---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you aim at a Scottish presbytery, it…"
description: "\"If you aim at a Scottish presbytery, it agreeth as well with monarchy, as God and the devil. ... No bishop, no King! I will make them conform themselve..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e0/king-james-i-28174_aim_if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-a_3054886.jpg"
---

#  If you aim at a Scottish presbytery, it agreeth as well…

![“If you aim at a Scottish presbytery, it agreeth as well with monarchy, as God and the devil. ... No bishop, no King! I will make them conform themselves, or else I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse.” quote by King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e0/king-james-i-28174_aim_if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-a_3054886.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e0/king-james-i-28174_aim_if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-a_3054886.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e0/king-james-i-28174_aim_if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-a_3054886.jpg)

> “If you aim at a Scottish presbytery, it agreeth as well with monarchy, as God and the devil. ... No bishop, no King! I will make them conform themselves, or else I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse.”

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker declares that both religious and political authority must conform to his will, threatening forceful removal if they resist.

**In simple terms:** He demands obedience from church and state.

Key Takeaway

Enforce unity through power.

Themes

authority politics religion

Mood

authoritarian tense

Type

historical political

When to use this quote

- government reform
- church governance
- national policy
- military action

Key Concepts

theocracy absolutism

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the risks of imposing authority by threat?
- How can diverse institutions coexist peacefully?

A Different Perspective

Forceful conformity can breed rebellion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bishops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Monarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monarchy/) [Scottish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scottish/)

## Related quotes

> [“team—the “prophetic presbytery” (see 1 Tim. 4:14).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-goll/team-the-prophetic-presbytery-see-1-tim-4-14/)

[James W. Goll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-goll/)

> [Most people think that there is a monarchy, where God is the king and we are the subjects, and the subjects are inferior to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/most-people-think-that-there-is-a-monarchy-where-god-is-the-king-and/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [“It is a profound political reality that Christ now occupies the supreme seat of cosmic authority. The kings of this world and all secular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/it-is-a-profound-political-reality-that-christ-now-occupies-the/)

[R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/)

> [Our bishops storehouses are not intended to stock enough commodities to care for all the members of the Church. Storehouses are only established to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/our-bishops-storehouses-are-not-intended-to-stock-enough-commodities/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [Inherent in the ordination to be bishop is both the right and the obligation to be directed by inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/inherent-in-the-ordination-to-be-bishop-is-both-the-right-and-the/)

[Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/)

> [The future belongs to he who has the bishops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/the-future-belongs-to-he-who-has-the-bishops/)

[Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/)

> [Archbishop Milingo is a good Bishop and his contention that there are satanists in Rome is completely correct. Anybody who is acquainted with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachi-martin/archbishop-milingo-is-a-good-bishop-and-his-contention-that-there-are/)

[Malachi Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachi-martin/)

> [Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-razuvaev/only-a-good-bishop-can-be-sacrificed-a-bad-bishop-can-only-be-lost/)

Yuri Razuvaev

> [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/it-was-a-blonde-a-blonde-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-in-a-stained/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

> [And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-bigger-the-fall-the-bigger-the-joke-it-would-be-better-fun-to/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, “the Church which presides in charity”, is communion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-one-thing-that-the-catholic-church-desires-and-that-i-seek-as/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [My last two characters have been Denethor and Walter Bishop. Both will be hard acts to follow. That sits in the hands of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-noble/my-last-two-characters-have-been-denethor-and-walter-bishop-both-will/)

[John Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-noble/)

> [The good Bishop of Assisi expressed a sort of horror at the hard life which the Little Brothers lived at the Portiuncula, without comforts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-good-bishop-of-assisi-expressed-a-sort-of-horror-at-the-hard-life/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by King James I

> [On tobacco: A branch of the sin of drunkenness, which is the root of all sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/on-tobacco-a-branch-of-the-sin-of-drunkenness-which-is-the-root-of/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [I can make a lord, but only God can make a gentleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/i-can-make-a-lord-but-only-god-can-make-a-gentleman/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [The wisest fool in Christendom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/the-wisest-fool-in-christendom/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [That which concerns the mystery of the King's power is not lawful to be disputed; for that is to wade into the weakness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/that-which-concerns-the-mystery-of-the-king-s-power-is-not-lawful-to/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [Were I not a king, I would be a university man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/were-i-not-a-king-i-would-be-a-university-man/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [If I were not a king, I would be a university man; and if it were so that I must be a prisoner, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/if-i-were-not-a-king-i-would-be-a-university-man-and-if-it-were-so/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [Smoke.. makes a kitchen also oftentimes in the inward parts of men, soiling and infecting them, with an unctuous and oily kinde of Soote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/smoke-makes-a-kitchen-also-oftentimes-in-the-inward-parts-of-men/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [It is atheism and blasphemy to dispute what God can do: good Christians content themselves with His will revealed in His Word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/it-is-atheism-and-blasphemy-to-dispute-what-god-can-do-good/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [A custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/a-custom-loathsome-to-the-eye-hateful-to-the-nose-harmful-to-the/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [God has power to create, or destroy, make, or unmake at his pleasure, to give life, or send death, to judge all, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/god-has-power-to-create-or-destroy-make-or-unmake-at-his-pleasure-to/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [Herein is not only a great vanity, but a great contempt of God's good gifts, that the sweetness of man's breath, being a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/herein-is-not-only-a-great-vanity-but-a-great-contempt-of-god-s-good/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [God gives not kings the stile of Gods in vaine, For on his throne his sceptre do they sway; And as their subjects ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/god-gives-not-kings-the-stile-of-gods-in-vaine-for-on-his-throne-his/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [ I acknowledge the Roman Church to be our mother church, although defiled with some infirmities and corruptions...Let \[the Papists\] assure themselves, that, as I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/i-acknowledge-the-roman-church-to-be-our-mother-church-although/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [Dr Donne's verses are like the peace of God; they pass all understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/dr-donne-s-verses-are-like-the-peace-of-god-they-pass-all/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [It is one of God's blessings that we cannot foreknow the hour of our death; for a time fixed, even beyond the possibility of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/it-is-one-of-god-s-blessings-that-we-cannot-foreknow-the-hour-of-our/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

[Explore all 19 King James I quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

## More Aim quotes

> [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/)

[William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/)

> [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/)

[Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/)

> [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/)

[Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/)

> [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/)

[Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/)

> [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/)

[Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/)

> [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/)

[Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/)

> [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

> [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/)

[Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/)

> [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/)

[Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/)

> [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you aim at a Scottish presbytery, it agreeth as well with monarchy, as God and the devil. ... No bishop, no King! I will make them conform themselves, or else I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "King James I"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-agreeth-as-well-with-monarchy/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aim"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-agreeth-as-well-with-monarchy/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e0/king-james-i-28174_aim_if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-a_3054886.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e0/king-james-i-28174_aim_if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-a_3054886.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e0/king-james-i-28174_aim_if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-a_3054886.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you aim at a Scottish presbytery, it agreeth as well with monarchy, as God and the devil. ... No bishop…” — King James I",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "King James I",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you aim at a Scottish...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-agreeth-as-well-with-monarchy/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/if-you-aim-at-a-scottish-presbytery-it-agreeth-as-well-with-monarchy/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
