--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people ask me if a god created the…" description: "\"“When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the big bang, so there..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/stephen-hawking-389_atheism_when-people-ask-me-if-a-god-created-the_1438641.jpg" --- # When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell… ![“When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the big bang, so there is no time for god to make the universe in. It’s like asking directions to the edge of the earth; The Earth is a sphere; it doesn’t have an edge…” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/stephen-hawking-389_atheism_when-people-ask-me-if-a-god-created-the_1438641.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/stephen-hawking-389_atheism_when-people-ask-me-if-a-god-created-the_1438641.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/stephen-hawking-389_atheism_when-people-ask-me-if-a-god-created-the_1438641.jpg) > ““When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the big bang, so there is no time for god to make the universe in. It’s like asking directions to the edge of the earth; The Earth is a sphere; it doesn’t have an edge; so looking for it is a futile exercise. We are each free to believe what we want, and it’s my view that the simplest explanation is; there is no god. No one created our universe,and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization; There is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that I am extremely grateful.”” [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The concept of a creator is unnecessary; the universe’s existence doesn’t require a deity, and afterlife is unlikely. **In simple terms:** The universe likely exists without a god. Key Takeaway Embrace the present and appreciate existence. Themes science atheism existentialism cosmology gratitude Mood inquisitive hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - public speaking - personal reflection - ethical living Key Concepts philosophy of science secular humanism cosmic perspective Questions to Reflect On - Do you find meaning without religion? - How does gratitude affect your outlook? A Different Perspective Science cannot answer all metaphysical questions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Big bang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-bang/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Created](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-created/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [So when people ask me if I believe God created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/so-when-people-ask-me-if-i-believe-god-created-the-universe-i-tell/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [One can imagine that God created the universe at literally any time in the past. On the other hand, if the universe is expanding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/one-can-imagine-that-god-created-the-universe-at-literally-any-time/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-believe-the-simplest-explanation-is-there-is-no-god-no-one-created/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [It is my view that the simplest explanation is there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/it-is-my-view-that-the-simplest-explanation-is-there-is-no-god-no-one/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/before-we-understand-science-it-is-natural-to-believe-that-god/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [When asked, 'What did God do before he created the universe?' St. Augustine didn´t reply, 'he was preparing Hell for people who asked such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/when-asked-what-did-god-do-before-he-created-the-universe-st/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [There may have been many big bangs, one of which created our universe. The other bangs created other universes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/there-may-have-been-many-big-bangs-one-of-which-created-our-universe/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [God created the universe out of nothing in an act which also brought time into existence. Recent discoveries, such as observations supporting the Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-margenau/god-created-the-universe-out-of-nothing-in-an-act-which-also-brought/) Henry Margenau > [“God created… light and dark, heaven and hell— science claims the same thing as religion, that the Big Bang created everything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/god-created-light-and-dark-heaven-and-hell-science-claims-the-same/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [God created two acts of folly. First, He created the Universe in a Big Bang. Second, He was negligent enough to leave behind evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-erdos/god-created-two-acts-of-folly-first-he-created-the-universe-in-a-big/) [Paul Erdos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-erdos/) > [“The God who created the universe is enough for us–even without our dreams…God was enough for the martyrs facing lions and fire–even when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-vischer/the-god-who-created-the-universe-is-enough-for-us-even-without-our/) [Phil Vischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-vischer/) > [The Lord had the wonderful advantage of being able to work alone. 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Science will win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/there-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-religion-which-is-based-on/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“In the eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge, including science, to be their field and discussed questions such as: Did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/in-the-eighteenth-century-philosophers-considered-the-whole-of-human/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [A model is a good model if first it interprets a wide range of observations in terms of a simple and elegant model, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-model-is-a-good-model-if-first-it-interprets-a-wide-range-of/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Empedocles noticed that if you cover the neck before you immerse it, a clepsydra does not fill. 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Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? 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Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the big bang, so there is no time for god to make the universe in. It’s like asking directions to the edge of the earth; The Earth is a sphere; it doesn’t have an edge; so looking for it is a futile exercise. 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