--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Miserable man that I am, what fellowship…" description: "\"“Miserable man that I am, what fellowship hath my perverseness with Thy uprightness ? Thou art truly good, I wicked; Thou full of compassion, I impious..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/san-juan-de-la-cruz-68703_art-life_miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship_141520.jpg" --- # Miserable man that I am, what fellowship hath my… ![“Miserable man that I am, what fellowship hath my perverseness with Thy uprightness ? Thou art truly good, I wicked; Thou full of compassion, I impious; Thou holy, I miserable; Thou just, I unjust; Thou art light, lam blind; Thou art life, and I am dead; Thou art medicine, I am sick; Thou supreme…” quote by San Juan de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/san-juan-de-la-cruz-68703_art-life_miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship_141520.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/san-juan-de-la-cruz-68703_art-life_miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship_141520.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/san-juan-de-la-cruz-68703_art-life_miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship_141520.jpg) > ““Miserable man that I am, what fellowship hath my perverseness with Thy uprightness ? Thou art truly good, I wicked; Thou full of compassion, I impious; Thou holy, I miserable; Thou just, I unjust; Thou art light, lam blind; Thou art life, and I am dead; Thou art medicine, I am sick; Thou supreme truth, and I utter vanity.’ It is, therefore, supreme ignorance for anyone to think that he can ever attain to the high estate of union with God before he casts away from him the desire of natural things, and of supernatural also, so far as it concerns self-love, because the distance between them and the state of perfection is the very greatest. For Christ our Lord hath said, ‘ Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be My disciple.’  The doctrine of Christ which He came into the world to teach, is contempt of all things, that we may thereby have power to receive the reward of the Spirit of God. For he who does not withdraw himself from the things of the world, is not qualified to receive the Spirit of God in the pure transformation.”” San Juan de la Cruz ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The text argues that true spiritual union requires renouncing worldly desires and self-love, emphasizing humility and divine reliance. **In simple terms:** Spiritual union demands letting go of worldly and selfish desires. Key Takeaway Practice humility and detach from material cravings. Themes spirituality humility renunciation Mood reflective serious Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - religious practice - ethical living Key Concepts selflessness divine trust inner transformation Questions to Reflect On - What attachments hold you back? - How can you cultivate humility? A Different Perspective Detachment can be psychologically challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spirit of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit-of-god/) ## Related quotes > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The art of life is to show your hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-v-lucas/the-art-of-life-is-to-show-your-hand/) [E. V. Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-v-lucas/) > [The proper school to learn art is not life but art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-proper-school-to-learn-art-is-not-life-but-art/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [...The beauty one can find in art is one of the pitifully few real and lasting products of human endeavour. The beauty endures. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/the-beauty-one-can-find-in-art-is-one-of-the-pitifully-few-real-and/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/life-is-art-art-is-life-i-never-separate-it/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Art and life ought to be hurriedly remarried and brought to live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-walpole/art-and-life-ought-to-be-hurriedly-remarried-and-brought-to-live/) [Hugh Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-walpole/) > [Art is indeed not the bread but the wine of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/art-is-indeed-not-the-bread-but-the-wine-of-life/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [“Now Now is the time… Now is the time – Make a change Now is the time – All is strange Now is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-earle/now-now-is-the-time-now-is-the-time-make-a-change-now-is-the-time-all/) [Christopher Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-earle/) > [Art lives where absolute freedom is, because where it is not, there can be no creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/art-lives-where-absolute-freedom-is-because-where-it-is-not-there-can/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [It is neither Art for Art, nor Art against Art. I am for Art, but for Art that has nothing to do with Art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/it-is-neither-art-for-art-nor-art-against-art-i-am-for-art-but-for/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [To approach a city, or even a city neighborhood, as if it were a larger architectural problem, capable of being given order by converting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/to-approach-a-city-or-even-a-city-neighborhood-as-if-it-were-a-larger/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [I could always live in my art but never in my life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingmar-bergman/i-could-always-live-in-my-art-but-never-in-my-life/) [Ingmar Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingmar-bergman/) > [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“Anh Minh believed that if he could save three minutes here, five minutes there, then one day he could tally them all up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/anh-minh-believed-that-if-he-could-save-three-minutes-here-five/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [The art of life is to live in the present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmet-fox/the-art-of-life-is-to-live-in-the-present-moment/) [Emmet Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmet-fox/) ## More by San Juan de la Cruz > [“The method of some directors is sufficient to encumber souls receiving these visions, or even to lead them astray. They do not guide them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/san-juan-de-la-cruz/the-method-of-some-directors-is-sufficient-to-encumber-souls/) San Juan de la Cruz > [“9. In conclusion, individuals must not fix the eyes of their souls on that rind of the figure and object supernaturally accorded to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/san-juan-de-la-cruz/9-in-conclusion-individuals-must-not-fix-the-eyes-of-their-souls-on/) San Juan de la Cruz > [“14. People should not imagine that just because God and the saints converse amiably with them on many subjects, they will be told their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/san-juan-de-la-cruz/14-people-should-not-imagine-that-just-because-god-and-the-saints/) San Juan de la Cruz Explore all 4 San Juan de la Cruz quotes ## More Art life quotes > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“Anh Minh believed that if he could save three minutes here, five minutes there, then one day he could tally them all up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/anh-minh-believed-that-if-he-could-save-three-minutes-here-five/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I could always live in my art but never in my life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingmar-bergman/i-could-always-live-in-my-art-but-never-in-my-life/) [Ingmar Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingmar-bergman/) > [To approach a city, or even a city neighborhood, as if it were a larger architectural problem, capable of being given order by converting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/to-approach-a-city-or-even-a-city-neighborhood-as-if-it-were-a-larger/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [It is neither Art for Art, nor Art against Art. I am for Art, but for Art that has nothing to do with Art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/it-is-neither-art-for-art-nor-art-against-art-i-am-for-art-but-for/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [Art lives where absolute freedom is, because where it is not, there can be no creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/art-lives-where-absolute-freedom-is-because-where-it-is-not-there-can/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [“Now Now is the time… Now is the time – Make a change Now is the time – All is strange Now is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-earle/now-now-is-the-time-now-is-the-time-make-a-change-now-is-the-time-all/) [Christopher Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-earle/) > [Art is indeed not the bread but the wine of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/art-is-indeed-not-the-bread-but-the-wine-of-life/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [Art and life ought to be hurriedly remarried and brought to live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-walpole/art-and-life-ought-to-be-hurriedly-remarried-and-brought-to-live/) [Hugh Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-walpole/) > [Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/life-is-art-art-is-life-i-never-separate-it/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [...The beauty one can find in art is one of the pitifully few real and lasting products of human endeavour. The beauty endures. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/the-beauty-one-can-find-in-art-is-one-of-the-pitifully-few-real-and/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [The proper school to learn art is not life but art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-proper-school-to-learn-art-is-not-life-but-art/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The art of life is to show your hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-v-lucas/the-art-of-life-is-to-show-your-hand/) [E. V. Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-v-lucas/) > [The art of life is to live in the present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmet-fox/the-art-of-life-is-to-live-in-the-present-moment/) [Emmet Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmet-fox/) Browse all 216 Art life quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Miserable man that I am, what fellowship hath my perverseness with Thy uprightness ? Thou art truly good, I wicked; Thou full of compassion, I impious; Thou holy, I miserable; Thou just, I unjust; Thou art light, lam blind; Thou art life, and I am dead; Thou art medicine, I am sick; Thou supreme truth, and I utter vanity.’ It is, therefore, supreme ignorance for anyone to think that he can ever attain to the high estate of union with God before he casts away from him the desire of natural things, and of supernatural also, so far as it concerns self-love, because the distance between them and the state of perfection is the very greatest. For Christ our Lord hath said, ‘ Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be My disciple.’  The doctrine of Christ which He came into the world to teach, is contempt of all things, that we may thereby have power to receive the reward of the Spirit of God. For he who does not withdraw himself from the things of the world, is not qualified to receive the Spirit of God in the pure transformation.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "San Juan de la Cruz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/san-juan-de-la-cruz/miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship-hath-my-perverseness-with-thy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/san-juan-de-la-cruz/miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship-hath-my-perverseness-with-thy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/san-juan-de-la-cruz-68703_art-life_miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship_141520.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/san-juan-de-la-cruz-68703_art-life_miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship_141520.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/san-juan-de-la-cruz-68703_art-life_miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship_141520.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Miserable man that I am, what fellowship hath my perverseness with Thy uprightness ? Thou art truly good, I…” — San Juan de la Cruz", "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": "San Juan de la Cruz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/san-juan-de-la-cruz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Miserable man that I am, what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/san-juan-de-la-cruz/miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship-hath-my-perverseness-with-thy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/san-juan-de-la-cruz/miserable-man-that-i-am-what-fellowship-hath-my-perverseness-with-thy/#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 } } ] } ```