Back Quote by Roger Rosenblatt
“The God I do believe in is the God who doesn't care: James Joyce's God who stands back, paring his fingernails.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The God I Do Believe In," 1990
The speaker describes a distant, indifferent deity who observes humanity without intervening, reflecting existential doubt.
In simple terms: God is indifferent and detached.
Key Takeaway
Accept uncertainty about divine purpose.
Themes
faith
existentialism
detachment
Mood
contemplative
skeptical
Type
religious
existential
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- artistic creation
- ethical decision‑making
- grief coping
Key Concepts
theology
philosophy
nihilism
Questions to Reflect On
- Does this perspective affect your moral choices?
- How do you find meaning without divine guidance?
A Different Perspective
Such a view may undermine comfort and community support.
![“I think [James] Joyce sometimes enjoyed misleading his readers. He said to me that history was like that parlor game where someone whispers something to the person next to him, who repeats it not very distinctly to the next person, and so on until, by the time the last person hears it, it comes…” quote by Sylvia Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/22f/sylvia-beach-69793_books_i-think-james-joyce-sometimes-enjoyed-mi_432119.jpg)
![“James Joyce is a cul-de-sac. [Ulysses is] ... an example how literature branched out and went into, lost itself in nowhere, no man's land.” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/21d/werner-herzog-964_books_james-joyce-is-a-cul-de-sac-ulysses-is-a_176588.jpg)
