--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely…" description: "\"Faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows - standing without, you can see no glory, nor can imagine any, but standing within every ray..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_cathedrals_faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely_1605748.jpg" --- # Faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows… ![“Faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows - standing without, you can see no glory, nor can imagine any, but standing within every ray of light reveals a harmony of unspeakable splendors.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_cathedrals_faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely_1605748.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_cathedrals_faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely_1605748.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_cathedrals_faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely_1605748.jpg) > “Faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows - standing without, you can see no glory, nor can imagine any, but standing within every ray of light reveals a harmony of unspeakable splendors.” [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Spiritual insight is like a cathedral: from outside you miss its glory, but inside every ray reveals profound harmony. **In simple terms:** Inside perspective reveals hidden beauty. Key Takeaway Seek inner view for deeper understanding. Themes spirituality perception beauty inner growth Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal meditation - art appreciation - religious contemplation - self‑reflection Key Concepts metaphor philosophy aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - How does inner reflection change your view of the world? - What ' does the cathedral symbolize for you? A Different Perspective Focusing inward may overlook external realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cathedral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedral/) [Cathedral Divinely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedral-divinely-1983651/) [Cathedrals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedrals/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-grand-6113983/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Grand Cathedral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grand-cathedral-1983652/) [Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Rays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rays/) [Rays of light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rays-of-light/) [Splendor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendor/) [Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing/) [Window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window/) [Without you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-you/) ## Related quotes > [Christian faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows. Standing without, you see no glory, nor can possibly imagine any; standing within, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/christian-faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured-windows/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Christian faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows. Standing without you see no glory, nor can possibly imagine any. Nothing is visible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/christian-faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured-windows-2/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [The Christian faith is a grand cathedral with divinely pictured windows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-christian-faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [He who bears in his heart a cathedral to be built is already victorious. He who seeks to become sexton of a finished cathedral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/he-who-bears-in-his-heart-a-cathedral-to-be-built-is-already/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [I wish someone would ask me to design a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/i-wish-someone-would-ask-me-to-design-a-cathedral/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) > [The library is my cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bretton/the-library-is-my-cathedral/) [Barbara Bretton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bretton/) > [The Gothic cathedral is a blossoming in stone subdued by the insatiable demand of harmony in man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-gothic-cathedral-is-a-blossoming-in-stone-subdued-by-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the cathedral of my heart a candle will always be lit for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hardy-kruger/in-the-cathedral-of-my-heart-a-candle-will-always-be-lit-for-you/) [Hardy Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hardy-kruger/) > [The challenge of a cathedral is very good for architectural inventiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/the-challenge-of-a-cathedral-is-very-good-for-architectural/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [The Sabbath is a weekly cathedral raised up in my dining room, in my family, in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/the-sabbath-is-a-weekly-cathedral-raised-up-in-my-dining-room-in-my/) [Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/) > [We thought of universities as the cathedrals of the modern world. In the middle ages, the cathedral was the center and symbol of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-revelle/we-thought-of-universities-as-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-world-in/) [Roger Revelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-revelle/) > [You can't build a cathedral in a day. A look at the club's history tells you these things take time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-houllier/you-can-t-build-a-cathedral-in-a-day-a-look-at-the-club-s-history/) [Gerard Houllier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-houllier/) > [“When we look at a perfect cathedral, two different emotions emerge in us: On the one hand, the feeling of admiration for the architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-we-look-at-a-perfect-cathedral-two-different-emotions-emerge-in/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral: a thing as simple and specious as a statue to the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/mankind-was-never-so-happily-inspired-as-when-it-made-a-cathedral-a/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The perfume of the flowers and of the bay tree are wafted on high, like incense. The birds sing sweet songs of praise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wendt/the-perfume-of-the-flowers-and-of-the-bay-tree-are-wafted-on-high/) [William Wendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wendt/) ## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) [Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## More Cathedral quotes > [Whence, then, did the cathedral derive its power? Clearly here: It took back the family into the confidences of religion. It taught man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenkin-lloyd-jones/whence-then-did-the-cathedral-derive-its-power-clearly-here-it-took/) [Jenkin Lloyd Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenkin-lloyd-jones/) > [“The sun appeared between the twin spires of the cathedral as its light reflected off the crescent and star that rose out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-sun-appeared-between-the-twin-spires-of-the-cathedral-as-its/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [Christian faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows. Standing without, you see no glory, nor can possibly imagine any; standing within, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/christian-faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured-windows/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [It was a secular cathedral, dedicated to the rites of travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/it-was-a-secular-cathedral-dedicated-to-the-rites-of-travel/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [The Sabbath is a weekly cathedral raised up in my dining room, in my family, in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/the-sabbath-is-a-weekly-cathedral-raised-up-in-my-dining-room-in-my/) [Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/) > [“Love can be a natural endowment, a present, or a gift. If it is not just a donation, it can be a divine talent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/love-can-be-a-natural-endowment-a-present-or-a-gift-if-it-is-not-just/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [When I started to build this cathedral, the word on the street was that I was crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justo-gallego/when-i-started-to-build-this-cathedral-the-word-on-the-street-was/) [Justo Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justo-gallego/) > [He who bears in his heart a cathedral to be built is already victorious. He who seeks to become sexton of a finished cathedral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/he-who-bears-in-his-heart-a-cathedral-to-be-built-is-already/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [As a boy soprano in the high school choir, I later sang a solo during the carol service at Canterbury Cathedral, but I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamish-bowles/as-a-boy-soprano-in-the-high-school-choir-i-later-sang-a-solo-during/) [Hamish Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamish-bowles/) > [Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral: a thing as simple and specious as a statue to the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/mankind-was-never-so-happily-inspired-as-when-it-made-a-cathedral-a/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [I'm not a religious person. But, when I look at a beautiful cathedral, what brings awe, what induces awe is the idea that architecture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/i-m-not-a-religious-person-but-when-i-look-at-a-beautiful-cathedral/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) > [“When we look at a perfect cathedral, two different emotions emerge in us: On the one hand, the feeling of admiration for the architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-we-look-at-a-perfect-cathedral-two-different-emotions-emerge-in/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [If it wasn't for Durham Cathedral I probably wouldn't be an architect. I was taken there when I was about seven and I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clarke/if-it-wasn-t-for-durham-cathedral-i-probably-wouldn-t-be-an-architect/) [George Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clarke/) > [“The rooks were sailing about the cathedral towers; and the towers themselves, overlooking many a long unaltered mile of the rich country and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-rooks-were-sailing-about-the-cathedral-towers-and-the-towers/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [You can't build a cathedral in a day. A look at the club's history tells you these things take time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-houllier/you-can-t-build-a-cathedral-in-a-day-a-look-at-the-club-s-history/) [Gerard Houllier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-houllier/) [Browse all 111 Cathedral quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedral/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows - standing without, you can see no glory, nor can imagine any, but standing within every ray of light reveals a harmony of unspeakable splendors.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured-windows-standing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cathedral" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured-windows-standing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_cathedrals_faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely_1605748.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_cathedrals_faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely_1605748.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_cathedrals_faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely_1605748.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows - standing without, you can see no glory, nor can…” — Nathaniel Hawthorne", "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Faith is a grand cathedral, with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured-windows-standing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/faith-is-a-grand-cathedral-with-divinely-pictured-windows-standing/#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 } } ] } ```