--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Immediate knowledge tells us only that…" description: "\"Immediate knowledge tells us only that God is, not what he is. But if God is not an empty Being beyond the stars, he must be present in the communion o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae8/joseph-alexander-leighton-2614_beyond-the-stars_immediate-knowledge-tells-us-only-that-g_2444493.jpg" --- # Immediate knowledge tells us only that God is, not what he… ![“Immediate knowledge tells us only that God is, not what he is. But if God is not an empty Being beyond the stars, he must be present in the communion of human spirits, and, in his relation to these, he is the One Spirit who pervades reality and thought. Hence there can be no final separation…” quote by Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae8/joseph-alexander-leighton-2614_beyond-the-stars_immediate-knowledge-tells-us-only-that-g_2444493.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae8/joseph-alexander-leighton-2614_beyond-the-stars_immediate-knowledge-tells-us-only-that-g_2444493.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae8/joseph-alexander-leighton-2614_beyond-the-stars_immediate-knowledge-tells-us-only-that-g_2444493.jpg) > “Immediate knowledge tells us only that God is, not what he is. But if God is not an empty Being beyond the stars, he must be present in the communion of human spirits, and, in his relation to these, he is the One Spirit who pervades reality and thought. Hence there can be no final separation between our immediate consciousness of him and our mediated knowledge of reality.” [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. God is present within human spirit, not distant; consciousness and reality are intertwined. **In simple terms:** God lives in human spirit. Key Takeaway Seek inner connection. Themes spirituality unity philosophy Mood contemplative inquisitive Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - personal meditation - interfaith dialogue - ethical decision making Key Concepts theology consciousness metaphysics Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect your faith? - Can humanity embody divine unity? A Different Perspective Interpretations of God vary; some reject spiritual presence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beyond the stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beyond-the-stars/) [Communion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communion/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Consciousness Mediated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-mediated-516565/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Finals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finals/) [Human spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-spirit/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Immediate Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immediate-consciousness-516563/) [Immediate Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immediate-knowledge-516564/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [Separation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) ## Related quotes > [“Our view of the mind not only shapes our view of ourselves; less obviously, it also shapes our view of that part of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-nuallain/our-view-of-the-mind-not-only-shapes-our-view-of-ourselves-less/) [Seán Ó Nualláin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-nuallain/) > [“One thus arrives at a curious conception of thought. 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Death is believed to be due to the intervention of some malevolent or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/death-is-not-regarded-as-a-natural-affair-by-primitive-man-death-is/) [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) > [A system of philosophy, or metaphysics, is a union of a world view and a life view in one harmonious, complete, integral conception. 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In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/skepticism-literally-means-a-thoughtful-inquiry-the-looking-at-a/) [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) > [Life appears in a vast variety and innumerable succession of individual forms, since the most salient character of the universe is just that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/life-appears-in-a-vast-variety-and-innumerable-succession-of/) [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) > [Philosophy, like science, consists of theories or insights arrived at as a result of systemic reflection or reasoning in regard to the data of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/philosophy-like-science-consists-of-theories-or-insights-arrived-at/) [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) > [God is the Absolute Idea, a circle that returns upon itself, not a straight line projected indefinitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/god-is-the-absolute-idea-a-circle-that-returns-upon-itself-not-a/) [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) > [If the spiritual values of human existence at its highest term of development and achievement do not endure, amidst all the changes and chances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/if-the-spiritual-values-of-human-existence-at-its-highest-term-of/) [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) > [Science ... is organized common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/science-is-organized-common-sense/) [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) [Explore all 22 Joseph Alexander Leighton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) ## More Beyond the stars quotes > [“This was not the velvet embracing desert sky at El Geneina; this was infinite space. 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The containership had been hired to transport a horror from beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-gladstone/simple-accident-a-zombie-crewed-containership-from-southern-kath/) [Max Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-gladstone/) > [They say aim for the stars, but I want to aim beyond the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-yarde/they-say-aim-for-the-stars-but-i-want-to-aim-beyond-the-stars/) [Anthony Yarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-yarde/) > [Church bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood, The land of spices; something understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/church-bells-beyond-the-stars-heard-the-soul-s-blood-the-land-of/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“By and large, the kind of science fiction which makes tomorrow's headlines as near as this morning's coffee has enlarged popular awareness of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/by-and-large-the-kind-of-science-fiction-which-makes-tomorrow-s/) [Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/) > [A lot of times you talk about what you know, but since our reality is so difficult, its hard to think about travelling beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-grevioux/a-lot-of-times-you-talk-about-what-you-know-but-since-our-reality-is/) [Kevin Grevioux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-grevioux/) > [A small child has no ambitions, he has no desires. 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Everyone dreams of fame. You long to live forever, to gain the power of light. But fame is fickle. One minute you're a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-suddain/fame-everyone-dreams-of-fame-you-long-to-live-forever-to-gain-the-2/) [Matt Suddain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-suddain/) > [“Blasphemy is more complicated than the simple act of cursing God. It is an attempt to remove our cultural eyeglasses, or at least grind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/blasphemy-is-more-complicated-than-the-simple-act-of-cursing-god-it/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [Duty reaches down the ages in its effects, and into eternity; and when the man goes about it resolutely, it seems to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/duty-reaches-down-the-ages-in-its-effects-and-into-eternity-and-when/) [William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/) [Browse all 50 Beyond the stars quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beyond-the-stars/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Immediate knowledge tells us only that God is, not what he is. 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