--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mystery of life is beyond all human…" description: "\"“The mystery of life is beyond all human conception. Everything we know is within the terminology of the concepts of being and not being, many and sing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/joseph-campbell-300_life_the-mystery-of-life-is-beyond-all-human_346287.png" --- # The mystery of life is beyond all human conception… ![“The mystery of life is beyond all human conception. Everything we know is within the terminology of the concepts of being and not being, many and single, true and untrue. We always think in terms of opposites. But God, the ultimate, is beyond the pairs of opposites, that is all there is to it.” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/joseph-campbell-300_life_the-mystery-of-life-is-beyond-all-human_346287.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/joseph-campbell-300_life_the-mystery-of-life-is-beyond-all-human_346287.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/joseph-campbell-300_life_the-mystery-of-life-is-beyond-all-human_346287.png) > ““The mystery of life is beyond all human conception. Everything we know is within the terminology of the concepts of being and not being, many and single, true and untrue. We always think in terms of opposites. But God, the ultimate, is beyond the pairs of opposites, that is all there is to it.”” [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ultimate reality transcends binary opposites; true understanding lies beyond dualistic thinking. **In simple terms:** Reality is beyond opposites. Key Takeaway Seek beyond binary thinking. Themes philosophy spirituality duality knowledge Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal meditation - academic study - creative writing - conflict resolution Key Concepts non‑duality theology conceptual limits Questions to Reflect On - Can you imagine a truth without opposites? - How does this view affect moral judgments? A Different Perspective Human concepts may never fully capture the divine. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conception Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conception-know-2348696/) [Human Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-conception-1659190/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-human/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Mystery of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-of-life/) [Opposites God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites-god-495954/) ## Related quotes > [A Communist breaks because he must choose at last between irreconcilable opposites-God or Man, Soul or Mind, Freedom or Communism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/a-communist-breaks-because-he-must-choose-at-last-between/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [Tolstoi explains somewhere in his writings why, in his opinion, “Science for Science's sake” is an absurd conception. We cannot know all the facts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/tolstoi-explains-somewhere-in-his-writings-why-in-his-opinion-science-2/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [Of my conception I know only what you know of yours. It occurred in darkness and I was unconsenting... By some bleak alchemy what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/of-my-conception-i-know-only-what-you-know-of-yours-it-occurred-in/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [To accept the fact that, after fertilization has taken place, a new human has come into being is no longer a matter of taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-lejeune/to-accept-the-fact-that-after-fertilization-has-taken-place-a-new/) [Jerome Lejeune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-lejeune/) > [Shame doesn't exist in the animal kingdom. 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It brings us close to all beings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/profound-love-demands-a-deep-conception-and-out-of-this-develops/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [God grant that by my persevering labours I may bring a little stone to the frail and ill-assured edifice of our knowledge of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/god-grant-that-by-my-persevering-labours-i-may-bring-a-little-stone/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [If one wants to lead a good life, A HUMAN LIFE, one must work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/if-one-wants-to-lead-a-good-life-a-human-life-one-must-work/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [The right to life is the first human right. Abortion is killing someone that cannot defend him or herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-right-to-life-is-the-first-human-right-abortion-is-killing/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [To me, the most important thing in life is to be a human being. Second is acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-stormare/to-me-the-most-important-thing-in-life-is-to-be-a-human-being-second/) [Peter Stormare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-stormare/) > [The life of an entrepreneur is the life of a human. Some days are amazing. Some days are a struggle. A lot are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dunn/the-life-of-an-entrepreneur-is-the-life-of-a-human-some-days-are/) [Andy Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dunn/) ## More by Joseph Campbell > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. 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There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The mystery of life is beyond all human conception. 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