--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I asked the Reb, Why do bad things…" description: "\"“When I asked the Reb, Why do bad things happen to good people?, he gave none of the standard answers. He quietly said, “No one knows.” I admired that...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/mitch-albom-187_asking-god_when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-h_648292.png" --- # When I asked the Reb, Why do bad things happen to good… ![“When I asked the Reb, Why do bad things happen to good people?, he gave none of the standard answers. He quietly said, “No one knows.” I admired that. But when I asked if that ever shook his belief in God, he was firm. “I cannot waver,” he said. Well, you could, if you didn’t believe in something…” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/mitch-albom-187_asking-god_when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-h_648292.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/mitch-albom-187_asking-god_when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-h_648292.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/mitch-albom-187_asking-god_when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-h_648292.png) > ““When I asked the Reb, Why do bad things happen to good people?, he gave none of the standard answers. He quietly said, “No one knows.” I admired that. But when I asked if that ever shook his belief in God, he was firm. “I cannot waver,” he said. Well, you could, if you didn’t believe in something all-powerful. “An atheist,” he said. Yes. “And then I could explain why my prayers were not answered.” Right. He studied me carefully. He drew in his breath. “I had a doctor once who was an atheist. Did I ever tell you about him?” No. “This doctor, he liked to jab me and my beliefs. He used to schedule my appointments deliberately on Saturdays, so I would have to call the receptionist and explain why, because of my religion, that wouldn’t work.” Nice guy, I said. “Anyhow, one day, I read in the paper that his brother had died. So I made a condolence call.” After the way he treated you? “In this job,” the Reb said, “you don’t retaliate.” I laughed. “So I go to his house, and he sees me. I can tell he is upset. I tell him I am sorry for his loss. And he says, with an angry face, ‘I envy you.’ “‘Why do you envy me?’ I said. “‘Because when you lose someone you love, you can curse God. You can yell. You can blame him. You can demand to know why. But I don’t believe in God. I’m a doctor! And I couldn’t help my brother!’ “He was near tears. ‘Who do I blame?’ he kept asking me. ‘There is no God. I can only blame myself.’” The Reb’s face tightened, as if in pain. “That,” he said, softly, “is a terrible self-indictment.” Worse than an unanswered prayer? “Oh yes. It is far more comforting to think God listened and said no, than to think that nobody’s out there.”” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith and doubt coexist; confronting suffering reveals personal responsibility over external blame. **In simple terms:** We blame ourselves when faith fails. Key Takeaway Accept responsibility, seek meaning. Themes faith doubt responsibility suffering Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - personal crisis - ethical debates Key Concepts theology psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does self-blame achieve? - How can faith survive doubt? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex theological issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asking god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking-god/) [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Belief in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-in-god/) [Believe in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Nice guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-guy/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Things Happen To Good People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen-to-good-people/) ## Related quotes > [He was near tears, 'Who do I blame?' he kept asking me. 'There is no God.I can only blame myself.'" The Reb's face tightened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-was-near-tears-who-do-i-blame-he-kept-asking-me-there-is-no-god-i/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I still don't like the word agnostic. It's too fancy. I'm simply not a believer. But, as simple as this notion is, it confuses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-still-don-t-like-the-word-agnostic-it-s-too-fancy-i-m-simply-not-a/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“But really, why should you distress yourself? Whoever stirs up the past — out with his eye! Who is not a sinner before God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/but-really-why-should-you-distress-yourself-whoever-stirs-up-the-past/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I would say to the priest that God made me as I am, that I had no choice, that He must have made me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/i-would-say-to-the-priest-that-god-made-me-as-i-am-that-i-had-no/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [Of course I believe in God, who else can I blame for my misfortunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/of-course-i-believe-in-god-who-else-can-i-blame-for-my-misfortunes/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Is God to blame for what I myself have done?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/is-god-to-blame-for-what-i-myself-have-done/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Imagine the first discovery that one of these epidemics was man-made—the panic, the violence that would ensue. That’s where the end would come. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/imagine-the-first-discovery-that-one-of-these-epidemics-was-man-made/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [If you say things weren't so great you really have to ask if God is to blame. Let's start the year right by being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-say-things-weren-t-so-great-you-really-have-to-ask-if-god-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When a man died, there had to be blame. Jimmy Cross understood this. You could blame the war, You could blame the idiots who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/when-a-man-died-there-had-to-be-blame-jimmy-cross-understood-this-you/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [When there’s only God to blame, we forgive him. When it’s our fellow man, we destroy him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/when-there-s-only-god-to-blame-we-forgive-him-when-it-s-our-fellow/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“But just below the grim tranquility he had learned to display, he cursed with boiling intensity the ambitious men who used him and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/but-just-below-the-grim-tranquility-he-had-learned-to-display-he/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [“I am a silent observer of the world for more than 6 decades, the life runs without our control that is what we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-t-v-rao-md/i-am-a-silent-observer-of-the-world-for-more-than-6-decades-the-life/) [Dr.T.V.Rao MD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-t-v-rao-md/) > [Each one of us reaps what we ourselves have sown. These miseries under which we suffer, these bondages under which we struggle, have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/each-one-of-us-reaps-what-we-ourselves-have-sown-these-miseries-under/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [The spiritual response is too often a simplistic one: we abandon God or we blame God for abandoning us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-spiritual-response-is-too-often-a-simplistic-one-we-abandon-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Have you noticed how people who most ignore God are the first to blame Him in time of tragedy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/have-you-noticed-how-people-who-most-ignore-god-are-the-first-to/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Asking god quotes > [The seeker asking, Where is God? Is really God saying, Where indeed is the seeker!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meher-baba/the-seeker-asking-where-is-god-is-really-god-saying-where-indeed-is/) [Meher Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meher-baba/) > [“Donald Grey Barnhouse was one who set an example of combining gospel preaching with humble prayer. He often could be found in the sanctuary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-phillips/donald-grey-barnhouse-was-one-who-set-an-example-of-combining-gospel/) [Richard D. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-phillips/) > [We need never refrain from asking anything of God simply on the ground that we think it impossible. God specializes in "impossible" things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-eugene-simcox/we-need-never-refrain-from-asking-anything-of-god-simply-on-the/) Carroll Eugene Simcox > [“The point which we consider it our duty to note is, that outside of and beyond his faith, as it were, the Bishop possessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-point-which-we-consider-it-our-duty-to-note-is-that-outside-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [3 2 = one heart praying 4 you. 1 + 1= two eyes looking for you. 3+2= five senses missing you. 4+3= seven days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/3-2-one-heart-praying-4-you-1-1-two-eyes-looking-for-you-3-2-five/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [“You’ve been tested.’ He advised me to try and ‘forgive and pardon, and this way seek to become beloved by God’ without my forgiveness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristiane-backer/you-ve-been-tested-he-advised-me-to-try-and-forgive-and-pardon-and/) [Kristiane Backer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristiane-backer/) > [Don't waste time asking God to keep you from doing things. Don't do them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/don-t-waste-time-asking-god-to-keep-you-from-doing-things-don-t-do/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I love my real bitches , fuck the fake hoes. I be asking god , why you even make those .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabolous/i-love-my-real-bitches-fuck-the-fake-hoes-i-be-asking-god-why-you/) Fabolous > [“What you are asking God to do will induce a major impact on your life. That major impact cannot happen with minor faith. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-l-thompson/what-you-are-asking-god-to-do-will-induce-a-major-impact-on-your-life/) [V.L. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-l-thompson/) > [Many times in our lives we have to make difficult decisions that will affect not only our lives, but the lives of others around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-maynard/many-times-in-our-lives-we-have-to-make-difficult-decisions-that-will/) Gene Maynard > [As a non believer I don't get the idea of asking god for things via prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/as-a-non-believer-i-don-t-get-the-idea-of-asking-god-for-things-via/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [“Sometimes, you have to shot block a friend's prayer because she's asking God to bless an obviously bad dating relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-have-to-shot-block-a-friend-s-prayer-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up by asking God to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-taylor/i-used-to-ask-god-to-help-me-then-i-asked-if-i-might-help-him-i-ended/) [Hudson Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-taylor/) > [For many people, God is a frightening idea. Asking God for help doesn't seem very comforting if we think of Him as something outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/for-many-people-god-is-a-frightening-idea-asking-god-for-help-doesn-t/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/have-you-been-asking-god-what-he-is-going-to-do-he-will-never-tell/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) [Browse all 123 Asking god quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking-god/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I asked the Reb, Why do bad things happen to good people?, he gave none of the standard answers. He quietly said, “No one knows.” I admired that. But when I asked if that ever shook his belief in God, he was firm. “I cannot waver,” he said. Well, you could, if you didn’t believe in something all-powerful. “An atheist,” he said. Yes. “And then I could explain why my prayers were not answered.” Right. He studied me carefully. He drew in his breath. “I had a doctor once who was an atheist. Did I ever tell you about him?” No. “This doctor, he liked to jab me and my beliefs. He used to schedule my appointments deliberately on Saturdays, so I would have to call the receptionist and explain why, because of my religion, that wouldn’t work.” Nice guy, I said. “Anyhow, one day, I read in the paper that his brother had died. So I made a condolence call.” After the way he treated you? “In this job,” the Reb said, “you don’t retaliate.” I laughed. “So I go to his house, and he sees me. I can tell he is upset. I tell him I am sorry for his loss. And he says, with an angry face, ‘I envy you.’ “‘Why do you envy me?’ I said. “‘Because when you lose someone you love, you can curse God. You can yell. You can blame him. You can demand to know why. But I don’t believe in God. I’m a doctor! And I couldn’t help my brother!’ “He was near tears. ‘Who do I blame?’ he kept asking me. ‘There is no God. I can only blame myself.’” The Reb’s face tightened, as if in pain. “That,” he said, softly, “is a terrible self-indictment.” Worse than an unanswered prayer? “Oh yes. It is far more comforting to think God listened and said no, than to think that nobody’s out there.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mitch Albom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-he-gave/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asking god" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-he-gave/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/mitch-albom-187_asking-god_when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-h_648292.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/mitch-albom-187_asking-god_when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-h_648292.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/mitch-albom-187_asking-god_when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-h_648292.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I asked the Reb, Why do bad things happen to good people?, he gave none of the standard answers. He…” — Mitch Albom", "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": "Mitch Albom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When I asked the Reb, Why...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-he-gave/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-i-asked-the-reb-why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-he-gave/#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 } } ] } ```