--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The God I know is the source of reality…" description: "\"“The God I know is the source of reality, rather than morality; the source of 'what is' rather than the source of 'what ought to be'.”\" — Parker J. Palmer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/parker-j-palmer-2983_character_the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality_6228.png" --- # The God I know is the source of reality, rather than… ![“The God I know is the source of reality, rather than morality; the source of 'what is' rather than the source of 'what ought to be'.” quote by Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/parker-j-palmer-2983_character_the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality_6228.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/parker-j-palmer-2983_character_the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality_6228.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/parker-j-palmer-2983_character_the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality_6228.png) > ““The God I know is the source of reality, rather than morality; the source of 'what is' rather than the source of 'what ought to be'.”” [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It distinguishes the ultimate basis of existence from ethical prescriptions, asserting that the divine defines what exists, not what is morally required. **In simple terms:** Divine as ontological, not moral, source. Key Takeaway Separate metaphysics from ethics. Themes ontology ethics theology metaphysics epistemology Mood contemplative inquisitive skeptical Type aphilosophical theological reflective When to use this quote - philosophical debate - theological reflection - ethical decision‑making - science‑faith dialogue Key Concepts reality morality source existence ought Practical Applications - framework for secular ethics - basis for existential inquiry Questions to Reflect On - Does grounding reality in a deity affect moral responsibility? - Can ethics be independent of metaphysical claims? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-know/) [Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite/) [Morality Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality-source-312707/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-morality-312705/) [Source Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source-reality-312706/) ## Related quotes > [My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/my-religiosity-consists-in-a-humble-admiration-of-the-infinitely/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Action is the only reality; not only reality, but morality as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-hoffman/action-is-the-only-reality-not-only-reality-but-morality-as-well/) [Abbie Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbie-hoffman/) > [America's habit of distilling vicious, pitiless, cynical reality into a morality play can be an oasis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macdonald/america-s-habit-of-distilling-vicious-pitiless-cynical-reality-into-a/) [Neil Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macdonald/) > [I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals, or would directly sit in judgment on creatures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-cannot-conceive-of-a-personal-god-who-would-directly-influence-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“I hope there's a God, I know there's an Elvis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-matson/i-hope-there-s-a-god-i-know-there-s-an-elvis/) [Morgan Matson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-matson/) > [In the boundless sky, two things will glamour: I see blue sky and not know that I don't see god but I know there...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-boundless-sky-two-things-will-glamour-i-see-blue-sky-and-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The farther we go from God, the less we know of peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/the-farther-we-go-from-god-the-less-we-know-of-peace/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [“To know that we are not God, to know that there is a God, and to know that God, these are the Steps in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a/to-know-that-we-are-not-god-to-know-that-there-is-a-god-and-to-know/) [Ray A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a/) > [God has not made anything that I know of that pays so much attention to who their father and mother is as us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/god-has-not-made-anything-that-i-know-of-that-pays-so-much-attention/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Here is the Truth in a little creed, Enough for all the roads we go: In Love is all the law we need, In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-markham/here-is-the-truth-in-a-little-creed-enough-for-all-the-roads-we-go-in/) [Edwin Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-markham/) > [To many, God is not someone you know but something you try to get off your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-fabry/to-many-god-is-not-someone-you-know-but-something-you-try-to-get-off/) [Chris Fabry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-fabry/) > [“O how wonderful life is, how miraculous, God made this and God made that", "how do you know he doesn't hate what He did:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/o-how-wonderful-life-is-how-miraculous-god-made-this-and-god-made/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“For when you realized that God is Everything you know that you've got to love everything no matter how bad it is, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-when-you-realized-that-god-is-everything-you-know-that-you-ve-got/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Parker J. Palmer > [One of the hardest things we must do sometimes is to be present to another person's pain without trying to "fix" it, to simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/one-of-the-hardest-things-we-must-do-sometimes-is-to-be-present-to/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Opposing what's wrong is a halfway measure at best. A rebel must also have a vision for something better, a strategy for moving toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/opposing-what-s-wrong-is-a-halfway-measure-at-best-a-rebel-must-also/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/teaching-like-any-truly-human-activity-emerges-from-one-s-inwardness/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [If my life is any example, the work that youth workers are doing is very, very important. It tends to get marginalized in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/if-my-life-is-any-example-the-work-that-youth-workers-are-doing-is/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Self-care is never a selfish act - it is only good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/self-care-is-never-a-selfish-act-it-is-only-good-stewardship-of-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [The spiritual life is about becoming more at home in your own skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-spiritual-life-is-about-becoming-more-at-home-in-your-own-skin/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“Formation may be the best name for what happens in a circle of trust, because the word refers, historically, to soul work done in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/formation-may-be-the-best-name-for-what-happens-in-a-circle-of-trust/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Don't let anyone or anything rob you of the beauty and meaning at the heart of life. It's your birthright gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/don-t-let-anyone-or-anything-rob-you-of-the-beauty-and-meaning-at-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“Citizenship is a way of being in the world rooted in the knowledge that I am a member of a vast community of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/citizenship-is-a-way-of-being-in-the-world-rooted-in-the-knowledge/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [I think the church needs to be much more countercultural than that and invite people into slowing down, into a "Be-still-and-know-that-I-am-God" mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/i-think-the-church-needs-to-be-much-more-countercultural-than-that/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [My high school, like most high schools, had a pretty rigid stratification system. Kids were clustered into groups - the studious ones, the athletes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/my-high-school-like-most-high-schools-had-a-pretty-rigid/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Death in various forms is sometimes comforting, while resurrection and new life can be demanding and threatening. If I lived as if resurrection were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/death-in-various-forms-is-sometimes-comforting-while-resurrection-and/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already posses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/discovering-vocation-does-not-mean-scrambling-toward-some-prize-just-2/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/it-is-because-as-we-are-our-hearts-are-closed-and-we-cannot-place-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Even though kids may have planned for months for the trip to Disneyland, some may be feeling very homesick, very forlorn, or very marginalized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/even-though-kids-may-have-planned-for-months-for-the-trip-to/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) [Explore all 143 Parker J. Palmer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The God I know is the source of reality, rather than morality; the source of 'what is' rather than the source of 'what ought to be'.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Parker J. Palmer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality-rather-than-morality-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality-rather-than-morality-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/parker-j-palmer-2983_character_the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality_6228.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/parker-j-palmer-2983_character_the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality_6228.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/parker-j-palmer-2983_character_the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality_6228.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The God I know is the source of reality, rather than morality; the source of 'what is' rather than the…” — Parker J. Palmer", "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": "Parker J. Palmer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The God I know is the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality-rather-than-morality-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality-rather-than-morality-the/#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 } } ] } ```