---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion operates not only on the…"
description: "\"Religion operates not only on the vertical plane but also on the horizontal. It seeks not only to integrate men with God but to integrate men with men ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_horizontal_religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertic_987225.jpg"
---

#  Religion operates not only on the vertical plane but also…

![“Religion operates not only on the vertical plane but also on the horizontal. It seeks not only to integrate men with God but to integrate men with men and each man with himself.” quote by Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_horizontal_religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertic_987225.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_horizontal_religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertic_987225.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_horizontal_religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertic_987225.jpg)

> “Religion operates not only on the vertical plane but also on the horizontal. It seeks not only to integrate men with God but to integrate men with men and each man with himself.”

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

## About This Quote

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

Religion should connect individuals both vertically to the divine and horizontally to each other, fostering personal and communal integration.

**In simple terms:** Religion links people to God and to each other.

Key Takeaway

Promote inclusive practices that unite spiritual and social bonds.

Themes

spirituality community ethics

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- interfaith dialogue
- community service
- personal development

Key Concepts

integration horizontal connection self-reflection

Questions to Reflect On

- How can institutions balance divine focus with human connection?
- What rituals foster mutual respect?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on hierarchy can hinder horizontal bonds.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [Religion operates on the principle 'I obey-therefore I am accepted by God.' But the operating principle of the gospel is 'I am accepted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/religion-operates-on-the-principle-i-obey-therefore-i-am-accepted-by/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“The social order will be all the more stable, the more it takes this fact into account and does not place in opposition personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-social-order-will-be-all-the-more-stable-the-more-it-takes-this/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [More and more, I am pulled reluctantly towards a strong horizontal current, which is a place where time is moving at such high velocity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akram-khan/more-and-more-i-am-pulled-reluctantly-towards-a-strong-horizontal/)

Akram Khan

> [If our worship is just great youth meetings, nice songs, lots of jumping around and a few CDs, then we're missing it. Our vertical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-houston/if-our-worship-is-just-great-youth-meetings-nice-songs-lots-of/)

[Joel Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-houston/)

> [The core of humanity's sin problem is not a horizontal behavior to be corrected but a Vertical relationship to be restored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/the-core-of-humanity-s-sin-problem-is-not-a-horizontal-behavior-to-be/)

[James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/)

> [In Christian terms, evangelization and humanization are not alternatives. Nor are the vertical dimension of faith and the horizontal dimension of love for ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rgen-moltmann/in-christian-terms-evangelization-and-humanization-are-not/)

[Jürgen Moltmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-rgen-moltmann/)

> [If the intensity of the material world is plotted along the horizontal axis, and the response of the human mind is on the vertical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-von-baeyer/if-the-intensity-of-the-material-world-is-plotted-along-the/)

[Hans Christian von Baeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-von-baeyer/)

> [The vertical and the horizontal are the extreme signs available to man for touching the beyond and his inwardness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/the-vertical-and-the-horizontal-are-the-extreme-signs-available-to/)

[Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/)

> [I don't think you can talk about progress in art - movement, but not progress. You can speak of a point on a line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/i-don-t-think-you-can-talk-about-progress-in-art-movement-but-not/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [The developing world can just do things that are extensive or horizontal, that basically copy. The developed world needs to do things that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/the-developing-world-can-just-do-things-that-are-extensive-or/)

[Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/)

> [True. There is a beautiful Jesus. He is frozen to his bones like a chunk of beef. How desperately he wanted to pull his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/true-there-is-a-beautiful-jesus-he-is-frozen-to-his-bones-like-a/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [A horizontal or vertical line lacks energy, compared with one that deviates from either. The difference between these graphic expressions is the difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/a-horizontal-or-vertical-line-lacks-energy-compared-with-one-that/)

[Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/)

> [Charity, vertical, humiliates. Solidarity, horizontal, helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/charity-vertical-humiliates-solidarity-horizontal-helps/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [Emphasis was usually put on the horizontal acceleration factor, for the simple reason that ordinary structures have a built-in safety factor for the vertical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-francis-richter/emphasis-was-usually-put-on-the-horizontal-acceleration-factor-for/)

[Charles Francis Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-francis-richter/)

> [The print is devised so that I can cut the dresses on the bias, so they work around the body. It's not like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galliano/the-print-is-devised-so-that-i-can-cut-the-dresses-on-the-bias-so/)

[John Galliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galliano/)

## More by Martin Luther King, Jr

> [The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-strong-man-holds-in-a-living-blend-strongly-marked-opposites/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I’ve been to the Mountaintop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-ve-been-to-the-mountaintop/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The supreme task is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-supreme-task-is-to-organize-and-unite-people-so-that-their-anger/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-great-issue-of-life-is-to-harness-the-drum-major-instinct/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somebody-must-have-sense-enough-and-morality-enough-to-cut-off-the/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Darkness is only driven out with light, not more darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/darkness-is-only-driven-out-with-light-not-more-darkness/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [What seems so necessary today may not even be desirable tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-seems-so-necessary-today-may-not-even-be-desirable-tomorrow/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The Negro cannot win the respect of his oppressor by acquiescing; he merely increases the oppressor's arrogance and contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-negro-cannot-win-the-respect-of-his-oppressor-by-acquiescing-he/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The majority of the Negroes who took part in the year-long boycott of Montgomery's buses were poor and untutored; but they understood the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-majority-of-the-negroes-who-took-part-in-the-year-long-boycott-of/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/whenever-you-are-engaged-in-work-that-serves-humanity-and-is-for-the/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-have-a-dream-that-one-day-even-the-state-of-mississippi-a-desert/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

[Explore all 1,210 Martin Luther King, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

## More Horizontal quotes

> [“I felt more solidly composed, now that I was horizontal. I was impossible to knock down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-felt-more-solidly-composed-now-that-i-was-horizontal-i-was/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [The print is devised so that I can cut the dresses on the bias, so they work around the body. It's not like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galliano/the-print-is-devised-so-that-i-can-cut-the-dresses-on-the-bias-so/)

[John Galliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galliano/)

> [“Payne sought clarification. “Vertical or horizontal?” “Horizontal, of course.” “Sorry but I can’t help you.” “Will you pipe down for a minute? Naturally she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-lynskey/payne-sought-clarification-vertical-or-horizontal-horizontal-of/)

[Ed Lynskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-lynskey/)

> [Emphasis was usually put on the horizontal acceleration factor, for the simple reason that ordinary structures have a built-in safety factor for the vertical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-francis-richter/emphasis-was-usually-put-on-the-horizontal-acceleration-factor-for/)

[Charles Francis Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-francis-richter/)

> [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/)

[Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/)

> [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [Those who cant stand perpendicular shouldnt be angry with those who are on the horizontal position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/those-who-cant-stand-perpendicular-shouldnt-be-angry-with-those-who/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Our strategy is very horizontal. We're trying to build a social layer for everything. Basically we're trying to make it so that every app…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/our-strategy-is-very-horizontal-we-re-trying-to-build-a-social-layer/)

[Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/)

> [Charity, vertical, humiliates. Solidarity, horizontal, helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/charity-vertical-humiliates-solidarity-horizontal-helps/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [Whenever I got a new studio I made the largest possible painting, and since the ceiling was low, the painting became horizontal. As I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rosenquist/whenever-i-got-a-new-studio-i-made-the-largest-possible-painting-and/)

[James Rosenquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rosenquist/)

> [A horizontal or vertical line lacks energy, compared with one that deviates from either. The difference between these graphic expressions is the difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/a-horizontal-or-vertical-line-lacks-energy-compared-with-one-that/)

[Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/)

> [True. There is a beautiful Jesus. He is frozen to his bones like a chunk of beef. How desperately he wanted to pull his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/true-there-is-a-beautiful-jesus-he-is-frozen-to-his-bones-like-a/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [I learned three important things in college-to use a library, to memorize quickly and visually, to drop asleep at any time given a horizontal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-de-mille/i-learned-three-important-things-in-college-to-use-a-library-to/)

[Agnes de Mille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-de-mille/)

> [Daddy, What's the horizontal tango?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/daddy-what-s-the-horizontal-tango/)

[Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/)

> [For the machine meant the conquest of horizontal space. It also meant a sense of that space which few people had experienced before –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/for-the-machine-meant-the-conquest-of-horizontal-space-it-also-meant/)

[Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/)

Browse all 112 Horizontal quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Religion operates not only on the vertical plane but also on the horizontal. It seeks not only to integrate men with God but to integrate men with men and each man with himself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Martin Luther King, Jr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertical-plane-but-also-on-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Horizontal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertical-plane-but-also-on-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_horizontal_religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertic_987225.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_horizontal_religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertic_987225.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_horizontal_religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertic_987225.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Religion operates not only on the vertical plane but also on the horizontal. It seeks not only to integrate…” — Martin Luther King, Jr",
                "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": "Martin Luther King, Jr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Religion operates not only on the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertical-plane-but-also-on-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/religion-operates-not-only-on-the-vertical-plane-but-also-on-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
