--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The astonishment soon passed off, the…" description: "\"“The astonishment soon passed off, the scales seemed to drop from his eyes, and the book became at once and for ever to him the great human and divine ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/thomas-hughes-21009_bible_the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-sca_1059081.jpg" --- # The astonishment soon passed off, the scales seemed to… ![“The astonishment soon passed off, the scales seemed to drop from his eyes, and the book became at once and for ever to him the great human and divine book, and the men and women, whom he had looked upon as something quite different from himself, became his friends and counsellors.” quote by Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/thomas-hughes-21009_bible_the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-sca_1059081.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/thomas-hughes-21009_bible_the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-sca_1059081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/thomas-hughes-21009_bible_the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-sca_1059081.jpg) > ““The astonishment soon passed off, the scales seemed to drop from his eyes, and the book became at once and for ever to him the great human and divine book, and the men and women, whom he had looked upon as something quite different from himself, became his friends and counsellors.”” [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing others as equal humanity transforms personal relationships into lasting friendships and guidance. **In simple terms:** Recognizing shared humanity builds bonds. Key Takeaway Treat everyone as a friend and mentor. Themes empathy humanity friendship learning growth Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - education - leadership - teamwork - community service Key Concepts personal transformation social connection humility Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing shared humanity change behavior? - What challenges arise when treating all as equals? A Different Perspective Idealism may overlook practical differences in personalities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astonishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishment/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [You are a volume in the divine book A mirror to the power that created the universe Whatever you want, ask it of yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-a-volume-in-the-divine-book-a-mirror-to-the-power-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine Book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone/all-that-i-am-i-owe-to-jesus-christ-revealed-to-me-in-his-divine-book/) [David Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone/) > [Whenever I sign books, I get this line over and over again from men: "I don't read fiction, but my wife does. Would you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/whenever-i-sign-books-i-get-this-line-over-and-over-again-from-men-i/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“The Word of God is truly divine. Every book, every chapter, every verse, and every line is a sign of God’s love and commitment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/the-word-of-god-is-truly-divine-every-book-every-chapter-every-verse/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [Your face is a book, where men may read strange matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/your-face-is-a-book-where-men-may-read-strange-matters/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A noble book! all men's book!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/a-noble-book-all-men-s-book/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [For a moment Clary thought she might fall; she felt as if something essential had been torn away from her, an arm or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/for-a-moment-clary-thought-she-might-fall-she-felt-as-if-something/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“See? Nothing to it." "I see all right," Carly said, her tone full of awe. She gaped at him. "What?" "Um..." "Jesus, Carly, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-bryan/see-nothing-to-it-i-see-all-right-carly-said-her-tone-full-of-awe-she/) [Lissa Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-bryan/) > [Those who have past much of their lives in this great city, look upon its opulence and its multitudes, its extent and variety, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/those-who-have-past-much-of-their-lives-in-this-great-city-look-upon/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Witness each moment in astounded jubilation. Take every holy breath in gratitude. Rejoice in life!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/witness-each-moment-in-astounded-jubilation-take-every-holy-breath-in/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [If you aren't constantly astonished at God's grace in your solitude, there's no way it can happen in public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-aren-t-constantly-astonished-at-god-s-grace-in-your-solitude/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If there be a skeptical star I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-macneile-dixon/if-there-be-a-skeptical-star-i-was-born-under-it-yet-i-have-lived-all/) [William Macneile Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-macneile-dixon/) > [A lot of what I am looking for is a moment of astonishment, he says. Those moments of pure consciousness when you involuntarily inhale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-meyerowitz/a-lot-of-what-i-am-looking-for-is-a-moment-of-astonishment-he-says/) [Joel Meyerowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-meyerowitz/) > [Rich men are resolved to be astonished at nothing. When they see a masterpiece, they must needs at one glance recognize some flaw to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/rich-men-are-resolved-to-be-astonished-at-nothing-when-they-see-a/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [“A writer lives, at least, in a state of astonishment. Beneath any feeling he has of the good or evil of the world lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sansom/a-writer-lives-at-least-in-a-state-of-astonishment-beneath-any/) [William Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sansom/) ## More by Thomas Hughes > [It's more than a game. It's an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/it-s-more-than-a-game-it-s-an-institution/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [“Boyishness—by which I mean animal life in its fullest measure, good nature and honest impulses, hatred of injustice and meanness, and thoughtlessness enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/boyishness-by-which-i-mean-animal-life-in-its-fullest-measure-good/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [“A character for steadiness once gone is not easily recovered”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/a-character-for-steadiness-once-gone-is-not-easily-recovered/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God's best gifts. 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Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-macneile-dixon/if-there-be-a-skeptical-star-i-was-born-under-it-yet-i-have-lived-all/) [William Macneile Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-macneile-dixon/) > [If you aren't constantly astonished at God's grace in your solitude, there's no way it can happen in public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-aren-t-constantly-astonished-at-god-s-grace-in-your-solitude/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Witness each moment in astounded jubilation. Take every holy breath in gratitude. Rejoice in life!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/witness-each-moment-in-astounded-jubilation-take-every-holy-breath-in/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Those who have past much of their lives in this great city, look upon its opulence and its multitudes, its extent and variety, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/those-who-have-past-much-of-their-lives-in-this-great-city-look-upon/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“See? Nothing to it." "I see all right," Carly said, her tone full of awe. She gaped at him. "What?" "Um..." "Jesus, Carly, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-bryan/see-nothing-to-it-i-see-all-right-carly-said-her-tone-full-of-awe-she/) [Lissa Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-bryan/) > [For a moment Clary thought she might fall; she felt as if something essential had been torn away from her, an arm or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/for-a-moment-clary-thought-she-might-fall-she-felt-as-if-something/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Both of you’ll just have to believe me. Emma’s one of those women who was born with… The thing is, the minute a heterosexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/both-of-you-ll-just-have-to-believe-me-emma-s-one-of-those-women-who/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [“For the analyst it is a source of never-ending astonishment how comparatively well a person can function with the core of himself not participating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-horney/for-the-analyst-it-is-a-source-of-never-ending-astonishment-how/) [Karen Horney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-horney/) > [It was only when I lay there on the rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good. 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The Ancient of Days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/what-shall-i-say-and-how-shall-i-describe-this-birth-to-you-for-this/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) [Browse all 227 Astonishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The astonishment soon passed off, the scales seemed to drop from his eyes, and the book became at once and for ever to him the great human and divine book, and the men and women, whom he had looked upon as something quite different from himself, became his friends and counsellors.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Hughes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-scales-seemed-to-drop-from-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astonishment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-scales-seemed-to-drop-from-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/thomas-hughes-21009_bible_the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-sca_1059081.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/thomas-hughes-21009_bible_the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-sca_1059081.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/thomas-hughes-21009_bible_the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-sca_1059081.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The astonishment soon passed off, the scales seemed to drop from his eyes, and the book became at once and…” — Thomas Hughes", "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": "Thomas Hughes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The astonishment soon passed off, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-scales-seemed-to-drop-from-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/the-astonishment-soon-passed-off-the-scales-seemed-to-drop-from-his/#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 } } ] } ```