Business Quote by Mark Twain
““Satan must have been pretty simple, even according to the New Testament, or he wouldn't have led Christ up on a high mountain and offered him the world if he would fall down and worship him. That was a manifestly absurd proposition, because Christ, as the Son of God, already owned the world; and besides, what Satan showed him was only a few rocky acres of Palestine. It is just as if some one should try to buy Rockefeller, the owner of all the Standard Oil Company, with a gallon of kerosene.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Letters from the Earth, 1909
Satan's offer to Christ is absurd because Christ already possesses the world, making the bargain meaningless.
In simple terms: Satan's offer is pointless because Christ already has everything.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when offers are meaningless.
Themes
theology
paradox
pride
temptation
Mood
ironic
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- religious debate
- philosophical discussion
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
Divine sovereignty
human limitation
symbolic bargaining
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this absurdity reveal about human desire for power?
- How does this reflect on the nature of temptation?
A Different Perspective
The analogy may oversimplify complex theological concepts.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)