--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The kingdom of heaven promised us certain…" description: "\"“The kingdom of heaven promised us certain things: it promised us happiness and a sense of purpose and a sense of having a place in the universe, of ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/philip-pullman-525_first-place_the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certai_237215.png" --- # The kingdom of heaven promised us certain things: it… ![“The kingdom of heaven promised us certain things: it promised us happiness and a sense of purpose and a sense of having a place in the universe, of having a role and a destiny that were noble and splendid; and so we were connected to things. We were not alienated. But now that, for me anyway, the…” quote by Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/philip-pullman-525_first-place_the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certai_237215.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/philip-pullman-525_first-place_the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certai_237215.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/philip-pullman-525_first-place_the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certai_237215.png) > ““The kingdom of heaven promised us certain things: it promised us happiness and a sense of purpose and a sense of having a place in the universe, of having a role and a destiny that were noble and splendid; and so we were connected to things. We were not alienated. But now that, for me anyway, the King is dead, I find that I still need these things that heaven promised, and I'm not willing to live without them. I don't think I will continue to live after I'm dead, so if I am to achieve these things I must try to bring them about – and encourage other people to bring them about – on earth, in a republic in which we are all free and equal – and responsible – citizens. Now, what does this involve? It involves all the best qualities of things. We mustn't shut anything out. If the Church has told us, for example, that forgiving our enemies is good, and if that seems to be a good thing to do, we must do it. If, on the other hand, those who struggled against the Church have shown us that free enquiry and unfettered scientific exploration is good – and I believe that they have – then we must hold this up as a good as well. Whatever we can find that we feel to be good – and not just feel but can see with the accumulated wisdom that we have as we grow up, and read about history and learn from our own experiences and so on – wherever they come from, and whoever taught them in the first place, let's use them and do whatever we can do to make the world a little bit better.”” [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that humanity must pursue happiness, purpose, and moral responsibility on earth, drawing from both religious and scientific virtues. **In simple terms:** We must seek meaning and act responsibly in a free, equal society. Key Takeaway Live purposefully and help others. Themes purpose responsibility freedom morality community Mood hopeful determined inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - political activism - community building - personal development - education - public service Key Concepts humanism ethical pluralism civic duty Questions to Reflect On - What values guide your actions? - How can you foster inclusive progress? 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I don't think I will continue to live after I'm dead, so if I am to achieve these things I must try to bring them about – and encourage other people to bring them about – on earth, in a republic in which we are all free and equal – and responsible – citizens. Now, what does this involve? It involves all the best qualities of things. We mustn't shut anything out. If the Church has told us, for example, that forgiving our enemies is good, and if that seems to be a good thing to do, we must do it. If, on the other hand, those who struggled against the Church have shown us that free enquiry and unfettered scientific exploration is good – and I believe that they have – then we must hold this up as a good as well. Whatever we can find that we feel to be good – and not just feel but can see with the accumulated wisdom that we have as we grow up, and read about history and learn from our own experiences and so on – wherever they come from, and whoever taught them in the first place, let's use them and do whatever we can do to make the world a little bit better.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Pullman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certain-things-it-promised-us/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First place" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certain-things-it-promised-us/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/philip-pullman-525_first-place_the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certai_237215.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/philip-pullman-525_first-place_the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certai_237215.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/philip-pullman-525_first-place_the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certai_237215.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The kingdom of heaven promised us certain things: it promised us happiness and a sense of purpose and a…” — Philip Pullman", "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": "Philip Pullman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The kingdom of heaven promised us...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certain-things-it-promised-us/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-kingdom-of-heaven-promised-us-certain-things-it-promised-us/#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 } } ] } ```