--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We, in our less than divine wisdom but…" description: "\"“We, in our less than divine wisdom but apparently quite divine powers, are now transforming the planet like an Olympian might have created an Ice Age,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/kate-bernheimer-20843_divine-wisdom_we-in-our-less-than-divine-wisdom-but-ap_1948279.png" --- # We, in our less than divine wisdom but apparently quite… ![“We, in our less than divine wisdom but apparently quite divine powers, are now transforming the planet like an Olympian might have created an Ice Age, or a Titan might have thrown down an asteroid from the sky to kill off a bunch of dinosaurs. We are the gods. Our scientists have said so.” quote by Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/kate-bernheimer-20843_divine-wisdom_we-in-our-less-than-divine-wisdom-but-ap_1948279.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/kate-bernheimer-20843_divine-wisdom_we-in-our-less-than-divine-wisdom-but-ap_1948279.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/kate-bernheimer-20843_divine-wisdom_we-in-our-less-than-divine-wisdom-but-ap_1948279.png) > ““We, in our less than divine wisdom but apparently quite divine powers, are now transforming the planet like an Olympian might have created an Ice Age, or a Titan might have thrown down an asteroid from the sky to kill off a bunch of dinosaurs. We are the gods. Our scientists have said so.”” [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human technological power now reshapes Earth on a scale once reserved for mythic deities, raising ethical concerns about hubris and responsibility. **In simple terms:** We have god‑like power to change the planet. Key Takeaway Recognize responsibility that with great power. Themes technology environment ethics hubris Mood anxious reflective Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - environmental activism - scientific research - public education Key Concepts anthropocene planetary engineering mythology Questions to Reflect On - How should we balance innovation with stewardship? - What limits should be set on planetary manipulation? A Different Perspective Power can outpace moral frameworks, leading to unintended harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Divine wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-wisdom/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) [Ice age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice-age/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Has nature connected itself together by no bond, allowed itself to be thus crippled, and split into the divine and human elements? Well! there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/has-nature-connected-itself-together-by-no-bond-allowed-itself-to-be/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) > [Threefold are those supreme births of this divine force that is in the world, they are true, they are desirable; he moves there wide-overt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/threefold-are-those-supreme-births-of-this-divine-force-that-is-in/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [Divine the Powers that on this trio wait. Supreme their conquest, over Time and Fate. Love, Work, and Faith - these three alone are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/divine-the-powers-that-on-this-trio-wait-supreme-their-conquest-over/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [As civilisation advances, the deities lessen in number, the divine powers become concentrated more and more in one Being, and God rules over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/as-civilisation-advances-the-deities-lessen-in-number-the-divine/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [When humans become gods, when our wings grow so great as to beat about the very edges of the earth, no one can answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/when-humans-become-gods-when-our-wings-grow-so-great-as-to-beat-about/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [Well documented, the relationship of literature to myth in the Western world has undergone much change over the millennia, as first the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/well-documented-the-relationship-of-literature-to-myth-in-the-western/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [In accordance with the divine wisdom, genesis can only take place through destruction, and without destruction of the individual members of the species the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/in-accordance-with-the-divine-wisdom-genesis-can-only-take-place/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [“This is the most excellent and divine wisdom that any creature is capable of. ’Tis more excellent than any human learning; ’tis far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/this-is-the-most-excellent-and-divine-wisdom-that-any-creature-is/) [Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/) > [ “\[Prayer\] is the thirst of ignorance drinking deep draughts from the overflowing fulness of divine wisdom. It is the exhaustion of weakness drawing nerve… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-palmer/prayer-is-the-thirst-of-ignorance-drinking-deep-draughts-from-the/) Benjamin Palmer > [A Christian receives divine wisdom in three ways: by the commandments, teachings, and faith. The commandments free the mind from passions. Teachings lead it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximus-the-confessor/a-christian-receives-divine-wisdom-in-three-ways-by-the-commandments/) [Maximus the Confessor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximus-the-confessor/) > [The human body has been called the microcosm of the universe, a little world of wonders and a monument of divine wisdom and power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-simpson/the-human-body-has-been-called-the-microcosm-of-the-universe-a-little/) [A. B. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-simpson/) > [The world of pure spirits stretches between the divine nature and the world of human beings; because divine wisdom has ordained that the higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/the-world-of-pure-spirits-stretches-between-the-divine-nature-and-the/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“My creed on the subject of slavery is short. Slavery per se is not sin. It is a social condition ordained from the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-morse/my-creed-on-the-subject-of-slavery-is-short-slavery-per-se-is-not-sin/) [Samuel Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-morse/) > [The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of infirmities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/the-beginning-of-divine-wisdom-is-clemency-and-gentleness-which-arise/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [“KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/kingdom-of-the-womb-from-her-thighs-she-gives-you-life-and-how-you/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) ## More by Kate Bernheimer > [As I read more and more fairy tales as an adult, I found massive collusion between their 'subjects' and those in my fiction: childhood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/as-i-read-more-and-more-fairy-tales-as-an-adult-i-found-massive/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [In the old fairy tales, often a 'moral' was tacked on at the end of the story - say, if a book was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/in-the-old-fairy-tales-often-a-moral-was-tacked-on-at-the-end-of-the/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [“Doll-less, invisible friend-less, finally more comfortable in fear than in gladness, Astrid began to live in her head. Or rather inside a small tunnel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/doll-less-invisible-friend-less-finally-more-comfortable-in-fear-than/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [Well documented, the relationship of literature to myth in the Western world has undergone much change over the millennia, as first the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/well-documented-the-relationship-of-literature-to-myth-in-the-western/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [When I wrote the eight fairy tales that appear in 'Horse, Flower, Bird' I was working toward a completely new form of artistic expression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/when-i-wrote-the-eight-fairy-tales-that-appear-in-horse-flower-bird-i/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [When humans become gods, when our wings grow so great as to beat about the very edges of the earth, no one can answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/when-humans-become-gods-when-our-wings-grow-so-great-as-to-beat-about/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [“Beer bottles, whiskey bottles, brown glass, green. They fell to the lawn and I'd feel serene. Adam was king to my stilted queen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/beer-bottles-whiskey-bottles-brown-glass-green-they-fell-to-the-lawn/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [I have been writing fairy tales for as long as I can remember. Not much has changed in terms of my natural attraction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/i-have-been-writing-fairy-tales-for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-not/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [I often visit Maria Tatar's 'The Grimm Reader' for a cold dose of courage. Her translations come from the Brothers Grimm, whose now-famous collection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/i-often-visit-maria-tatar-s-the-grimm-reader-for-a-cold-dose-of/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [When I first read Anne Frank's 'Diary of a Young Girl,' I saw for the first time that a girl could be a writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/when-i-first-read-anne-frank-s-diary-of-a-young-girl-i-saw-for-the/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [People tend to think of fairy tales as 'archetypal.' They are also extremely sensual, something which translates well over the ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/people-tend-to-think-of-fairy-tales-as-archetypal-they-are-also/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [“The home in which you reside it not forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/the-home-in-which-you-reside-it-not-forever/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [The fact that fairy tales remain a literary underdog-undervalued and undermined-even as they shape so many popular stories, redoubles my certainty that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/the-fact-that-fairy-tales-remain-a-literary-underdog-undervalued-and/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [Books are no different from goats! They enjoy an afternoon out on the lawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/books-are-no-different-from-goats-they-enjoy-an-afternoon-out-on-the/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [As scientists have discovered - or perhaps explained is a better word, or perhaps identified - we now live in the age of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/as-scientists-have-discovered-or-perhaps-explained-is-a-better-word/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) [Explore all 30 Kate Bernheimer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) ## More Divine wisdom quotes > [“KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/kingdom-of-the-womb-from-her-thighs-she-gives-you-life-and-how-you/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of infirmities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/the-beginning-of-divine-wisdom-is-clemency-and-gentleness-which-arise/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [“My creed on the subject of slavery is short. Slavery per se is not sin. It is a social condition ordained from the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-morse/my-creed-on-the-subject-of-slavery-is-short-slavery-per-se-is-not-sin/) [Samuel Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-morse/) > [The world of pure spirits stretches between the divine nature and the world of human beings; because divine wisdom has ordained that the higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/the-world-of-pure-spirits-stretches-between-the-divine-nature-and-the/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [The human body has been called the microcosm of the universe, a little world of wonders and a monument of divine wisdom and power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-simpson/the-human-body-has-been-called-the-microcosm-of-the-universe-a-little/) [A. B. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-simpson/) > [A Christian receives divine wisdom in three ways: by the commandments, teachings, and faith. The commandments free the mind from passions. Teachings lead it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximus-the-confessor/a-christian-receives-divine-wisdom-in-three-ways-by-the-commandments/) [Maximus the Confessor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximus-the-confessor/) > [ “\[Prayer\] is the thirst of ignorance drinking deep draughts from the overflowing fulness of divine wisdom. It is the exhaustion of weakness drawing nerve… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-palmer/prayer-is-the-thirst-of-ignorance-drinking-deep-draughts-from-the/) Benjamin Palmer > [“This is the most excellent and divine wisdom that any creature is capable of. ’Tis more excellent than any human learning; ’tis far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/this-is-the-most-excellent-and-divine-wisdom-that-any-creature-is/) [Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/) > [In accordance with the divine wisdom, genesis can only take place through destruction, and without destruction of the individual members of the species the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/in-accordance-with-the-divine-wisdom-genesis-can-only-take-place/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [This must be our belief when we have a correct knowledge of our own self, and comprehend the true nature of everything; we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/this-must-be-our-belief-when-we-have-a-correct-knowledge-of-our-own/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [“For what is it you and I are trying to do now? What I'm trying to do is to attempt to explain to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/for-what-is-it-you-and-i-are-trying-to-do-now-what-i-m-trying-to-do/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [It is human misery and not pleasure which contains the secret of the divine wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/it-is-human-misery-and-not-pleasure-which-contains-the-secret-of-the/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [I am a steadfast follower of the doctrine of non-violence which was first preached by Lord Buddha, whose divine wisdom is absolute...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-am-a-steadfast-follower-of-the-doctrine-of-non-violence-which-was/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [This is the state of all creatures, whether men or angels; as they make not themselves, so they enjoy nothing from themselves; if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-law/this-is-the-state-of-all-creatures-whether-men-or-angels-as-they-make/) [William Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-law/) > [Man, considered not merely as an organized being, but as a rational agent and a member of society, is perhaps the most wonderfully contrived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/man-considered-not-merely-as-an-organized-being-but-as-a-rational/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) [Browse all 61 Divine wisdom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-wisdom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We, in our less than divine wisdom but apparently quite divine powers, are now transforming the planet like an Olympian might have created an Ice Age, or a Titan might have thrown down an asteroid from the sky to kill off a bunch of dinosaurs. 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