Divine power Quote by Joseph Campbell
““Now, eternity is beyond all categories of thought. This is an important point in all of the great Oriental religions. We want to think about God. God is a thought. God is a name. God is an idea. But its reference is to something that transcends all thinking. The ultimate mystery of being is beyond all categories of thought. As Kant said, the think in itself is no things. It transcends thingness, it goes past anything that could be thought. The best things can't be told because they transcend thought. The second best are misunderstood, because those are the thoughts that are supposed to refer to that which can't be thought about. The third best are what we talk about. And myth is that field of reference to what is absolutely transcendent…That's why it's absurd to speak of God as of either this sex or that sex. The divine power is antecedent to sexual separation.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell, 1988
The ultimate reality of God transcends human concepts and language, making it impossible to fully describe or categorize.
In simple terms: God is beyond thought and categories.
Key Takeaway
Accept mystery, avoid limiting definitions.
Themes
mysticism
theology
philosophy
Mood
awe
contemplative
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- religious contemplation
- philosophical study
- spiritual practice
- interfaith dialogue
Key Concepts
transcendence
ineffability
Kantian noumenon
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we honor the unknowable?
- What limits do our concepts place on spirituality?
A Different Perspective
Human language may misrepresent the divine.
![“The fall [of your soul] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical version of a myth known to many lands.” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9ff/joseph-campbell-300_biblical_the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-in_22526.jpg)
![“We are compelled by reflection to recognize that God is not to be placed against the material world [as in Christianity], but must be placed as a 'divine power' or 'moving spirit' within the cosmos itself ... All the wonderful phenomena of nature around us, organic as well as inorganic, are only…” quote by Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2f0/ernst-haeckel-20972_christianity_we-are-compelled-by-reflection-to-recogn_133705.jpg)
