---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In contrast we let go of existence…"
description: "\"In contrast we let go of existence, meaning, and the sublime as categories to describe the object “God.” Instead these become ways in which we engage w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/peter-rollins-19035_categories_in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meani_405508.jpg"
---

#  In contrast we let go of existence, meaning, and the…

![“In contrast we let go of existence, meaning, and the sublime as categories to describe the object “God.” Instead these become ways in which we engage with the world. Yet, as we affirm the world in love, we indirectly sense that in letting go of God we have, in fact, found ourselves at the very…” quote by Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/peter-rollins-19035_categories_in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meani_405508.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/peter-rollins-19035_categories_in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meani_405508.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/peter-rollins-19035_categories_in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meani_405508.jpg)

> “In contrast we let go of existence, meaning, and the sublime as categories to describe the object “God.” Instead these become ways in which we engage with the world. Yet, as we affirm the world in love, we indirectly sense that in letting go of God we have, in fact, found ourselves at the very threshold of God.”

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Letting go of fixed concepts of God opens a direct, loving engagement with life, revealing the divine within experience itself.

**In simple terms:** Release fixed ideas of God to find divinity in life.

Key Takeaway

Engage life with love, seeing the divine in everyday moments.

Themes

spirituality philosophy self‑discovery

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal meditation
- community worship
- daily reflection

Key Concepts

theology existentialism mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “letting go of God” mean to you?
- How can love become a spiritual practice?

A Different Perspective

Some may view this as relativistic, lacking concrete doctrine.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Categories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories/) [Contrast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrast/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-meaning-843597/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [Let Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-existence-3625844/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Letting God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-god-836035/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Object God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/object-god-326882/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime/) [Threshold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threshold/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [God is a reality of spirit He cannot be conceived as an object, not even as the very highest object. God is not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/god-is-a-reality-of-spirit-he-cannot-be-conceived-as-an-object-not/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [“Let your existence be enough for a moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/let-your-existence-be-enough-for-a-moment/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [“Her desires are mine. Her wishes are mine. Should even the world stand against her, my blade will be at her side. And should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/her-desires-are-mine-her-wishes-are-mine-should-even-the-world-stand/)

[Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/)

> [At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kennedy/at-the-heart-of-liberty-is-the-right-to-define-one-s-own-concept-of/)

[Anthony Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kennedy/)

> [“Just because there's an end doesn't mean existence has meaning. An end point is simply set up as a temporary marker or perhaps as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/just-because-there-s-an-end-doesn-t-mean-existence-has-meaning-an-end/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> ["I seek the meaning of existence," said the stranger. "You are of course assuming," said the Master, "that existence has a meaning." "Doesn't it?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/i-seek-the-meaning-of-existence-said-the-stranger-you-are-of-course/)

[Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/)

> [“I am not frustrated, Luna. How could I possibly be frustrated with the one person who gives my existence meaning? If you begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/i-am-not-frustrated-luna-how-could-i-possibly-be-frustrated-with-the/)

[Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/)

> [“The end of the race is just a temporary marker without much significance. It’s the same with our lives. Just because there’s an end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-end-of-the-race-is-just-a-temporary-marker-without-much/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Why you exist, says Nietzsche with Søren Kierkegaard, nobody in the world can tell you in advance; but since you do exist, try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/why-you-exist-says-nietzsche-with-s-ren-kierkegaard-nobody-in-the/)

[Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/)

> [“The Book I am thinking about would not be religious in the usual sense, but it would have to discuss many things with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/the-book-i-am-thinking-about-would-not-be-religious-in-the-usual/)

[Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/)

> [Even at his most powerless, man's existence is never without meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suikoden/even-at-his-most-powerless-man-s-existence-is-never-without-meaning/)

[Suikoden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suikoden/)

> [Prayer is not about letting God know your will; it's about completely submitting to him. You die to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/prayer-is-not-about-letting-god-know-your-will-it-s-about-completely/)

[Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/)

> [To pray is, first of all, to let one's mind be empty. It is to cast aside for a while "the self" that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masahisa-goi/to-pray-is-first-of-all-to-let-one-s-mind-be-empty-it-is-to-cast/)

[Masahisa Goi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masahisa-goi/)

> [“Never stand in the way of letting God use people’s actions, in order to solve a greater issue in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/never-stand-in-the-way-of-letting-god-use-people-s-actions-in-order/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [Life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not using him for your own purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/life-is-about-letting-god-use-you-for-his-purposes-not-using-him-for/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

## More by Peter Rollins

> [“Our real beliefs are generally not to be found at the level of ego.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/our-real-beliefs-are-generally-not-to-be-found-at-the-level-of-ego/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [Here God is not approached as an object that we must love, but as a mystery present in the very act of love itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/here-god-is-not-approached-as-an-object-that-we-must-love-but-as-a/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [“What we see taking place in the church today is the reduction of God to an idol.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/what-we-see-taking-place-in-the-church-today-is-the-reduction-of-god/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [Christianity can be described as a theological materialism: It is that which transforms our material existence. If our faith does not throw us into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/christianity-can-be-described-as-a-theological-materialism-it-is-that/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [Truly embracing the fragility and tensions of life...brings with it the possibility of true joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/truly-embracing-the-fragility-and-tensions-of-life-brings-with-it-the/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [“However, we rarely see what happens after the hero grasps what is sought, for if we did, the impotence of the MacGuffin would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/however-we-rarely-see-what-happens-after-the-hero-grasps-what-is/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [“Orthodoxy as right belief will cost us little; indeed, it will allow us to sit back with our Pharisaic doctrines, guarding the ‘truth’ with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/orthodoxy-as-right-belief-will-cost-us-little-indeed-it-will-allow-us/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [I deny the resurrection every time I turn my back on the poor or become a cog in a system of injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/i-deny-the-resurrection-every-time-i-turn-my-back-on-the-poor-or/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [“playing at the entrance of the hut. “Whose children are these?” he asked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/playing-at-the-entrance-of-the-hut-whose-children-are-these-he-asked/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [What if the church should be less concerned with creating saints than creating a world where we do not need saints? A world where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/what-if-the-church-should-be-less-concerned-with-creating-saints-than/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [“For just as one person’s idol is another’s icon, so one person’s fable is another’s parable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/for-just-as-one-person-s-idol-is-another-s-icon-so-one-person-s-fable/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [“After that day, the father began to take an interest in his son’s life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/after-that-day-the-father-began-to-take-an-interest-in-his-son-s-life/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [The church is a place where we make our prejudice sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/the-church-is-a-place-where-we-make-our-prejudice-sacred/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [To believe is human to doubt is divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/to-believe-is-human-to-doubt-is-divine/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

> [That which we cannot speak of is the one thing about whom and to whom we must never stop speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/that-which-we-cannot-speak-of-is-the-one-thing-about-whom-and-to-whom/)

[Peter Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

[Explore all 33 Peter Rollins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/)

## More Categories quotes

> [...the number of saintly men has not yet risen to the level where the census makes them a separate statistical category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/the-number-of-saintly-men-has-not-yet-risen-to-the-level-where-the/)

[George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/)

> [As a politician - particularly as a politician in a coalition - you quickly realise that compromise is a part of the game. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-davey/as-a-politician-particularly-as-a-politician-in-a-coalition-you/)

[Edward Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-davey/)

> [I've worked with jazz artists, country artists, classical artists, pop artists. I never wanted there to be categories, because when I was a kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcknight/i-ve-worked-with-jazz-artists-country-artists-classical-artists-pop/)

[Brian McKnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcknight/)

> [ I don't think in national categories. For me it \[policy\] is about concepts and substance. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/i-don-t-think-in-national-categories-for-me-it-policy-is-about/)

[Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/)

> [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/)

[Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/)

> [We don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-don-t-need-to-complicate-all-the-reasons-behind-our-emotions-it-s/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [I put the truth out there, I put the historical facts into Hip Hop to show us how much history repeats itself and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immortal-technique/i-put-the-truth-out-there-i-put-the-historical-facts-into-hip-hop-to/)

[Immortal Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immortal-technique/)

> [I am devoting my lecture in this seminar to a discussion of the possibility that we are now entering a Jewish century, a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-a-siegel/i-am-devoting-my-lecture-in-this-seminar-to-a-discussion-of-the/)

[Martin A. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-a-siegel/)

> [A top World War II ace once said that fighter pilots fall into two broad categories: those who go out to kill and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-top-world-war-ii-ace-once-said-that-fighter-pilots-fall-into-two/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No, I don't like legend. I mean, I don't like the category. And to begin with, to me, a legend is something that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/no-i-don-t-like-legend-i-mean-i-don-t-like-the-category-and-to-begin/)

[Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/)

> [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [... the notions category and functor were not formulated or put in print until the idea of a natural transformation was also at hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saunders-mac-lane/the-notions-category-and-functor-were-not-formulated-or-put-in-print/)

[Saunders Mac Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saunders-mac-lane/)

> [Last guy I was interested in turned out to be an incestuous necrophiliac," she said. "So no, not currently dating, and definitely not doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/last-guy-i-was-interested-in-turned-out-to-be-an-incestuous/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Culture exists and evolves to relegate to habit categories of interactions the constant conscious reference to which would make human interaction impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/culture-exists-and-evolves-to-relegate-to-habit-categories-of/)

[David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/)

> [I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-am-disappointed-by-this-controversy-surrounding-a-million-little/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

[Browse all 927 Categories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In contrast we let go of existence, meaning, and the sublime as categories to describe the object “God.” Instead these become ways in which we engage with the world. Yet, as we affirm the world in love, we indirectly sense that in letting go of God we have, in fact, found ourselves at the very threshold of God.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Rollins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meaning-and-the-sublime-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Categories"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meaning-and-the-sublime-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/peter-rollins-19035_categories_in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meani_405508.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/peter-rollins-19035_categories_in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meani_405508.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/peter-rollins-19035_categories_in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meani_405508.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In contrast we let go of existence, meaning, and the sublime as categories to describe the object “God.”…” — Peter Rollins",
                "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": "Peter Rollins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rollins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In contrast we let go of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meaning-and-the-sublime-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rollins/in-contrast-we-let-go-of-existence-meaning-and-the-sublime-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
