--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is nothing so secular that it…" description: "\"There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation.\" — Madeleine L'Engle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/madeleine-l-engle-345_incarnation_there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cann_915081.png" --- # There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and… ![“There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation.” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/madeleine-l-engle-345_incarnation_there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cann_915081.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/madeleine-l-engle-345_incarnation_there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cann_915081.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/madeleine-l-engle-345_incarnation_there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cann_915081.png) > “There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation.” [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. Even the most secular things can hold sacred meaning, highlighting the deep spiritual truth of the Incarnation. **In simple terms:** Secular can be sacred. Key Takeaway Seek deeper meaning in all things. Themes spirituality secularism theology Mood contemplative inspirational Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - art criticism - interfaith dialogue - education Key Concepts sacredness incarnation paradox Questions to Reflect On - What everyday objects feel sacred to you? - How does this view affect your faith? A Different Perspective Not all secular contexts accept sacred interpretations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Incarnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incarnation/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) [Secular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secular/) ## Related quotes > [“They considered all of life to be part of a great mystery and knew there was no way to separate the secular from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gregg/they-considered-all-of-life-to-be-part-of-a-great-mystery-and-knew/) [Susan Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gregg/) > [I don't see life divided into public and private, secular and sacred. It's all an open place of service before our God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/i-don-t-see-life-divided-into-public-and-private-secular-and-sacred/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [“We have made our worship services more secular than sacred, more common than uncommon, more profane than holy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/we-have-made-our-worship-services-more-secular-than-sacred-more/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [Music is either sacred or secular. The sacred agrees with its dignity, and here has its greatest effect on life, an effect that remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/music-is-either-sacred-or-secular-the-sacred-agrees-with-its-dignity/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“There is no longer a fight between the secular and the sacred. If the Spirit dwells in us, then whether it be school or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/there-is-no-longer-a-fight-between-the-secular-and-the-sacred-if-the/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [Before it incarnates, each soul enters into a sacred contract with the Universe to accomplish certain things. It enters into this commitment in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/before-it-incarnates-each-soul-enters-into-a-sacred-contract-with-the/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [“Jesus of Nazareth is so entirely one of them they can hardly find anything special about him at all. He fits right in with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mcniel/jesus-of-nazareth-is-so-entirely-one-of-them-they-can-hardly-find/) Catherine McNiel > [If our lives are truly "hid with Christ in God," the astounding thing is that this hiddenness is revealed in all that we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-our-lives-are-truly-hid-with-christ-in-god-the-astounding-thing-is/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Basically there can be no categories such as 'religious' art and 'secular' art, because all true art is incarnational, and therefore 'religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/basically-there-can-be-no-categories-such-as-religious-art-and/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-every-man-abide-in-the-calling-wherein-he-is-called-and-his-work/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/it-is-not-what-a-man-does-that-determines-whether-his-work-is-sacred-2/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [“It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/it-is-not-what-a-man-does-that-determines-whether-his-work-is-sacred/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Krishna. By distributing the holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhaktisiddhanta-sarasvati/only-an-empowered-personality-can-distribute-the-holy-name-of-the/) [Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhaktisiddhanta-sarasvati/) > [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) ## 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 Incarnation quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Krishna. By distributing the holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhaktisiddhanta-sarasvati/only-an-empowered-personality-can-distribute-the-holy-name-of-the/) [Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhaktisiddhanta-sarasvati/) > [Greatness by nature includes a power, but not a will to power. ... The great man, whether we comprehend him in the most intense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/greatness-by-nature-includes-a-power-but-not-a-will-to-power-the/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [ The most recent incarnation of \[Bob\] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan-has-been-the-traveling/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily flounder as writing characterized by simplicity and composure. There is no reliable formula for originality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/writing-that-flirts-with-incoherence-can-just-as-readily-flounder-as/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [We are on earth as extensions of God to finish the work He began. We are the essence of God, His on-going incarnation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-paulk/we-are-on-earth-as-extensions-of-god-to-finish-the-work-he-began-we/) [Earl Paulk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-paulk/) > [One of the weirdest things that happened to artists and art criticism was this moment when everyone got cynical and stopped believing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/one-of-the-weirdest-things-that-happened-to-artists-and-art-criticism/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [“...because you have been purifying your fields for many incarnations so you no longer belong in the heavy density of the third dimension and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-rangel-gerry-o-malley/because-you-have-been-purifying-your-fields-for-many-incarnations-so/) [Ana Rangel & Gerry O'malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-rangel-gerry-o-malley/) > [The incarnation is true, not of Christ exclusively, but of Man universally, and God everlastingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/the-incarnation-is-true-not-of-christ-exclusively-but-of-man/) [James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/) > [The Pleiadians are here on the planet at this time to support us in our transition. They come from the star system known as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mccormick-day/the-pleiadians-are-here-on-the-planet-at-this-time-to-support-us-in/) [Christine McCormick Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mccormick-day/) > [“The purpose of each incarnation is the transformation \\ spiritual development of the individual. To the extent our day-to-day activities become harmonious with this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vazhakunnathu/the-purpose-of-each-incarnation-is-the-transformation-spiritual/) [Thomas Vazhakunnathu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vazhakunnathu/) > [You are incarnations of God, all of you. You are incarnations of the Almighty, Omnipresent, Divine Principle. You may laugh at me now, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/you-are-incarnations-of-god-all-of-you-you-are-incarnations-of-the/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Poetry too is a little incarnation, giving body to what had been before invisible and inaudible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/poetry-too-is-a-little-incarnation-giving-body-to-what-had-been/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I would not think twice about being part of any incarnation of the 'X-Men' films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsden/i-would-not-think-twice-about-being-part-of-any-incarnation-of-the-x/) [James Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsden/) [Browse all 430 Incarnation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incarnation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madeleine L'Engle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cannot-be-sacred-and-that-is-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Incarnation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cannot-be-sacred-and-that-is-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/madeleine-l-engle-345_incarnation_there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cann_915081.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/madeleine-l-engle-345_incarnation_there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cann_915081.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/madeleine-l-engle-345_incarnation_there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cann_915081.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the…” — 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": "There is nothing so secular that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cannot-be-sacred-and-that-is-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/there-is-nothing-so-secular-that-it-cannot-be-sacred-and-that-is-one/#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 } } ] } ```