-longer/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/music-is-a-higher-revelation-than-all-wisdom-and-philosophy-music-is/)

[Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

> [“Wisdom and philosophy never found out God; He makes Himself known to us through our needs, necessity finds Him out. I doubt much if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-and-philosophy-never-found-out-god-he-makes-himself-known-to/)

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

> [I despise a world which does not feel that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/i-despise-a-world-which-does-not-feel-that-music-is-a-higher/)

[Ludwig Van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

> [“Truth and reality are two different things. Truth is nothing more or less than an expression of reality as you perceive it, while reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/truth-and-reality-are-two-different-things-truth-is-nothing-more-or/)

[Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/)

> [What distinguishes - in both senses of that word - contemplation is rather this: it is a knowing which is inspired by love. "Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/what-distinguishes-in-both-senses-of-that-word-contemplation-is/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [The happy life does not mean loving what we possess, but possessing what we love." Possession of the beloved, St. Thomas holds, takes place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-happy-life-does-not-mean-loving-what-we-possess-but-possessing/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [Contemplation does not ignore the 'historical Gethsemane', does not ignore the mystery of evil, guilt and its bloody atonement. The happiness of contemplation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/contemplation-does-not-ignore-the-historical-gethsemane-does-not/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

## More by Josef Pieper

> [“The vacancy left by absence of worship is filled by mere killing of time and by boredom, which is directly related to inability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-vacancy-left-by-absence-of-worship-is-filled-by-mere-killing-of/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [“Patience is not the indiscriminate acceptance of any sort of evil: "It is not the one who does not flee from evil who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/patience-is-not-the-indiscriminate-acceptance-of-any-sort-of-evil-it/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [Contemplation does not ignore the 'historical Gethsemane', does not ignore the mystery of evil, guilt and its bloody atonement. The happiness of contemplation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/contemplation-does-not-ignore-the-historical-gethsemane-does-not/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [Justice is a habit (habitus), whereby a man renders to each one his due with constant and perpetual will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/justice-is-a-habit-habitus-whereby-a-man-renders-to-each-one-his-due/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [The happy life does not mean loving what we possess, but possessing what we love." Possession of the beloved, St. Thomas holds, takes place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-happy-life-does-not-mean-loving-what-we-possess-but-possessing/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [The brave man uses wrath for his own act, above all in attack, 'for it is peculiar to wrath to pounce upon evil. Thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-brave-man-uses-wrath-for-his-own-act-above-all-in-attack-for-it/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [What distinguishes - in both senses of that word - contemplation is rather this: it is a knowing which is inspired by love. "Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/what-distinguishes-in-both-senses-of-that-word-contemplation-is/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [Beauty, however, must here be understood in its original meaning: as the glow of the true and the good irradiating from every ordered state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/beauty-however-must-here-be-understood-in-its-original-meaning-as-the/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [Unless we regain the art of silence and insight, the ability for nonactivity, unless we substitute true leisure for our hectic amusements, we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/unless-we-regain-the-art-of-silence-and-insight-the-ability-for/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [To be conscious of gratitude is to acknowledge a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/to-be-conscious-of-gratitude-is-to-acknowledge-a-gift/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [If God really became incarnate, and if His Incarnation can with justice compel man to change his life,then we have no alternative but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/if-god-really-became-incarnate-and-if-his-incarnation-can-with/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [Surrender to sensuality paralyzes the powers of the moral person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/surrender-to-sensuality-paralyzes-the-powers-of-the-moral-person/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [Only those are called liberal or free which are concerned with knowledge; those which are concerned with utilitarian ends... are called servile...The question is...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/only-those-are-called-liberal-or-free-which-are-concerned-with/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [To celebrate a festival means: to live out, for some special occasion and in an uncommon manner, the universal assent to the world as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/to-celebrate-a-festival-means-to-live-out-for-some-special-occasion/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

> [“Since we nowadays think that all a man needs for acquisition of truth is to exert his brain more or less vigorously, and since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/since-we-nowadays-think-that-all-a-man-needs-for-acquisition-of-truth/)

[Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

[Explore all 60 Josef Pieper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/)

## More Causes quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

> [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/)

[Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/)

> [Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. Well, roll my breakfast cause I'm a hungry man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-joe-turner/get-out-from-that-kitchen-and-rattle-those-pots-and-pans-well-roll-my/)

[Big Joe Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-joe-turner/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/)

[Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [I don't wear rubbers cause you can't catch it twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-norton/i-don-t-wear-rubbers-cause-you-can-t-catch-it-twice/)

[Jim Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-norton/)

> [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-was-like-how-she-is-now-when/)

[Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/)

> [I love a lot of things, a whole lot of things / Like / My cousin comes to visit and you know he's from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloise-greenfield/i-love-a-lot-of-things-a-whole-lot-of-things-like-my-cousin-comes-to/)

[Eloise Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloise-greenfield/)

> [Many companies have long contended that stress in the home causes productivity loss in the market place.. and it does. But research now reveals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/many-companies-have-long-contended-that-stress-in-the-home-causes/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/)

[Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/)

[Browse all 9,070 Causes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The delight we take in our senses is an implicit desire to know the ultimate reason for things, the highest cause. The desire for wisdom that philosophy etymologically is is a desire for the highest or divine causes. Philosophy culminates in theology. All other knowledge contains the seeds of contemplation of the divine.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Josef Pieper"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an-implicit-desire-to-know-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Causes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an-implicit-desire-to-know-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/josef-pieper-11414_causes_the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an_80668.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/josef-pieper-11414_causes_the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an_80668.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/josef-pieper-11414_causes_the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an_80668.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The delight we take in our senses is an implicit desire to know the ultimate reason for things, the highest…” — Josef Pieper",
                "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": "Josef Pieper",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The delight we take in our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an-implicit-desire-to-know-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an-implicit-desire-to-know-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
