---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man who is good enough to go to heaven…"
description: "\"A man who is good enough to go to heaven is good enough to be a clergyman.\" — Samuel Johnson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/samuel-johnson-50_clergyman_a-man-who-is-good-enough-to-go-to-heaven_2297722.png"
---

#  A man who is good enough to go to heaven is good enough to…

![“A man who is good enough to go to heaven is good enough to be a clergyman.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/samuel-johnson-50_clergyman_a-man-who-is-good-enough-to-go-to-heaven_2297722.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/samuel-johnson-50_clergyman_a-man-who-is-good-enough-to-go-to-heaven_2297722.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/samuel-johnson-50_clergyman_a-man-who-is-good-enough-to-go-to-heaven_2297722.png)

> “A man who is good enough to go to heaven is good enough to be a clergyman.”

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

## About This Quote

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

A person worthy of heaven can also serve as a clergyman, implying moral fitness for both salvation and ministry.

**In simple terms:** Heavenly worthiness also fits clergy.

Key Takeaway

Recognize moral duty in service.

Themes

morality service spirituality

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- church leadership
- volunteering
- community service
- personal vocation

Key Concepts

theology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities does a clergyman hold?
- How does personal virtue translate to public ministry?

A Different Perspective

May overlook practical challenges of clergy life.

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[Clergyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clergyman/) [Clergymen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clergymen/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Preacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preacher/)

## Related quotes

> [A man who is good enough to go to heaven is not good enough to be a clergyman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-man-who-is-good-enough-to-go-to-heaven-is-not-good-enough-to-be-a/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“He seems to see good in every one. No one would take him for a clergyman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/he-seems-to-see-good-in-every-one-no-one-would-take-him-for-a/)

[E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/)

> [The life of a conscientious clergyman is not easy. I have always considered a clergyman as the father of a larger family than he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-life-of-a-conscientious-clergyman-is-not-easy-i-have-always/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [I do not envy a clergyman's life as an easy life, nor do I envy the clergyman who makes it an easy life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-do-not-envy-a-clergyman-s-life-as-an-easy-life-nor-do-i-envy-the/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [I have always considered a clergyman as the father of a larger family than he is able to maintain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-have-always-considered-a-clergyman-as-the-father-of-a-larger-family/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Clergyman: A ticket speculator outside the gates of Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/clergyman-a-ticket-speculator-outside-the-gates-of-heaven/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [There is not in the universe a more ridiculous, nor a more contemptible animal, than a proud clergyman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/there-is-not-in-the-universe-a-more-ridiculous-nor-a-more/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [What is the function that a clergyman performs in the world? Answer: He gets his living by assuring idiots that he can save them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/what-is-the-function-that-a-clergyman-performs-in-the-world-answer-he/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [“I was brought up in a clergyman's household so I am a first-class liar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-brought-up-in-a-clergyman-s-household-so-i-am-a-first-class-liar/)

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

> [SACERDOTALIST, n. One who holds the belief that a clergyman is a priest. Denial of this momentous doctrine is the hardest challenge that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/sacerdotalist-n-one-who-holds-the-belief-that-a-clergyman-is-a-priest/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [Never, ever ask a former clergyman to say the blessing over a holiday dinner. Not if you like your dinner warm, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/never-ever-ask-a-former-clergyman-to-say-the-blessing-over-a-holiday/)

[Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/)

> [The first clergyman was the first rascal who met the first fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-first-clergyman-was-the-first-rascal-who-met-the-first-fool/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [It is indolence... Indolence and love of ease; a want of all laudable ambition, of taste for good company, or of inclination to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-indolence-indolence-and-love-of-ease-a-want-of-all-laudable/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [By the very nature of being a clergyman's son, people tend to put you slightly apart, which is - you tend to live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/by-the-very-nature-of-being-a-clergyman-s-son-people-tend-to-put-you/)

[John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/)

> [One person I do feel a little sorry for, though, is the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most important clergyman in Britain and he's only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-condell/one-person-i-do-feel-a-little-sorry-for-though-is-the-archbishop-of/)

[Pat Condell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-condell/)

## More by Samuel Johnson

> [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

[Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

## More Clergyman quotes

> [One person I do feel a little sorry for, though, is the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most important clergyman in Britain and he's only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-condell/one-person-i-do-feel-a-little-sorry-for-though-is-the-archbishop-of/)

[Pat Condell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-condell/)

> [“When Dr. James Young Simpson sought to apply anesthesia to a woman in childbirth, the clergymen of his day foamed at the mouth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/when-dr-james-young-simpson-sought-to-apply-anesthesia-to-a-woman-in/)

[Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/)

> [I have always considered a clergyman as the father of a larger family than he is able to maintain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-have-always-considered-a-clergyman-as-the-father-of-a-larger-family/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“I miss the honor of serving as a parish pastor. There is nothing quite like it. The most challenging aspect of the job is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-c-harrison/i-miss-the-honor-of-serving-as-a-parish-pastor-there-is-nothing-quite/)

Matthew C. Harrison

> [“I was brought up in a clergyman's household so I am a first-class liar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-brought-up-in-a-clergyman-s-household-so-i-am-a-first-class-liar/)

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

> [The first clergyman was the first rascal who met the first fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-first-clergyman-was-the-first-rascal-who-met-the-first-fool/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Clergyman: A ticket speculator outside the gates of Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/clergyman-a-ticket-speculator-outside-the-gates-of-heaven/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [By the very nature of being a clergyman's son, people tend to put you slightly apart, which is - you tend to live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/by-the-very-nature-of-being-a-clergyman-s-son-people-tend-to-put-you/)

[John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/)

> [It is indolence... Indolence and love of ease; a want of all laudable ambition, of taste for good company, or of inclination to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-indolence-indolence-and-love-of-ease-a-want-of-all-laudable/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“He seems to see good in every one. No one would take him for a clergyman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/he-seems-to-see-good-in-every-one-no-one-would-take-him-for-a/)

[E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/)

> [Never, ever ask a former clergyman to say the blessing over a holiday dinner. Not if you like your dinner warm, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/never-ever-ask-a-former-clergyman-to-say-the-blessing-over-a-holiday/)

[Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/)

> [SACERDOTALIST, n. One who holds the belief that a clergyman is a priest. Denial of this momentous doctrine is the hardest challenge that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/sacerdotalist-n-one-who-holds-the-belief-that-a-clergyman-is-a-priest/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [“At present, a good many men engaged in scientific pursuits, and who have signally failed in gaining recognition among their fellows, are endeavoring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/at-present-a-good-many-men-engaged-in-scientific-pursuits-and-who/)

[Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/)

> [“Professional considerations made the Dean refrain from endorsing this open expression of murderous sentiment in its fullest form; a clergyman ought always to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-allen/professional-considerations-made-the-dean-refrain-from-endorsing-this/)

[Grant Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-allen/)

> [There is a species of person called a 'Modern Churchman' who draws the full salary of a beneficed clergyman and need not commit himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/there-is-a-species-of-person-called-a-modern-churchman-who-draws-the/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

[Browse all 36 Clergyman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clergyman/)

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