--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obedience need never be anxious, for…" description: "\"“Obedience need never be anxious, for there is no form of goodness which it does not possess in itself. When we go out of ourselves through obedience a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/meister-eckhart-1044_obedience_obedience-need-never-be-anxious-for-ther_2664913.jpg" --- # Obedience need never be anxious, for there is no form of… ![“Obedience need never be anxious, for there is no form of goodness which it does not possess in itself. When we go out of ourselves through obedience and strip ourselves of what is ours, then God must enter into us; for when someone wills nothing for themselves, then God must will on their behalf…” quote by Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/meister-eckhart-1044_obedience_obedience-need-never-be-anxious-for-ther_2664913.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/meister-eckhart-1044_obedience_obedience-need-never-be-anxious-for-ther_2664913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/meister-eckhart-1044_obedience_obedience-need-never-be-anxious-for-ther_2664913.jpg) > ““Obedience need never be anxious, for there is no form of goodness which it does not possess in itself. When we go out of ourselves through obedience and strip ourselves of what is ours, then God must enter into us; for when someone wills nothing for themselves, then God must will on their behalf just as he does for himself. Whenever I have taken leave of my own will, putting it in the hands of my superior , and no longer will anything for myself, then God must will on my behalf, and if he neglects me in this respect, then he neglects himself. And so in all things in which I do not will for myself, God wills on my behalf.”” [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. Obedience frees one from self‑interest, allowing divine will to act through us. **In simple terms:** Obedience lets God act for you. Key Takeaway Surrender personal will to higher purpose. Themes spirituality humility divine will Mood contemplative reverent Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - prayer - meditation - ethical decision making Key Concepts theology self‑transcendence Questions to Reflect On - What does surrender mean to you? - How can you balance self‑care with obedience? A Different Perspective Obedience may lead to loss of personal agency if misapplied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [God Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-wills/) [Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) [Obedience Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience-need-2456868/) [Possess Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possess-obedience-2456867/) [Wills God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wills-god-1398164/) ## Related quotes > [“Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. We need to be lighthearted in what we do to avoid taking ourselves too seriously.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/joy-not-grit-is-the-hallmark-of-holy-obedience-we-need-to-be/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [A man's heart is right when he wills what God wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/a-man-s-heart-is-right-when-he-wills-what-god-wills/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“God wills our liberation, our exodus from Egypt. God wills our reconciliation, our return from exile. God wills our enlightenment, our seeing. God wills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/god-wills-our-liberation-our-exodus-from-egypt-god-wills-our/) [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) > [“Who can comprehend how those whom God takes so early are chosen? Does not the early death of young Christians always appear to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/who-can-comprehend-how-those-whom-god-takes-so-early-are-chosen-does/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“Bad things do happen to good people in this world, but it is not God who wills it. God would like people to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/bad-things-do-happen-to-good-people-in-this-world-but-it-is-not-god/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. We need to be light-hearted in what we do to avoid taking ourselves too seriously.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/joy-not-grit-is-the-hallmark-of-holy-obedience-we-need-to-be-light/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [We are able to persevere only because God works within us, within our free wills. And because God is at work in us, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-able-to-persevere-only-because-god-works-within-us-within-our/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“To clarify, it’s not that God’s will is weak—on an even playing field with all the other wills. As if we, God, and Satan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mark-comer/to-clarify-it-s-not-that-god-s-will-is-weak-on-an-even-playing-field/) [John Mark Comer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mark-comer/) > [“We are new creation and old sinful flesh dwelling together—two natures competing for our affections and allegiance. To be sure, these two natures are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-r-duguid/we-are-new-creation-and-old-sinful-flesh-dwelling-together-two/) [Barbara R. Duguid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-r-duguid/) > [This sublime love, being, by an intimate conjunction with its object, thoroughly refined from all base dross of selfishness and interest, nobly begets a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-boyle/this-sublime-love-being-by-an-intimate-conjunction-with-its-object/) [Robert Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-boyle/) > [That in itself is an act of peacemaking, because we're seeking to align our wills with God's will, our dreams with God's dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/that-in-itself-is-an-act-of-peacemaking-because-we-re-seeking-to/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/as-you-submit-your-wills-to-god-you-are-giving-him-the-only-thing-you/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [“In true obedience there should be no ‘I want this or that to happen’ or ‘I want this or that thing’ but only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/in-true-obedience-there-should-be-no-i-want-this-or-that-to-happen-or/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [Our loving God wills that we eat, drink and be merry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/our-loving-god-wills-that-we-eat-drink-and-be-merry/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“For if any decree of God could be changed, it would be, because God either would not or could not effect the thing decreed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-witsius/for-if-any-decree-of-god-could-be-changed-it-would-be-because-god/) [Herman Witsius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-witsius/) ## 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/) > [“But where is this true possession of God, whereby we really possess him, to be found? This real possession of God is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/but-where-is-this-true-possession-of-god-whereby-we-really-possess/) [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/) [Explore all 301 Meister Eckhart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) ## More Obedience quotes > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [Today the meaning of the word believe has been weakened. In the eyes of most it has become a mere acknowledgment of a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/today-the-meaning-of-the-word-believe-has-been-weakened-in-the-eyes/) [John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/) > [“God uses one whom others would have passed over without a second glance. The history of obedience to the Great Commission is full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-paterson/god-uses-one-whom-others-would-have-passed-over-without-a-second/) [Ross Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-paterson/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Women who join together with each other to deny the male god who cursed their sex and to reject his demands for obedience, praise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trista-hendren/women-who-join-together-with-each-other-to-deny-the-male-god-who/) [Trista Hendren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trista-hendren/) > [Faith is the power, obedience the sacrifice, love the means, Christ the reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/faith-is-the-power-obedience-the-sacrifice-love-the-means-christ-the/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [ “In 1914... \[German\] history, poetry, dream and the individual moment were all combined in one exhilarating sensation...The nation was a creation of one's imagination,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eksteins/in-1914-german-history-poetry-dream-and-the-individual-moment-were/) [The Rites of Spring Modris Eksteins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eksteins/) > [Obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose. It is the dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/obedience-is-the-psychological-mechanism-that-links-individual-action/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be sin to know, Can it be death? And do they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/knowledge-forbidden-suspicious-reasonless-why-should-their-lord-envy/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) [Browse all 1,729 Obedience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Obedience need never be anxious, for there is no form of goodness which it does not possess in itself. When we go out of ourselves through obedience and strip ourselves of what is ours, then God must enter into us; for when someone wills nothing for themselves, then God must will on their behalf just as he does for himself. 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