--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who’ve had any genuine spiritual…" description: "\"People who’ve had any genuine spiritual experience always know that they don’t know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They are in awe before th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/059/richard-rohr-618_abyss_people-who-ve-had-any-genuine-spiritual_2795741.jpg" --- # People who’ve had any genuine spiritual experience always… ![“People who’ve had any genuine spiritual experience always know that they don’t know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They are in awe before the abyss of it all, in wonder at eternity and depth, and a Love, which is incomprehensible to the mind.” quote by Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/059/richard-rohr-618_abyss_people-who-ve-had-any-genuine-spiritual_2795741.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/059/richard-rohr-618_abyss_people-who-ve-had-any-genuine-spiritual_2795741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/059/richard-rohr-618_abyss_people-who-ve-had-any-genuine-spiritual_2795741.jpg) > “People who’ve had any genuine spiritual experience always know that they don’t know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They are in awe before the abyss of it all, in wonder at eternity and depth, and a Love, which is incomprehensible to the mind.” [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Spiritual experiences reveal the limits of knowledge, fostering humility and awe before mystery. **In simple terms:** Mystery makes us humble. Key Takeaway Accept not knowing as growth. Themes spirituality humility wonder Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - religious practice - philosophical contemplation - education Key Concepts mystical experience epistemic humility Questions to Reflect On - What does mystery teach you? - How does humility affect faith? A Different Perspective Humility may be mistaken for weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Awe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuine/) [Genuine Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuine-spiritual-1074727/) [Humbled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humbled/) [Humbled Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humbled-mystery-3411569/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-experience/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Genuine spiritual knowledge lies not in wonderful and mysterious thoughts but in actual spiritual experience through union of the believer's life with truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/genuine-spiritual-knowledge-lies-not-in-wonderful-and-mysterious/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [To undertake a genuine spiritual path is not to avoid difficulties but to learn the art of making mistakes wakefully, to bring them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/to-undertake-a-genuine-spiritual-path-is-not-to-avoid-difficulties/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [Genuine spiritual movement should forgive and encourage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/genuine-spiritual-movement-should-forgive-and-encourage/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [“The effort of the genuine spiritual seeker should be to cultivate love until the mind becomes saturated by it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhante-y-wimala/the-effort-of-the-genuine-spiritual-seeker-should-be-to-cultivate/) [Bhante Y. Wimala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhante-y-wimala/) > [If a man will comprehend the richness and variety of the universe, and inspire his mind with a due measure of wonder and awe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/if-a-man-will-comprehend-the-richness-and-variety-of-the-universe-and/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [Spiritual experiences and their results are not meant for the individual. They are for the evolution of the whole race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/spiritual-experiences-and-their-results-are-not-meant-for-the/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [There's a big difference between being able to explain religion intellectually and transforming that knowledge into spiritual experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thubten-yeshe/there-s-a-big-difference-between-being-able-to-explain-religion/) [Thubten Yeshe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thubten-yeshe/) > [We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [“Marlboro Man picked me up the next evening, exactly one month before our wedding day. Our evening apart had made the heart grow fonder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/marlboro-man-picked-me-up-the-next-evening-exactly-one-month-before/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [I think there are times when a song can be a spiritual experience - just making music, in general, is pretty much that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-griffin/i-think-there-are-times-when-a-song-can-be-a-spiritual-experience/) [Patty Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-griffin/) > [Christ was the first feminist and because of that I've learned from his teaching to call myself a Christian feminist, adding that her faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/christ-was-the-first-feminist-and-because-of-that-i-ve-learned-from/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [“There is absolutely no biblical expectation of a gospel without power, of a religion without spiritual experience, of doctrine and morals without divine en­counter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-smith/there-is-absolutely-no-biblical-expectation-of-a-gospel-without-power/) [Alan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-smith/) > [“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/) > [“All of us have had this experience. At some point, we have each said through our tears, “I’m suffering for a love that’s not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/all-of-us-have-had-this-experience-at-some-point-we-have-each-said/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Each tree has its own personality, i chose them by the way I felt at the moment. Sometimes they even change my sentiments. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabien-le-coq/each-tree-has-its-own-personality-i-chose-them-by-the-way-i-felt-at/) [Fabien Le Coq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabien-le-coq/) ## More by Richard Rohr > [“We have become human doings more than human beings, and the verb “rest,” as Jesus uses it, is largely foreign to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/we-have-become-human-doings-more-than-human-beings-and-the-verb-rest/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [In my opinion, most organized religion does neither agentic service nor relational nurturance very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-my-opinion-most-organized-religion-does-neither-agentic-service/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/if-we-do-not-transform-our-pain-we-will-most-assuredly-transmit-it/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [In solitude, at last, we’re able to let God define us the way we are always supposed to be defined—by relationship: the I-thou relationship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-solitude-at-last-we-re-able-to-let-god-define-us-the-way-we-are/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [Pain and suffering that are not transformed are usually projected onto others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/pain-and-suffering-that-are-not-transformed-are-usually-projected/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“In the end, we do not so much reclaim what we have lost as discover a significantly new self in and through the process.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-the-end-we-do-not-so-much-reclaim-what-we-have-lost-as-discover-a/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/all-great-spirituality-is-about-what-we-do-with-our-pain-if-we-do-not/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“I would wonder if you could be a hero or heroine if you did not live in deep time, that is, Past, present, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/i-would-wonder-if-you-could-be-a-hero-or-heroine-if-you-did-not-live/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [Nature is the one song of praise that never stops singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/nature-is-the-one-song-of-praise-that-never-stops-singing/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“I believe contemplation shows us that nothing inside us is as bad as our hatred and denial of the bad. Hating and denying it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/i-believe-contemplation-shows-us-that-nothing-inside-us-is-as-bad-as/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [We don't have much wisdom about the second half when things really open up and end up looking a lot more progressive. In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/we-don-t-have-much-wisdom-about-the-second-half-when-things-really/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [If you do not transform your wounds you will transmit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/if-you-do-not-transform-your-wounds-you-will-transmit-them/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [The real spiritual journey is work. You can make a naïve assertion that you trust in Jesus, but until it is tested a good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-real-spiritual-journey-is-work-you-can-make-a-na-ve-assertion/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“The soul needs meaning as much as the body needs food.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-soul-needs-meaning-as-much-as-the-body-needs-food/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) [Explore all 443 Richard Rohr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) ## More Abyss quotes > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [In the end things must be as they are and have always been--the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-end-things-must-be-as-they-are-and-have-always-been-the-great/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I admire the Elsie Tanners and Barbara Windsors of the world: people who have crawled back from the abyss. I'm quite camp in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-admire-the-elsie-tanners-and-barbara-windsors-of-the-world-people/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) > [I look into my heart and see the abyss looking back at me.' 'I won't let you fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-look-into-my-heart-and-see-the-abyss-looking-back-at-me-i-won-t-let/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/there-is-no-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-not-even-in-the-deepest-parts/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [“But first whom shall we send In search of this new world, whom shall we find Sufficient? Who shall tempt, with wand'ring feet The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/but-first-whom-shall-we-send-in-search-of-this-new-world-whom-shall/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Many women don’t know what orgasm is. Many men don’t know was total orgasm is. Many only achieve a local orgasm, a genital orgasm;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-women-don-t-know-what-orgasm-is-many-men-don-t-know-was-total/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fear not. For fear itself is fed by fear, and all fears pass. Did no one tell you so? Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) [Browse all 625 Abyss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People who’ve had any genuine spiritual experience always know that they don’t know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. 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