--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Greeks understood perfectly that if…" description: "\"The Greeks understood perfectly that if there were divine beings they are capricious, unkind, malicious mostly, temperamental, envious and mostly deepl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/stephen-fry-573_capricious_the-greeks-understood-perfectly-that-if_154376.jpg" --- # The Greeks understood perfectly that if there were divine… ![“The Greeks understood perfectly that if there were divine beings they are capricious, unkind, malicious mostly, temperamental, envious and mostly deeply unpleasant because that you can say well yes, all right, if there is going to be god or gods then you have to admit that they're very at the very…” quote by Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/stephen-fry-573_capricious_the-greeks-understood-perfectly-that-if_154376.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/stephen-fry-573_capricious_the-greeks-understood-perfectly-that-if_154376.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/stephen-fry-573_capricious_the-greeks-understood-perfectly-that-if_154376.jpg) > “The Greeks understood perfectly that if there were divine beings they are capricious, unkind, malicious mostly, temperamental, envious and mostly deeply unpleasant because that you can say well yes, all right, if there is going to be god or gods then you have to admit that they're very at the very least capricious. They're certainly not consistent. They're certainly not all loving.” [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiquing the capricious and unloving nature of mythological gods, highlighting their inconsistency and human-like flaws. **In simple terms:** Ancient gods are portrayed as unpredictable and unkind. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about divine benevolence. Themes mythology divine nature human flaws philosophy Mood skeptical thoughtful Type critical literary When to use this quote - literary analysis - cultural studies - personal belief Key Concepts capriciousness ethical critique Questions to Reflect On - How do these portrayals affect modern spirituality? - Can we separate myth from moral teaching? A Different Perspective Myths reflect human concerns, not literal truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) ## Related quotes > [By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration but our reconsideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/by-their-very-nature-human-beings-are-so-capricious-so-complex-so/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [In all the great religious systems, there are divine beings who represent the feminine face of the divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/in-all-the-great-religious-systems-there-are-divine-beings-who/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Do you want to know something from the beyond? Do you want to chat with divine beings face to face? It is indispensable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/do-you-want-to-know-something-from-the-beyond-do-you-want-to-chat/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) > [Each and every human being on Earth has both the responsibility and the privilege of viewing themselves as Divine beings with the power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-twyman/each-and-every-human-being-on-earth-has-both-the-responsibility-and/) [James F. Twyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-twyman/) > [But ask yourself this Eragon: If gods exist, have they been good custodians of alagaesia? Death, sickness, poverty, tyranny and countless other miseries stalk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/but-ask-yourself-this-eragon-if-gods-exist-have-they-been-good/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/human-beings-must-be-known-to-be-loved-but-divine-beings-must-be/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“You need to understand something Cal-in this world, we're not humans having a divine experience. We're divine beings having a human experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/you-need-to-understand-something-cal-in-this-world-we-re-not-humans/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [“Within Judaism we find divine beings who temporarily become human, semidivine beings who are born of the union of a divine being and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/within-judaism-we-find-divine-beings-who-temporarily-become-human/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“We are not divine beings in mortal bodies. We are mortal bodies in pursuit of constructing divine perfection within us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/we-are-not-divine-beings-in-mortal-bodies-we-are-mortal-bodies-in/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [How dare you? How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault? It's not right, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/how-dare-you-how-dare-you-create-a-world-in-which-there-is-such/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“Those who erase God…must be gods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/those-who-erase-god-must-be-gods/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Oh Lord,You alone are my mother,father,brother,friend,the knowledge and welth. You are everything to me and the God of all gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upanishadic-mantra/oh-lord-you-alone-are-my-mother-father-brother-friend-the-knowledge/) Upanishadic Mantra > [My god is all gods in one. When I see a beautiful sunset, I worship the god of Nature; when I see a hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/my-god-is-all-gods-in-one-when-i-see-a-beautiful-sunset-i-worship-the/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [God is one; there are not many Gods, one for each tribe among men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/god-is-one-there-are-not-many-gods-one-for-each-tribe-among-men/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [People are gods, God is in each of us, we are all gods as we want to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-mircevski-spasov/people-are-gods-god-is-in-each-of-us-we-are-all-gods-as-we-want-to-be/) [Miroslav Mircevski Spasov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-mircevski-spasov/) ## More by Stephen Fry > [“...Catholic versus Protestant, essentially. It's that kind of fight. ... And it goes on to this day. Will we never learn? Who knows? Religion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/catholic-versus-protestant-essentially-it-s-that-kind-of-fight-and-it/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [How dare you? How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault? It's not right, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/how-dare-you-how-dare-you-create-a-world-in-which-there-is-such/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“Look at the kind of people who most object to the childishness and cheapness of celebrity culture. Does one really want to side with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/look-at-the-kind-of-people-who-most-object-to-the-childishness-and/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“The object of love should feel honoured or flattered, responsible in some way. Instead he felt insulted, degraded and revolted. More than that, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-object-of-love-should-feel-honoured-or-flattered-responsible-in/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [The only people who are obsessed with food are anorexics and the morbidly obese. That, in erotic terms, is the Catholic church, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-only-people-who-are-obsessed-with-food-are-anorexics-and-the/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [To me, reason is as spiritual as anything else, the beauty of reason seems to me indelible and ineffable and numinous... the spirit is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/to-me-reason-is-as-spiritual-as-anything-else-the-beauty-of-reason/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [The stranger might laugh and seem to enjoy the writing, but you hug to yourself the thought that they didn't quite understand its force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-stranger-might-laugh-and-seem-to-enjoy-the-writing-but-you-hug-to/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“The future is a much bigger deal than the past,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-future-is-a-much-bigger-deal-than-the-past/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I gather a repulsive nobody writing in a paper no one of any decency would be seen dead with has written something loathesome and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-gather-a-repulsive-nobody-writing-in-a-paper-no-one-of-any-decency/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I've never had any illusions about being a lead actor in films, because lead actors have to be of a certain kind. Apart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-ve-never-had-any-illusions-about-being-a-lead-actor-in-films/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Because, let's face it, I do not get offered the parts that Brad Pitt has just turned down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/because-let-s-face-it-i-do-not-get-offered-the-parts-that-brad-pitt/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I will defend the absolute value of Mozart over Miley Cyrus, of course I will, but we should be wary of false dichotomies. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-will-defend-the-absolute-value-of-mozart-over-miley-cyrus-of-course/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [You can't just say there is a god because the world is beautiful. You have to account for bone cancer in children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/you-can-t-just-say-there-is-a-god-because-the-world-is-beautiful-you/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [If you know someone who's depressed, please resolve never to ask them why. Depression isn't a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/if-you-know-someone-who-s-depressed-please-resolve-never-to-ask-them/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [It's as if scientists exert every effort of will they possess deliberately to find the least significant problems in the world and explain them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/it-s-as-if-scientists-exert-every-effort-of-will-they-possess/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) [Explore all 466 Stephen Fry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## More Capricious quotes > [Not to be offensive, not to be capricious, not to be arbitrary, not to be neurotic, not to be an actor outer, you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurt/not-to-be-offensive-not-to-be-capricious-not-to-be-arbitrary-not-to/) [William Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurt/) > [How dare you? How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault? It's not right, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/how-dare-you-how-dare-you-create-a-world-in-which-there-is-such/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [O Logic: born gatekeeper to the Temple of Science, victim of capricious destiny: doomed hitherto to be the drudge of pedants: come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/o-logic-born-gatekeeper-to-the-temple-of-science-victim-of-capricious/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Huamns, uregulated, are cruel and capricious; violet and selfish; miserable and quarrelsome. It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/huamns-uregulated-are-cruel-and-capricious-violet-and-selfish/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/any-test-that-turns-on-what-is-offensive-to-the-community-s-standards/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Capricious, wanton, bold, and brutal Lust Is meanly selfish; when resisted, cruel; And, like the blast of Pestilential Winds, Taints the sweet bloom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/capricious-wanton-bold-and-brutal-lust-is-meanly-selfish-when/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Like many air travelers, I am aware that airplanes fly aided by capricious fairies and invisible strings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-maarten-troost/like-many-air-travelers-i-am-aware-that-airplanes-fly-aided-by/) [J. Maarten Troost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-maarten-troost/) > [When you die, you are extinguished. From being you will be transformed to non-being. A god does not necessarily dwell among our capricious atoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingmar-bergman/when-you-die-you-are-extinguished-from-being-you-will-be-transformed/) [Ingmar Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingmar-bergman/) > [Society is capricious and rewards the bad as often as the good. But it never rewards the quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/society-is-capricious-and-rewards-the-bad-as-often-as-the-good-but-it/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [Einstein repeatedly argued that there must be simplified explanations of nature, because God is not capricious or arbitrary. No such faith comforts the software…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/einstein-repeatedly-argued-that-there-must-be-simplified-explanations/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For many people, God is a frightening idea. Asking God for help doesn't seem very comforting if we think of Him as something outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/for-many-people-god-is-a-frightening-idea-asking-god-for-help-doesn-t/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Evolution is, as well as smarter than we are, infinitely more callous and cruel, and also capricious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/evolution-is-as-well-as-smarter-than-we-are-infinitely-more-callous/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [A man who has cured himself of all ridiculous prepossessions, and is fully, sincerely, and steadily convinced, from experience as well as philosophy, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/a-man-who-has-cured-himself-of-all-ridiculous-prepossessions-and-is/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Unconsciously, I fell in love with the small round sphere, with its amusing and capricious rebounds which sometimes play with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabien-barthez/unconsciously-i-fell-in-love-with-the-small-round-sphere-with-its/) Fabien Barthez > [Some jobs are worse than actual wives. Ad agency vs. Matrimony, for instance: Even the most capricious and demanding spouse is not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/some-jobs-are-worse-than-actual-wives-ad-agency-vs-matrimony-for/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) Browse all 124 Capricious quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Greeks understood perfectly that if there were divine beings they are capricious, unkind, malicious mostly, temperamental, envious and mostly deeply unpleasant because that you can say well yes, all right, if there is going to be god or gods then you have to admit that they're very at the very least capricious. They're certainly not consistent. 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