--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We looked too long for God and truth…" description: "\"We looked too long for God and truth through words alone. The fruit for humanity has been rather limited, it seems to me - especially when I observe ev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/richard-rohr-618_alone_we-looked-too-long-for-god-and-truth-thr_3009644.png" --- # We looked too long for God and truth through words alone… ![“We looked too long for God and truth through words alone. The fruit for humanity has been rather limited, it seems to me - especially when I observe every day the extraordinary amount of unhappy and angry people in well educated and 'religious' countries.” quote by Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/richard-rohr-618_alone_we-looked-too-long-for-god-and-truth-thr_3009644.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/richard-rohr-618_alone_we-looked-too-long-for-god-and-truth-thr_3009644.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/richard-rohr-618_alone_we-looked-too-long-for-god-and-truth-thr_3009644.png) > “We looked too long for God and truth through words alone. The fruit for humanity has been rather limited, it seems to me - especially when I observe every day the extraordinary amount of unhappy and angry people in well educated and 'religious' countries.” [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. A critique of relying solely on intellectualism for spiritual truth, noting widespread unhappiness. **In simple terms:** Intellect alone can’t bring fulfillment. Key Takeaway Seek deeper, experiential understanding. Themes spirituality intellect society Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - religious studies - mental health counseling - personal growth workshops Key Concepts existential philosophical Questions to Reflect On - What role does intellect play in spiritual life? - How can we integrate knowledge and experience? A Different Perspective May overlook value of scholarly insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) [Amount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Angry People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry-people/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Educated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated/) [Educated Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated-religious-4818527/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Fruit Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit-humanity-907884/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Limited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-limited-4818525/) [Limited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limited/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looked/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Observe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observe/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rather/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious Countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-countries-4818526/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too/) [Too long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-long/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy/) [Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well/) [Well educated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-educated/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [The fruit of humanity is devotion to one's parents. The fruit of righteousness is to respect one's elders. The fruit of wisdom is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-fruit-of-humanity-is-devotion-to-one-s-parents-the-fruit-of/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [I don't understand perpetually angry people. How can things that make 99% of people happy, make you angry?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-understand-perpetually-angry-people-how-can-things-that-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think it might surprise the average person how angry people can get over the comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/i-think-it-might-surprise-the-average-person-how-angry-people-can-get/) [Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/) > [Don't matter what they throw at us. Only angry people win football games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-royal/don-t-matter-what-they-throw-at-us-only-angry-people-win-football/) [Darrell Royal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-royal/) > [Dont befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-befriend-angry-people-or-associate-with-hot-tempered-people-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The angry people are those people who are most afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-robert-anthony-2/the-angry-people-are-those-people-who-are-most-afraid/) [Dr Robert Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-robert-anthony-2/) > [I tend to not only read reviews, but also every little stupid thing online. It's a very bad idea, and there's a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-tend-to-not-only-read-reviews-but-also-every-little-stupid-thing/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [“He looked in wonder at angry people, wonder and uneasiness, as normal people look at the insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/he-looked-in-wonder-at-angry-people-wonder-and-uneasiness-as-normal/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [People get really nuts around cars. They get angry at cars, they get angry at their car, they get angry at people driving in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillon/people-get-really-nuts-around-cars-they-get-angry-at-cars-they-get/) [Matt Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillon/) > [In fact, I get angry when people laugh at me. I go to the airport and the ground hostess starts laughing at me when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/in-fact-i-get-angry-when-people-laugh-at-me-i-go-to-the-airport-and/) [Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/) > [We all do have a lot of concern and want to help, but this world will always have hurt in it, because it have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/we-all-do-have-a-lot-of-concern-and-want-to-help-but-this-world-will/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Drunk people, loud people, obvious and angry people, people stammering and stumbling, spilling drinks and scarfing small burned sausages and cheese cubes on toothpicks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/drunk-people-loud-people-obvious-and-angry-people-people-stammering/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I was in love with everything- I wanted to look with love at the angry people so that their eyes would be forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egon-schiele/i-was-in-love-with-everything-i-wanted-to-look-with-love-at-the-angry/) [Egon Schiele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egon-schiele/) > [Angry people cannot create a peaceful planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/angry-people-cannot-create-a-peaceful-planet/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Getting angry at people when we listen to them breathing or eating is called Misophonia, which is an actual brain disorder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/getting-angry-at-people-when-we-listen-to-them-breathing-or-eating-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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. 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It seems to imply rejection or unpopularity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/how-one-hates-to-think-of-oneself-as-alone-how-one-avoids-it-it-seems/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) [Browse all 3,082 Alone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We looked too long for God and truth through words alone. 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