--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A winter ago I had an after-school…" description: "\"“A winter ago I had an after-school seminar for high-school students and in one of the early sessions Una, a brilliant fifteen-year-old, a born writer ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe-in-god_a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-semin_2507312.png" --- # A winter ago I had an after-school seminar for high-school… ![“A winter ago I had an after-school seminar for high-school students and in one of the early sessions Una, a brilliant fifteen-year-old, a born writer who came to Harlem from Panama five years ago, and only then discovered the conflict between races, asked me, "Mrs. Franklin, do you really and…” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe-in-god_a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-semin_2507312.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe-in-god_a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-semin_2507312.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe-in-god_a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-semin_2507312.png) > ““A winter ago I had an after-school seminar for high-school students and in one of the early sessions Una, a brilliant fifteen-year-old, a born writer who came to Harlem from Panama five years ago, and only then discovered the conflict between races, asked me, "Mrs. Franklin, do you really and truly believe in God with no doubts at all?" "Oh, Una, I really and truly believe in God with all kinds of doubts." But I base my life on this belief.”” [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith can coexist with doubt; belief is not the absence of questioning but a commitment despite uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Belief includes doubts. Key Takeaway Embrace belief while questioning. Themes faith doubt personal growth Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - teaching - personal counseling - public speaking - writing workshops Key Concepts existentialism spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How do you hold belief amid doubt? - What role does doubt play in strengthening faith? A Different Perspective Doubt may weaken conviction for some; ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) [Doubts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubts/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [School Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-students/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“People will always tell you what they think you should or should not do. But your life is only between you and God. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/people-will-always-tell-you-what-they-think-you-should-or-should-not/) [Dragos Bratasanu, Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/) > [Feed your faith to God and your doubts will starve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariane-corbito/feed-your-faith-to-god-and-your-doubts-will-starve/) [Mariane Corbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariane-corbito/) > [I have a plant called Roger Franklin and he is really special. I'm not trying to sound weird, but he has a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/i-have-a-plant-called-roger-franklin-and-he-is-really-special-i-m-not/) [Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/) > [A man in health questions whether there is a God, and he also doubts whether it be a sin to have intercourse with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-in-health-questions-whether-there-is-a-god-and-he-also-doubts/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [I choose to believe in God, but I have serious doubts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-choose-to-believe-in-god-but-i-have-serious-doubts/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“You too are God, but you are not aware of this. If one decides in his mind that ‘I am God, but I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/you-too-are-god-but-you-are-not-aware-of-this-if-one-decides-in-his/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“And how nobly it raises our conceit of the mighty, misty monster, to behold him solemnly sailing through a calm tropical sea; his vast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-how-nobly-it-raises-our-conceit-of-the-mighty-misty-monster-to/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Sometimes you say to yourself: the fire in me is going out. But you were not the one who lit that fire. Your faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother-roger/sometimes-you-say-to-yourself-the-fire-in-me-is-going-out-but-you/) Brother Roger > [I was raised - and still consider myself to be - Catholic, though I'm non-practicing and haven't fulfilled my Easter duty since sometime during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/i-was-raised-and-still-consider-myself-to-be-catholic-though-i-m-non/) [Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/) > [“We live by revelation, as Christians, as artists, which means we must be careful never to get set into rigid molds. The minute we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/we-live-by-revelation-as-christians-as-artists-which-means-we-must-be/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Those who believe they believe in God, but without passion in the heart, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, and even at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/those-who-believe-they-believe-in-god-but-without-passion-in-the-2/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Even for high school students we expect some degree of forgiveness particularly for those students that have only been here a short period of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-for-high-school-students-we-expect-some-degree-of-forgiveness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ That movie \[Jawbreaker\] was so much fun to shoot. We were all in our mid-20s at the time, playing high school students. Which was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/that-movie-jawbreaker-was-so-much-fun-to-shoot-we-were-all-in-our-mid/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [“Abuse doesn’t come from people’s inability to resolve conflicts but from one person’s decision to claim a higher status than another. So while it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lundy-bancroft/abuse-doesn-t-come-from-people-s-inability-to-resolve-conflicts-but/) [Lundy Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lundy-bancroft/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) ## More by Madeleine L'Engle > [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. To a certain extent this can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/severe-illness-isolates-those-in-close-contact-with-it-because-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/goodness-has-never-been-a-guarantee-of-safety/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/faith-is-what-makes-life-bearable-with-all-its-tragedies-and/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Instead of rejoicing in this glorious “impossible” which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/instead-of-rejoicing-in-this-glorious-impossible-which-gives-meaning/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I have never lived before...Until this summer, I did not know what it was to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-have-never-lived-before-until-this-summer-i-did-not-know-what-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [On the other side of pain, there is still love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/on-the-other-side-of-pain-there-is-still-love/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-love-is-to-be-vulnerable-and-it-is-only-in-vulnerability-and-risk/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. It's all been said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/my-husband-is-my-most-ruthless-critic-sometimes-he-will-say-it-s-been/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [If we aren't capable of being hurt we aren't capable of feeling joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-we-aren-t-capable-of-being-hurt-we-aren-t-capable-of-feeling-joy/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) [Explore all 660 Madeleine L'Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## More Believe in god quotes > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [I believe in God, because he is the only thing that kept me going. He's my best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hahn/i-believe-in-god-because-he-is-the-only-thing-that-kept-me-going-he-s/) [Jessica Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hahn/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) > [I don't believe in angels and I have trouble with the whole God thing. I don't want to say I don't believe in God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-don-t-believe-in-angels-and-i-have-trouble-with-the-whole-god-thing/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [“if I asked people whether they believed in life, they’d never understand what I meant. It’s a bad question. It can mean so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-asked-people-whether-they-believed-in-life-they-d-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you believe in GOD you should never fear death. If human fears death then hill be easily enslaved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadair-desmar/if-you-believe-in-god-you-should-never-fear-death-if-human-fears/) [Nadair Desmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadair-desmar/) > [I have never come to know God, to see God, to believe in God through doing science. He's not the conclusion of some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-coyne/i-have-never-come-to-know-god-to-see-god-to-believe-in-god-through/) [George Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-coyne/) > [“Most witches don’t believe in gods. They know that the gods exist, of course. They even deal with them occasionally. But they don’t believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/most-witches-don-t-believe-in-gods-they-know-that-the-gods-exist-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I believe God has called His people to be a light in darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherri-shepherd/i-believe-god-has-called-his-people-to-be-a-light-in-darkness/) [Sherri Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherri-shepherd/) > [“She stood and tried hard not to believe in God. It seemed mean and petty to have more belief in God when things were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/she-stood-and-tried-hard-not-to-believe-in-god-it-seemed-mean-and/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [People often ask me if I believe in God, and I kinda have to, because I'm still here. I had not planned on living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/people-often-ask-me-if-i-believe-in-god-and-i-kinda-have-to-because-i/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Browse all 1,413 Believe in god quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A winter ago I had an after-school seminar for high-school students and in one of the early sessions Una, a brilliant fifteen-year-old, a born writer who came to Harlem from Panama five years ago, and only then discovered the conflict between races, asked me, \"Mrs. Franklin, do you really and truly believe in God with no doubts at all?\" \"Oh, Una, I really and truly believe in God with all kinds of doubts.\" But I base my life on this belief.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madeleine L'Engle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-seminar-for-high-school-students/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe in god" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-seminar-for-high-school-students/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe-in-god_a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-semin_2507312.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe-in-god_a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-semin_2507312.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe-in-god_a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-semin_2507312.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A winter ago I had an after-school seminar for high-school students and in one of the early sessions Una, a…” — Madeleine L'Engle", "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": "Madeleine L'Engle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A winter ago I had an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-seminar-for-high-school-students/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/a-winter-ago-i-had-an-after-school-seminar-for-high-school-students/#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 } } ] } ```