---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are not human beings having a…"
description: "\"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.\" — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97c/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_human-experience_we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritu_95088.jpg"
---

#  We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We…

![“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” quote by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97c/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_human-experience_we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritu_95088.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97c/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_human-experience_we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritu_95088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97c/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_human-experience_we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritu_95088.jpg)

> “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

## About This Quote

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

Humans are fundamentally spiritual entities experiencing a temporary physical life.

**In simple terms:** Spiritual nature vs. human existence

Key Takeaway

We are spiritual beings in human form

Themes

Existentialism Spirituality Human condition Identity Philosophy

Mood

Contemplative Hopeful

Type

Philosophical Inspirational

When to use this quote

- Personal reflection
- Religious discourse
- Therapeutic counseling
- Literary analysis

Key Concepts

Dualism Purpose Consciousness

Practical Applications

- Guiding spiritual practice
- Designing human‑centered curricula

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this view affect moral responsibility?
- What implications does it have for coping with suffering?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Human experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-experience/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-beings/) [Spiritual experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-experience/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/)

## Related quotes

> [We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience and Infinite love is the only truth;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are-2/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-but-spiritual/)

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

> [“We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-are-not-physical-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [“know that I’m not a human being having a spiritual experience. I’m a spiritual being having a human experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/know-that-i-m-not-a-human-being-having-a-spiritual-experience-i-m-a/)

[Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/)

> [“That death isn’t death. It’s not the end because we aren’t just our minds or our bodies. We’re far more than just physical beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/that-death-isn-t-death-it-s-not-the-end-because-we-aren-t-just-our/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [“As Christian mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once said: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-l-weiss/as-christian-mystic-pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-once-said-we-are-not/)

[Brian L. Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-l-weiss/)

> [“We’re far more than just physical beings having a spiritual experience. We’re spiritual beings having a temporary physical experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/we-re-far-more-than-just-physical-beings-having-a-spiritual/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [Remember, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/remember-we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/)

[Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/)

> [“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Spiritual”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-l-weiss/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are-4/)

[Brian L. Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-l-weiss/)

> [“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. —Teilhard de Chardin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-lipsenthal/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are-5/)

[Lee Lipsenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-lipsenthal/)

> [I am not a human being having a spiritual experience. I am a spiritual being having a human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-aziz/i-am-not-a-human-being-having-a-spiritual-experience-i-am-a-spiritual/)

Julie Aziz

> [We are not human beings in search of a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings emersed in a human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-not-human-beings-in-search-of-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/)

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

> [“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." Teilhard de Chardin - French geologist, Jesuit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-jeffs/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are-3/)

Angela Jeffs

> [Finally, if you still are growing, you reach the highest archetype, the archetype of the spirit. This is the time when you finally realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/finally-if-you-still-are-growing-you-reach-the-highest-archetype-the/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [“You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are are spiritual beings immersed in a spiritual experience”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/you-are-not-a-human-being-in-search-of-a-spiritual-experience-you-are-2/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

## More by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

> [Long before the awakening of thought on earth, manifestations of cosmic energy must have been produced which have no parallel today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/long-before-the-awakening-of-thought-on-earth-manifestations-of/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [The longer I live, the more I feel that true repose consists in 'renouncing' one's own self, by which I mean making up one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/the-longer-i-live-the-more-i-feel-that-true-repose-consists-in/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [Today, something is happening to the whole structure of human consciousness. A fresh kind of life is starting. Driven by the forces of love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/today-something-is-happening-to-the-whole-structure-of-human/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [“We, mankind, contain the possibilities of the earth's immense future, and can realise more and more of them on condition that we increase our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-mankind-contain-the-possibilities-of-the-earth-s-immense-future/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [I think that man has a fundamental obligation to extract from himself and from the earth all that it can give; and this obligation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/i-think-that-man-has-a-fundamental-obligation-to-extract-from-himself/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [At the age when other children, I imagine, experience their first 'feeling' for a person, or for art, or for religion, I was affectionate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/at-the-age-when-other-children-i-imagine-experience-their-first/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [The most empowering relationships are those in which each partner lifts the other to a higher possession of their own being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/the-most-empowering-relationships-are-those-in-which-each-partner/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [“In the shadow of death may we not look back to the past, but seek in utter darkness the dawn of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/in-the-shadow-of-death-may-we-not-look-back-to-the-past-but-seek-in/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [The stars are laboratories in which the evolution of matter proceeds in the direction of large molecules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/the-stars-are-laboratories-in-which-the-evolution-of-matter-proceeds/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [It is not our heads or our bodies which we must bring together, but our hearts. . . . Humanity. . . is building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/it-is-not-our-heads-or-our-bodies-which-we-must-bring-together-but/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [Each elect soul ... possesses God directly and finds in that unique possession the fulfillment of his own individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/each-elect-soul-possesses-god-directly-and-finds-in-that-unique/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [You have told me, O God, to believe in hell. But you have forbidden me to think...of any man as damned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/you-have-told-me-o-god-to-believe-in-hell-but-you-have-forbidden-me/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [In the final analysis, the questions of why bad things happen to good people transmutes itself into some very different questions, no longer asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/in-the-final-analysis-the-questions-of-why-bad-things-happen-to-good/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [When humans truly discover the power of love, it will prove more important than the harnessing of fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/when-humans-truly-discover-the-power-of-love-it-will-prove-more/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [Since once again, O Lord, in the steppes of Asia, I have no bread, no wine, no altar, I will raise myself above those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/since-once-again-o-lord-in-the-steppes-of-asia-i-have-no-bread-no/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

[Explore all 253 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

## More Human experience quotes

> [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/)

[Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/)

> [“Naval officers were not mother's sort; very few people were her sort in those days, and that was her trouble - a very authentic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/naval-officers-were-not-mother-s-sort-very-few-people-were-her-sort/)

[Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/)

> [“There is no one way of seeing. Nor is there a right way of seeing. Yet simply to accept the notion that both the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/there-is-no-one-way-of-seeing-nor-is-there-a-right-way-of-seeing-yet/)

[Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/)

> [“Strangers when you meet, strangers when you part -a gymnasium of bodies namelessly masturbating each other. People with no morals often considered themselves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/strangers-when-you-meet-strangers-when-you-part-a-gymnasium-of-bodies/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [There is no normal. I've never met a normal person. The concept is flawed. It implies that there is only one way people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/there-is-no-normal-i-ve-never-met-a-normal-person-the-concept-is/)

[Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/)

> [“know that I’m not a human being having a spiritual experience. I’m a spiritual being having a human experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/know-that-i-m-not-a-human-being-having-a-spiritual-experience-i-m-a/)

[Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/)

> [I think it's something to do with the nurturing side of the psyche; tying up a sunflower or whatever and helping it grow, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lycett/i-think-it-s-something-to-do-with-the-nurturing-side-of-the-psyche/)

[Joe Lycett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lycett/)

> [Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/learn-your-way-around-loneliness-make-a-map-of-it-sit-with-it-for/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [The whole idea of the pursuit of goods and possessions has completely corrupted the human experience, along with religion, which I think limits the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/the-whole-idea-of-the-pursuit-of-goods-and-possessions-has-completely/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [“The key to this translation of ideology to politics in both cases was an effective appeal to human experience at the crucial time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-key-to-this-translation-of-ideology-to-politics-in-both-cases-was/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [As the young spend less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow, physiologically and psychologically and this reduces the richness of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/as-the-young-spend-less-of-their-lives-in-natural-surroundings-their/)

[Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/)

> [“Lightly, caressingly, Marie Antoinette picked up the crown as a gift. She was still too young to know that life never gives anything for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lightly-caressingly-marie-antoinette-picked-up-the-crown-as-a-gift/)

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

> [“Intimacy with Wright had seemed necessary; an essential human experience she didn’t think she’d get anywhere else, at least not on her terms. Ryker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-stanton/intimacy-with-wright-had-seemed-necessary-an-essential-human/)

Rosalie Stanton

> [But anyway, it's obvious through human experience that extended families and tribes are terribly important. We can do without an extended family as human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/but-anyway-it-s-obvious-through-human-experience-that-extended/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [I feel we have the opportunity of being part of a new and emerging category for human co-experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/i-feel-we-have-the-opportunity-of-being-part-of-a-new-and-emerging/)

[David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/)

[Browse all 799 Human experience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-experience/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pierre Teilhard de Chardin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Human experience"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97c/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_human-experience_we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritu_95088.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97c/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_human-experience_we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritu_95088.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97c/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_human-experience_we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritu_95088.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin",
                "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": "Pierre Teilhard de Chardin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are not human beings having...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
