--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But where is this true possession of God…" description: "\"“But where is this true possession of God, whereby we really possess him, to be found? This real possession of God is to be found in the heart, in an i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/meister-eckhart-1044_religion_but-where-is-this-true-possession-of-god_117729.jpg" --- # But where is this true possession of God, whereby we… ![“But where is this true possession of God, whereby we really possess him, to be found? This real possession of God is to be found in the heart, in an inner motion of the spirit towards him and striving for him, and not just in thinking about him always and in the same way. For that would be beyond…” quote by Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/meister-eckhart-1044_religion_but-where-is-this-true-possession-of-god_117729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/meister-eckhart-1044_religion_but-where-is-this-true-possession-of-god_117729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/meister-eckhart-1044_religion_but-where-is-this-true-possession-of-god_117729.jpg) > ““But where is this true possession of God, whereby we really possess him, to be found? This real possession of God is to be found in the heart, in an inner motion of the spirit towards him and striving for him, and not just in thinking about him always and in the same way. For that would be beyond the capacity of our nature and would be very difficult to achieve and would not even be the best thing to do. We should not content ourselves with the God of thoughts for, when the thoughts come to an end, so too shall God. Rather, we should have a living God who is beyond the thoughts of all people and all creatures. That kind of God will not leave us, unless we ourselves choose to turn away from him.”” [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True communion with the divine is lived experience, not merely intellectual contemplation; it requires heartfelt devotion and ongoing striving. **In simple terms:** God is known through lived love, not just thought. Key Takeaway Spiritual depth comes from heart‑centered practice. Themes spirituality inner experience devotion Mood earnest hopeful Type theological spiritual When to use this quote - meditative prayer - ritual worship - personal crisis seeking meaning Key Concepts transcendent relationship inner transformation Practical Applications - cultivate daily moments of heartfelt connection - balance contemplation with active service Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between thought‑based faith and lived devotion? - What practices help you keep the heart engaged with the divine? A Different Perspective Intellectual study can still enrich understanding; dismissing it entirely may limit growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [The first of all beautiful things is the continual possession of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-of-nazianzus/the-first-of-all-beautiful-things-is-the-continual-possession-of-god/) [Gregory of Nazianzus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-of-nazianzus/) > [We cannot arrive at the perfect possession of God in this life, and that is why we are travelling and in darkness. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-cannot-arrive-at-the-perfect-possession-of-god-in-this-life-and/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We must become masters of our own actions and attitudes. To let another person determine whether we will be rude or gracious, elated or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/we-must-become-masters-of-our-own-actions-and-attitudes-to-let/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Can a man be poor if he is free from want, if he does not covet the belongings of others, if he is rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-minucius-felix/can-a-man-be-poor-if-he-is-free-from-want-if-he-does-not-covet-the/) Marcus Minucius Felix > [“I have tasted a thrill in fellowship with God which has made anything discordant with God disgusting. This afternoon the possession of God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-laubach/i-have-tasted-a-thrill-in-fellowship-with-god-which-has-made-anything-2/) [Frank Laubach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-laubach/) > [Knowledge about God is of two kinds, direct and indirect. Indirectly we can read scriptures, listen to sermons, consult authorities, and from these sources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/knowledge-about-god-is-of-two-kinds-direct-and-indirect-indirectly-we/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“Even though I'd never been in love, I knew what it was like to be in a feeling, to be not just surrounded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/even-though-i-d-never-been-in-love-i-knew-what-it-was-like-to-be-in-a/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Where is our acknowledgement of God if our thoughts are fixed on the glamour of our garments?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/where-is-our-acknowledgement-of-god-if-our-thoughts-are-fixed-on-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [To grow in your love of God, keep God in your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennilyn-pecasis/to-grow-in-your-love-of-god-keep-god-in-your-thoughts/) [Jennilyn Pecasis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennilyn-pecasis/) > [“I want to know God's thoughts - the rest are mere details.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-want-to-know-god-s-thoughts-the-rest-are-mere-details/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It is the black work of an ungodly man or an atheist, that God is not in all his thoughts. What comfort can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-charnock/it-is-the-black-work-of-an-ungodly-man-or-an-atheist-that-god-is-not/) [Stephen Charnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-charnock/) > [I am blessed to have so many great things in my life—family, friends and God. All will be in my thoughts daily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-kim/i-am-blessed-to-have-so-many-great-things-in-my-life-family-friends/) [Lil' Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-kim/) > [If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/if-god-is-not-first-in-our-thoughts-and-efforts-in-the-morning-he/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [...full of God's thoughts, a place of peace and safety amid the most exalted grandeur and enthusiastic action, a new song, a place of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/full-of-god-s-thoughts-a-place-of-peace-and-safety-amid-the-most/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-want-to-know-how-god-created-this-world-i-am-not-interested-in-this/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More by Meister Eckhart > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [When I think of God's Kingdom, I am compelled to be silent because of its immensity, because God's Kingdom is none other than God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/when-i-think-of-god-s-kingdom-i-am-compelled-to-be-silent-because-of/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [Action and becoming are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/action-and-becoming-are-one/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [Whoever wants to receive the body of our Lord does not need to scrutinize what they are feeling at the time or how great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/whoever-wants-to-receive-the-body-of-our-lord-does-not-need-to/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [Nothing will be able to hinder us, if we desire and seek God alone, and take pleasure in nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/nothing-will-be-able-to-hinder-us-if-we-desire-and-seek-god-alone-and/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [ \[W\]e must come into a transformed knowing, an unknowing which comes not from ignorance but from knowledge. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/w-e-must-come-into-a-transformed-knowing-an-unknowing-which-comes-not/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [I need to be silent for awhile, worlds are forming in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/i-need-to-be-silent-for-awhile-worlds-are-forming-in-my-heart/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [One person who has mastered life is better than a thousand persons who have mastered only the contents of books, but no one can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/one-person-who-has-mastered-life-is-better-than-a-thousand-persons/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [The most powerful prayer, one well-nigh omnipotent, and the worthiest work of all is the outcome of a quiet mind. The quieter it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/the-most-powerful-prayer-one-well-nigh-omnipotent-and-the-worthiest/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [If we seek God for our own good and profit, we are not seeking God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/if-we-seek-god-for-our-own-good-and-profit-we-are-not-seeking-god/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [Our bodily food is changed into us, but our spiritual food changes us into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/our-bodily-food-is-changed-into-us-but-our-spiritual-food-changes-us/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [“Concerning this desert, Jeremiah writes: ‘I will lead my beloved into the wilderness and will speak to her in her heart’ (Hosea 2:14) .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/concerning-this-desert-jeremiah-writes-i-will-lead-my-beloved-into/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [If the seal is pressed completely through the wax so that no wax remains without being impressed by the seal, then it becomes indistinguishably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/if-the-seal-is-pressed-completely-through-the-wax-so-that-no-wax/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [Be ready at all times for the gifts of God, and always for new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/be-ready-at-all-times-for-the-gifts-of-god-and-always-for-new-ones/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [If you love yourself, you love everybody else as you do yourself. As long as you love another person less than you love yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/if-you-love-yourself-you-love-everybody-else-as-you-do-yourself-as/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) [Explore all 301 Meister Eckhart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) ## More Possession quotes > [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) > [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/) [Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/) > [The privilege of prayer to me is one of the most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-grenfell/the-privilege-of-prayer-to-me-is-one-of-the-most-cherished/) [Wilfred Grenfell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-grenfell/) > [The gospel assures you that your value is not dependent on your looks or material possessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-l-jack/the-gospel-assures-you-that-your-value-is-not-dependent-on-your-looks/) [Elaine L. Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-l-jack/) > [The good Bishop of Assisi expressed a sort of horror at the hard life which the Little Brothers lived at the Portiuncula, without comforts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-good-bishop-of-assisi-expressed-a-sort-of-horror-at-the-hard-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [First kill me before you take possession of my Fatherland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sitting-bull/first-kill-me-before-you-take-possession-of-my-fatherland/) [Sitting Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sitting-bull/) > [My job is unbearable to me because it conflicts with my only desire and my only calling, which is literature. Since I am nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/my-job-is-unbearable-to-me-because-it-conflicts-with-my-only-desire/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [We are not perfectly free until we live in pure hope. For when our hope is pure, it no longer trusts exclusively in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-are-not-perfectly-free-until-we-live-in-pure-hope-for-when-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The glory of a workman, still more of a master workman, that he does his work well, ought to be his most precious possession;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-glory-of-a-workman-still-more-of-a-master-workman-that-he-does/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I put a lot of emphasis on how to treat people. The reason for this is simple. The real success of our personal lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/i-put-a-lot-of-emphasis-on-how-to-treat-people-the-reason-for-this-is/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [I was given a Roberts digital radio by my mum and dad. I think it's my favorite possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-ritchie/i-was-given-a-roberts-digital-radio-by-my-mum-and-dad-i-think-it-s-my/) [Charlotte Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-ritchie/) > [...it is a very risky thing for anyone to go about proclaiming the truth simply because he finds himself in possession of concrete documentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-amado/it-is-a-very-risky-thing-for-anyone-to-go-about-proclaiming-the-truth/) [Jorge Amado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-amado/) > [“... the Possession Diet. It's fast. It works. It introduces you to new, healthier foods. And it's almost never fatal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-dolley/the-possession-diet-it-s-fast-it-works-it-introduces-you-to-new/) [Chris Dolley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-dolley/) > [One's religion is one's own possession and he has a right to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harris/one-s-religion-is-one-s-own-possession-and-he-has-a-right-to-it/) [Paul Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harris/) [Browse all 2,076 Possession quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But where is this true possession of God, whereby we really possess him, to be found? This real possession of God is to be found in the heart, in an inner motion of the spirit towards him and striving for him, and not just in thinking about him always and in the same way. 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