--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing true can be said about God from a…" description: "\"Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of defense.\" — Marilynne Robinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/marilynne-robinson-602_defense_nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from_766846.png" --- # Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of… ![“Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of defense.” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/marilynne-robinson-602_defense_nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from_766846.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/marilynne-robinson-602_defense_nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from_766846.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/marilynne-robinson-602_defense_nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from_766846.png) > “Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of defense.” [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques defending God from a defensive stance, arguing it blocks genuine understanding. **In simple terms:** Defending God blocks true insight. Key Takeaway Approach belief openly. Themes theology philosophy dialogue Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - religious debate - personal reflection - academic discourse Key Concepts defensiveness faith epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How does defensiveness shape belief? - Can openness deepen faith? A Different Perspective Defensive posture may protect personal bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Posture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-posture-2070569/) [Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite/) [Posture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posture/) [Posture Defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posture-defense-4837423/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-god/) ## Related quotes > [Be mild and firm. Apply your best exertions to put us in a proper posture of defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-rutledge/be-mild-and-firm-apply-your-best-exertions-to-put-us-in-a-proper/) [Edward Rutledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-rutledge/) > [“growing closer to God has a whole lot less to do with any action we might take and a whole lot more to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/growing-closer-to-god-has-a-whole-lot-less-to-do-with-any-action-we/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [It is quite true, as some poets said, that the God who created man must have had a sinister sense of humor, creating him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/it-is-quite-true-as-some-poets-said-that-the-god-who-created-man-must/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [“And they want me to defend religion, and they want me to give them proofs. I just won't do it. It only confirms them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/and-they-want-me-to-defend-religion-and-they-want-me-to-give-them/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [There is a saying that to understand is to forgive, but that is an error, so Papa used to say. You must forgive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/there-is-a-saying-that-to-understand-is-to-forgive-but-that-is-an-2/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [If there be an infinite Being, he does not need our help - we need not waste our energies in his defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-there-be-an-infinite-being-he-does-not-need-our-help-we-need-not/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [My mother told me to keep on singing, and that kept me working through the cotton fields. She said God has his hand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/my-mother-told-me-to-keep-on-singing-and-that-kept-me-working-through/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) > [“In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in His cosmic loneliness. And God said, "Let Us make living creatures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/in-the-beginning-god-created-the-earth-and-he-looked-upon-it-in-his/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [When it's all said & done only God can judge me. I'm going to go out there on 5/5 to give my fans what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mayweather-jr/when-it-s-all-said-done-only-god-can-judge-me-i-m-going-to-go-out/) [Floyd Mayweather, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mayweather-jr/) > [My mother took us to services at the Episcopal church. Yet she always said that God was not just inside the four walls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/my-mother-took-us-to-services-at-the-episcopal-church-yet-she-always/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [I don't disagree with anything I've ever said. Why in God's name would I disagree with something I've said?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ritter/i-don-t-disagree-with-anything-i-ve-ever-said-why-in-god-s-name-would/) [Scott Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-ritter/) > [I would say that during the time that I was 14 and pregnant - I didn't even know what pregnancy was when I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-would-say-that-during-the-time-that-i-was-14-and-pregnant-i-didn-t/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [When he went back to the fire he knelt and smoothed her hair as she slept and he said if he were God he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-he-went-back-to-the-fire-he-knelt-and-smoothed-her-hair-as-she/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“What does it say?" asked my lord. "It says, 'Good-night, God keep you all the night!'--just what she used to say when we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/what-does-it-say-asked-my-lord-it-says-good-night-god-keep-you-all/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [I disobeyed Ra's wishes, and so he ordered my onw father, Shu-" "Hang on," I said. "Shoe?" "S-h-u," she said. "The god of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/i-disobeyed-ra-s-wishes-and-so-he-ordered-my-onw-father-shu-hang-on-i/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) ## More by Marilynne Robinson > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“I think sometimes there might be an advantage in making people aware how worn and stale these old transgressions are. It might take some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-think-sometimes-there-might-be-an-advantage-in-making-people-aware/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [There are two occasions when the sacred beauty of Creation becomes dazzlingly apparent, and they occur together. One is when we feel our mortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/there-are-two-occasions-when-the-sacred-beauty-of-creation-becomes/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [My Calvinism persuades me that we are open to God, in the sense that we are not delimited, not organisms with fixed attributes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-calvinism-persuades-me-that-we-are-open-to-god-in-the-sense-that/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it. A man can know his father, or his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for-all-purposes-completely/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I listen to Bach a great deal. In general I like to listen to hymns and liturgical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-listen-to-bach-a-great-deal-in-general-i-like-to-listen-to-hymns/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Every writer I know, when asked how to become a writer, responds with one word:Read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/every-writer-i-know-when-asked-how-to-become-a-writer-responds-with/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Faith for her was habit and family loyalty, a reverence for the Bible which was also literary, admiration for her mother and father. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/faith-for-her-was-habit-and-family-loyalty-a-reverence-for-the-bible/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Prayer is a discipline in truthfulness, in honesty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/prayer-is-a-discipline-in-truthfulness-in-honesty/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.’ There are pleasures to be found where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-full-soul-loatheth-an-honeycomb-but-to-the-hungry-soul-every/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I sometimes am discouraged by what seems to be a sort of conventional disparagement of humankind. I think often people feel that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-sometimes-am-discouraged-by-what-seems-to-be-a-sort-of-conventional/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Now that I look back, it seems to me that in all that deep darkness a miracle was preparing. So I am right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/now-that-i-look-back-it-seems-to-me-that-in-all-that-deep-darkness-a/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“My grandfather once told her if you couldn't read with cold feet, there wouldn't be a literate soul in the state of Maine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-grandfather-once-told-her-if-you-couldn-t-read-with-cold-feet/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Cranky old Leviticus gave us—gave Christ—not only “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” but also the rather forgotten “Thou shalt love the stranger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/cranky-old-leviticus-gave-us-gave-christ-not-only-thou-shalt-love-thy/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Explore all 450 Marilynne Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## More Defense quotes > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [My last defense / Is the present tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [Football is not just all about throwing the ball. You got to run the ball, too. Defense has to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/football-is-not-just-all-about-throwing-the-ball-you-got-to-run-the/) [Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Witness for the defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/witness-for-the-defense-albus-percival-wulfric-brian-dumbledore/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You say I have a bad attitude. But have you ever stopped to check yours?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-marie/you-say-i-have-a-bad-attitude-but-have-you-ever-stopped-to-check-yours/) [Tasha Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-marie/) > [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. Take the hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/he-should-release-the-tax-returns-tomorrow-it-s-crazy-you-ve-got-to/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/defense-is-a-definite-part-of-the-game-and-a-great-part-of-defense-is/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [When you shoot someone who is fleeing, it's not self-defense. It's an execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-shoot-someone-who-is-fleeing-it-s-not-self-defense-it-s-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) [Browse all 2,426 Defense quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of defense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilynne Robinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from-a-posture-of-defense/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defense" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from-a-posture-of-defense/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/marilynne-robinson-602_defense_nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from_766846.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/marilynne-robinson-602_defense_nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from_766846.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/marilynne-robinson-602_defense_nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from_766846.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of defense.” — Marilynne Robinson", "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": "Marilynne Robinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nothing true can be said about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from-a-posture-of-defense/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/nothing-true-can-be-said-about-god-from-a-posture-of-defense/#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 } } ] } ```