--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As human beings, we anthropomorphize way…" description: "\"As human beings, we anthropomorphize way too much. God's not a person. God, for me, is a power that lies outside the definition of time and space.\" — S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/scott-glenn-13067_god_as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way_2982429.jpg" --- # As human beings, we anthropomorphize way too much. God's… ![“As human beings, we anthropomorphize way too much. God's not a person. God, for me, is a power that lies outside the definition of time and space.” quote by Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/scott-glenn-13067_god_as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way_2982429.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/scott-glenn-13067_god_as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way_2982429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/scott-glenn-13067_god_as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way_2982429.jpg) > “As human beings, we anthropomorphize way too much. God's not a person. God, for me, is a power that lies outside the definition of time and space.” [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that God is not a person but an abstract power beyond time and space, challenging anthropomorphic views. **In simple terms:** God is a non‑person power beyond time. Key Takeaway Think beyond literal divine images. Themes spirituality philosophy anthropomorphism theology identity Mood thought‑provoking philosophical Type theological reflective When to use this quote - personal belief - interfaith dialogue - philosophical debate - creative writing Key Concepts abstract power metaphysics human projection Questions to Reflect On - How does non‑personified divinity affect faith? - What are the limits of human language in describing the divine? A Different Perspective May conflict with religious doctrines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anthropomorphize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropomorphize-1635960/) [Beings Anthropomorphize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings-anthropomorphize-4644496/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-person/) [God Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-power/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-god/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time and space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-space/) ## Related quotes > [God is not a person. God does not have a history. God does not have a future. God is beyond definition. We can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/god-is-not-a-person-god-does-not-have-a-history-god-does-not-have-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [God is not a person. God is an eternal principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/god-is-not-a-person-god-is-an-eternal-principle/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“We cannot see God in the other person. Only God in us can see God in the other person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-j-m-nouwen/we-cannot-see-god-in-the-other-person-only-god-in-us-can-see-god-in/) [Henri J.M. Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-j-m-nouwen/) > [God is not a person; God is manifestation itself. We think that God is a superhuman person, but God is not a person. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-ray/god-is-not-a-person-god-is-manifestation-itself-we-think-that-god-is/) [Ricky Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-ray/) > [Spirituality is natural goodness. God is not a person; God is a presence personified in us. Spirituality is not a thing; it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/spirituality-is-natural-goodness-god-is-not-a-person-god-is-a/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [God is not a person; God is a sacred personification of one or more deeply significant dimensions of reality. If we miss this we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dowd/god-is-not-a-person-god-is-a-sacred-personification-of-one-or-more/) [Michael Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dowd/) > [God is not a person at all. You cannot worship God. You can live in a godly way but you cannot worship God -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/god-is-not-a-person-at-all-you-cannot-worship-god-you-can-live-in-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“God is not a person, God is the underlying consciousness in Existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-dhyan-giten/god-is-not-a-person-god-is-the-underlying-consciousness-in-existence/) [Swami Dhyan Giten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-dhyan-giten/) > [You think we shouldn't anthropomorphize people?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-morgenbesser/you-think-we-shouldn-t-anthropomorphize-people/) [Sidney Morgenbesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-morgenbesser/) > [Don't anthropomorphize computers -- they hate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcafee/don-t-anthropomorphize-computers-they-hate-it/) [Andrew McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcafee/) > [“people have a natural tendency to anthropomorphize their pets, to ascribe human perceptions and intentions to the animal where none exist”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/people-have-a-natural-tendency-to-anthropomorphize-their-pets-to/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“It was this motley band of modest peeps and plovers on the beach who reminded me of the human beings I loved best -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/it-was-this-motley-band-of-modest-peeps-and-plovers-on-the-beach-who/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Anything you think you know about about God, that you can't find in the person of Jesus, you have reason to question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/anything-you-think-you-know-about-about-god-that-you-can-t-find-in/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Who is this god person anyway?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/who-is-this-god-person-anyway/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [He who does not see God in the next person he meets need look no further.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/he-who-does-not-see-god-in-the-next-person-he-meets-need-look-no/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) ## More by Scott Glenn > [Rodeo riders are the last of the true chivalrous groups of people. It's a place where the competition is really pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/rodeo-riders-are-the-last-of-the-true-chivalrous-groups-of-people-it/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I've always been addicted to adrenaline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-ve-always-been-addicted-to-adrenaline/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [That one long scene in the Leftovers I have with David Gulpilil was seven pages long. When we finished it, Mimi Leder said, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/that-one-long-scene-in-the-leftovers-i-have-with-david-gulpilil-was/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [J.J. Abrams wanted me to do a part in Lost and we probably had three meetings, and I finally turned it down, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/j-j-abrams-wanted-me-to-do-a-part-in-lost-and-we-probably-had-three/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I'm not a comic book guy. I've never been to Comic-Con. I don't know anything about that. It's a whole different world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-m-not-a-comic-book-guy-i-ve-never-been-to-comic-con-i-don-t-know/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > ['The Leftovers' is my favorite job I've ever had in my life, anywhere, ever. It is one of the greatest TV shows ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/the-leftovers-is-my-favorite-job-i-ve-ever-had-in-my-life-anywhere/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I got into an argument with someone because I said I think 2Pac will be regarded as a great poet. They said he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-got-into-an-argument-with-someone-because-i-said-i-think-2pac-will/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [The hard part about playing 'chicken' is knowing when to flinch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/the-hard-part-about-playing-chicken-is-knowing-when-to-flinch/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [They say God looks after kids and idiots, and I think actors are probably a combination of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/they-say-god-looks-after-kids-and-idiots-and-i-think-actors-are/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I don't think rodeo is cruel at all. Bullriding is the only man-animal event that makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-don-t-think-rodeo-is-cruel-at-all-bullriding-is-the-only-man-animal/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [We were talking about television one time, and Damon Lindelof said he felt that, if Ernst Hemingway was writing for media, he would write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/we-were-talking-about-television-one-time-and-damon-lindelof-said-he/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I used to be an open-spear fisherman, and if you're looking for fish, you're never going to see them. In an almost meditative state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-used-to-be-an-open-spear-fisherman-and-if-you-re-looking-for-fish/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [What I didn't realize about television was that's true of acting, as well. You have that space of time to develop who you are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/what-i-didn-t-realize-about-television-was-that-s-true-of-acting-as/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [My metaphor for acting in movies - not on stage because it's completely different on stage - is to put colors on an easel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/my-metaphor-for-acting-in-movies-not-on-stage-because-it-s-completely/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I love the way Damon Lindelof writes. It's almost like he was channeling me and he had my voice, even though the territory that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-love-the-way-damon-lindelof-writes-it-s-almost-like-he-was/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) [Explore all 52 Scott Glenn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) ## More God quotes > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“am not suggesting that successes in academics, athletics, or vocation somehow stand outside God’s good plan. Learning and play are joys that God himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-paul-jones/am-not-suggesting-that-successes-in-academics-athletics-or-vocation/) [Timothy Paul Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-paul-jones/) > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The faster you go, the shorter you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-faster-you-go-the-shorter-you-are/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/) [Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/) > [What would God have me do with my life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/what-would-god-have-me-do-with-my-life/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [God always gets the glory when Jesus comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-giglio/god-always-gets-the-glory-when-jesus-comes/) [Louie Giglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-giglio/) > [“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/do-all-the-good-you-can-by-all-the-means-you-can-in-all-the-ways-you/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [You are a God Act like one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/you-are-a-god-act-like-one/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) [Browse all 37,707 God quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As human beings, we anthropomorphize way too much. God's not a person. God, for me, is a power that lies outside the definition of time and space.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Glenn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way-too-much-god-s-not-a-person/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "God" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way-too-much-god-s-not-a-person/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/scott-glenn-13067_god_as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way_2982429.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/scott-glenn-13067_god_as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way_2982429.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/scott-glenn-13067_god_as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way_2982429.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As human beings, we anthropomorphize way too much. God's not a person. God, for me, is a power that lies…” — Scott Glenn", "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": "Scott Glenn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As human beings, we anthropomorphize way...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way-too-much-god-s-not-a-person/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/as-human-beings-we-anthropomorphize-way-too-much-god-s-not-a-person/#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 } } ] } ```