--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I sometimes like to think of God as a…" description: "\"I sometimes like to think of God as a great symphony and the various spiritual paths as instruments in an orchestra. The gift that you have is like mu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/kent-nerburn-10008_add_i-sometimes-like-to-think-of-god-as-a-gr_2956251.png" --- # I sometimes like to think of God as a great symphony and… ![“I sometimes like to think of God as a great symphony and the various spiritual paths as instruments in an orchestra. The gift that you have is like music waiting to be played. You need only to find the instrument that will best bring it out. You alone can never play all the instruments, and your…” quote by Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/kent-nerburn-10008_add_i-sometimes-like-to-think-of-god-as-a-gr_2956251.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/kent-nerburn-10008_add_i-sometimes-like-to-think-of-god-as-a-gr_2956251.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/kent-nerburn-10008_add_i-sometimes-like-to-think-of-god-as-a-gr_2956251.png) > “I sometimes like to think of God as a great symphony and the various spiritual paths as instruments in an orchestra. The gift that you have is like music waiting to be played. You need only to find the instrument that will best bring it out. You alone can never play all the instruments, and your music might not find voice in all the instruments. All you can do is find the instrument that suits you best, play it as well as you can, and add your music to the great symphony of divine creation.” [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Spiritual growth is likened to music; each person must discover their own instrument to express their divine gift within a larger harmony. **In simple terms:** Find your unique way to contribute to the whole. Key Takeaway Discover and nurture your personal talent. Themes spirituality self‑discovery community Mood hopeful inspirational Type philosophical encouraging When to use this quote - career development - artistic expression - volunteering - team projects Key Concepts metaphor purpose divine creativity Questions to Reflect On - What talent feels most natural to you? - How can you collaborate without losing your voice? A Different Perspective Finding the right “instrument” can be difficult and may cause frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Great Symphony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-symphony-1371556/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Instruments Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments-music-1245972/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Orchestra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchestra/) [Orchestra Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchestra-gift-4480553/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-instruments/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-path/) [Suits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suits/) [Suits you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suits-you/) [Symphony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symphony/) [Think God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-god/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [“I have no objection to instruments of music in our worship, provided they are neither seen nor heard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/i-have-no-objection-to-instruments-of-music-in-our-worship-provided/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [I listened to many different types of instruments and music, and have always tried to look at the bass as an instrument as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-listened-to-many-different-types-of-instruments-and-music-and-have/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [“Every wonderful quality "in" someone is waiting to be recognized in all of life's great symphony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/every-wonderful-quality-in-someone-is-waiting-to-be-recognized-in-all/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [A great symphony is a man-made Mississippi down which we irresistibly flow from the instant of our leave-taking to a long forseen destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-copland/a-great-symphony-is-a-man-made-mississippi-down-which-we-irresistibly/) [Aaron Copland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-copland/) > [every artist is both male and female, and ... sometimes, the two great elements are in conjunction with him, so that all by himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/every-artist-is-both-male-and-female-and-sometimes-the-two-great/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [I'm also big on journaling. You can write in the sand or on a watermelon or whatever suits you, but the key is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-king/i-m-also-big-on-journaling-you-can-write-in-the-sand-or-on-a/) [Deborah King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-king/) > [There is a certain tendency on the part of some Americans to treat the UN as a multilateralism à la carte where you pick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/there-is-a-certain-tendency-on-the-part-of-some-americans-to-treat/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Being right is not too difficult. Your choose your perception. You select your information. You leave out what does not suit you. You drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/being-right-is-not-too-difficult-your-choose-your-perception-you/) [Edward de Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/) > [My top tip is to go for makeup that suits you, not what you want to look like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-roberts/my-top-tip-is-to-go-for-makeup-that-suits-you-not-what-you-want-to/) [Nicola Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-roberts/) > [If SANTA CLAUS came down the chimney in a f\*\*king jogging suit, you wouldn't even know it was him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-coyne/if-santa-claus-came-down-the-chimney-in-a-f-king-jogging-suit-you/) [Wayne Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-coyne/) > [It was close to like a 67- or 70-day shoot for 'Tron' on stage, in the suit. You can't even sit down during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hedlund/it-was-close-to-like-a-67-or-70-day-shoot-for-tron-on-stage-in-the/) [Garrett Hedlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hedlund/) > [Stella: I got a nose for trouble. I can smell it ten miles away. . . . I can smell trouble right here in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-ritter/stella-i-got-a-nose-for-trouble-i-can-smell-it-ten-miles-away-i-can/) [Thelma Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-ritter/) > [You have to develop a style that suits you and pursue it, not just develop a bag of tricks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stewart/you-have-to-develop-a-style-that-suits-you-and-pursue-it-not-just/) [James Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stewart/) > [Cowboy boots with a suit? You're a rough, tough businessman. Chaps with a bow tie? You're in the rough, tough man business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/cowboy-boots-with-a-suit-you-re-a-rough-tough-businessman-chaps-with/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [If you wear a suit, you can talk to anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/if-you-wear-a-suit-you-can-talk-to-anybody/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) ## More by Kent Nerburn > [We may not all live holy lives, but we live in a world alive with holy moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/we-may-not-all-live-holy-lives-but-we-live-in-a-world-alive-with-holy/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/remember-to-be-gentle-with-yourself-and-others-we-are-all-children-of/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [“In some corner of your life, you know more about something than anyone else on earth. The true measure of your education is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/in-some-corner-of-your-life-you-know-more-about-something-than-anyone/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [We live in a world alive with holy moments. We need only take the time to bring these moments into the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/we-live-in-a-world-alive-with-holy-moments-we-need-only-take-the-time/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance, and none can say while some fields will blossom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/remember-to-be-gentle-with-yourself-and-others-we-are-all-children-of-2/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [...Good leaders wait to be called and they give up their power when they are no longer needed. Selfish men and fools put themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/good-leaders-wait-to-be-called-and-they-give-up-their-power-when-they/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [We wake up one day and find we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/we-wake-up-one-day-and-find-we-have-lost-our-dreams-in-order-to/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [“What is needed is only a pausing of the heart so the spirit can take wing and be lifted toward the infinite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/what-is-needed-is-only-a-pausing-of-the-heart-so-the-spirit-can-take/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [It is not our task to judge the worthiness of our path; it is our task to walk our path with worthiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/it-is-not-our-task-to-judge-the-worthiness-of-our-path-it-is-our-task/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [“You destroyed it with crosses and diseases and whiskey and guns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/you-destroyed-it-with-crosses-and-diseases-and-whiskey-and-guns/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [When you are here, you are here. When you are gone, you are gone. It isn't a problem to be gone, so long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/when-you-are-here-you-are-here-when-you-are-gone-you-are-gone-it-isn/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [We measure our presence in generations; we cannot dig down ten thousand years and find our bones. Our arrival is scribed upon the line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/we-measure-our-presence-in-generations-we-cannot-dig-down-ten/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [“Now is the moment when I must pause and lift my heart — now, before the day fragments and my consciousness shatters into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/now-is-the-moment-when-i-must-pause-and-lift-my-heart-now-before-the/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [When all the words have been written, and all the phrases have been spoken, the great mystery of life will still remain. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/when-all-the-words-have-been-written-and-all-the-phrases-have-been/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) > [“Loneliness is like sitting in an empty room and being aware of the space around you. It is a condition of separateness. Solitude is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/loneliness-is-like-sitting-in-an-empty-room-and-being-aware-of-the/) [Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) [Explore all 68 Kent Nerburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/) ## More Add quotes > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/) [Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/) > [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/) [Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Global is a unifying bond for people. Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/) [Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/) [Browse all 2,710 Add quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I sometimes like to think of God as a great symphony and the various spiritual paths as instruments in an orchestra. The gift that you have is like music waiting to be played. You need only to find the instrument that will best bring it out. You alone can never play all the instruments, and your music might not find voice in all the instruments. 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