Compassion Quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne
““There can be, if I forebode aright, no power, short of the Divine mercy, to disclose, whether by uttered words, or by type or emblem, the secrets that may be buried with a human heart. The heart, making itself guilty of such secrets, must perforce hold them, until the day when all hidden things shall be revealed. Nor have I so read or interpreted the Holy Writ, as to understand that the disclosure of human thoughts and deeds, then to be made, is intended as part of the retribution. That, surely, were a shallow view of it. No; these revelations, unless I greatly error, are meant merely to promote the intellectual satisfaction of all intelligent beings, who will stand waiting, on that day, to see the dark problem of this life made plain. A knowledge of men's hearts will be needful to the completest solution of that problem. And I conceive, moreover, that the hearts holding such secrets as you speak of will yield them up, at that last day, not with reluctance, but with a joy unutterable.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850
The quote suggests that ultimate truth about human hearts will be revealed only by divine mercy, not through human interpretation, and that this revelation serves intellectual fulfillment and moral resolution.
In simple terms: Divine mercy will reveal hidden hearts, not human analysis.
Seek humility, trust divine timing.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- spiritual counseling
- literary analysis
- ethical decision making
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What truths are we trying to uncover?
- How does reliance on divine mercy affect our actions?
Human attempts to decode hearts may be limited without divine insight.