--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every man becomes the image of the God he…" description: "\"Every man becomes the image of the God he adores. He whose worship is directed to a dead thing becomes dead. He who loves corruption rots. He who loves..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/thomas-merton-231_adore_every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-h_2603420.jpg" --- # Every man becomes the image of the God he adores. He whose… ![“Every man becomes the image of the God he adores. He whose worship is directed to a dead thing becomes dead. He who loves corruption rots. He who loves a shadow becomes, himself, a shadow. He who loves things that must perish lives in dread of their perishing.” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/thomas-merton-231_adore_every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-h_2603420.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/thomas-merton-231_adore_every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-h_2603420.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/thomas-merton-231_adore_every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-h_2603420.jpg) > “Every man becomes the image of the God he adores. He whose worship is directed to a dead thing becomes dead. He who loves corruption rots. He who loves a shadow becomes, himself, a shadow. He who loves things that must perish lives in dread of their perishing.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our inner life mirrors the objects of our devotion; worshipping false or corrupt things leads to spiritual decay and fear. **In simple terms:** Worship shapes who we become; bad idols corrupt us. Key Takeaway Choose wholesome ideals to nurture a healthy soul. Themes spirituality devotion identity corruption impermanence Mood contemplative serious inspirational Type aphilosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal reflection - religious practice - ethical decision making - creative work - leadership Key Concepts theology psychology symbolism Questions to Reflect On - What do you truly revere? - How does your devotion affect your character? A Different Perspective If one’s object of worship is flawed, the person may rationalize harmful behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [Be human in this most inhuman of ages; guard the image of man for it is the image of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/be-human-in-this-most-inhuman-of-ages-guard-the-image-of-man-for-it/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Whatever god he adores, or even if he rejects all the gods, the man who desires to create cannot express himself if he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-faure/whatever-god-he-adores-or-even-if-he-rejects-all-the-gods-the-man-who/) Elie Faure > [“What a man finds circa se or sub se is overwhelming in amount, what he finds in se is embarassing in its obscurity, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-gilson/what-a-man-finds-circa-se-or-sub-se-is-overwhelming-in-amount-what-he/) [Étienne Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etienne-gilson/) > [Man was made in the image of God, and nothing will satisfy man but God, in whose image he was made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/man-was-made-in-the-image-of-god-and-nothing-will-satisfy-man-but-god/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [And Burns--though brief the race he ran, Though rough and dark the paths he trod, Lived--died--in form and soul a man, The image of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fitz-greene-halleck/and-burns-though-brief-the-race-he-ran-though-rough-and-dark-the/) [Fitz-Greene Halleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fitz-greene-halleck/) > [Man alone is made in the image of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/man-alone-is-made-in-the-image-of-god/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number, and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/man-may-have-been-made-in-the-image-of-god-but-human-society-was-made/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [If man is not the image of God, then he is a disease of the dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/if-man-is-not-the-image-of-god-then-he-is-a-disease-of-the-dust/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Geometry is one and eternal shining in the mind of God. That share in it accorded to men is one of the reasons that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/geometry-is-one-and-eternal-shining-in-the-mind-of-god-that-share-in/) [Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/) > [To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-say-that-i-am-made-in-the-image-of-god-is-to-say-that-love-is-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“It’s often said that God made man in His own image, it’s also true that man makes God in his own image.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-narayan/it-s-often-said-that-god-made-man-in-his-own-image-it-s-also-true/) [R.K. Narayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-narayan/) > [“God didn’t create man in His image, rather we create God in our image.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/god-didn-t-create-man-in-his-image-rather-we-create-god-in-our-image/) [Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/) > [There is an old joke that went around- it goes, in the beginning God made man in His own image, and since the fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-begg/there-is-an-old-joke-that-went-around-it-goes-in-the-beginning-god/) [Alistair Begg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-begg/) > [Just because a man is dressed in a clean white robe does not mean his heart and hands are clean. Any man who neglects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/just-because-a-man-is-dressed-in-a-clean-white-robe-does-not-mean-his/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [If it be true that God and man are in one image or likeness (and the affirmation that they are so is not unplausible)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/if-it-be-true-that-god-and-man-are-in-one-image-or-likeness-and-the/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) ## More by Thomas Merton > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We are not perfectly free until we live in pure hope. For when our hope is pure, it no longer trusts exclusively in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-are-not-perfectly-free-until-we-live-in-pure-hope-for-when-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-enter-into-the-realm-of-contemplation-one-must-in-a-certain-sense/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Peace cannot be built on exclusivism, absolutism, and intolerance. But neither can it be built on vague liberal slogans and pious programs gestated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/peace-cannot-be-built-on-exclusivism-absolutism-and-intolerance-but/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Things that are good are good, and if one is responding to that goodness one is in contact with a truth from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/things-that-are-good-are-good-and-if-one-is-responding-to-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Love winter when the plant says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-winter-when-the-plant-says-nothing/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“The wisdom of the flesh is a judgement that the ordinary ends of our natural appetites are the goods to which the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-wisdom-of-the-flesh-is-a-judgement-that-the-ordinary-ends-of-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I will no longer wound myself with the thoughts and questions that have surrounded me like thorns: that is a penance You do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-will-no-longer-wound-myself-with-the-thoughts-and-questions-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men--you may make some money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-you-write-for-god-you-will-reach-many-men-and-bring-them-joy-if/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Contemplation means rest, suspension of activity, withdrawal into the mysterious interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the immense and fruitful silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/contemplation-means-rest-suspension-of-activity-withdrawal-into-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) [Explore all 851 Thomas Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## More Adore quotes > [I adore extravagance but I abhor waste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-copland/i-adore-extravagance-but-i-abhor-waste/) [Aaron Copland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-copland/) > [“I am happier when I love than when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, and my grandchildren, my mother, my dog,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-am-happier-when-i-love-than-when-i-am-loved-i-adore-my-husband-my/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I don't like the word celebrity. If I become a good actress and be in movies where I'm expected to be a good actress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reilly/i-don-t-like-the-word-celebrity-if-i-become-a-good-actress-and-be-in/) [Kelly Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reilly/) > [“I adore you, my greatest love, as only through you I can find my moment’s eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/i-adore-you-my-greatest-love-as-only-through-you-i-can-find-my-moment/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) > [“A spark of every fire we seek is already within us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/a-spark-of-every-fire-we-seek-is-already-within-us/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [She's all I want and more I mean damn. What's not to adore?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevershoutnever/she-s-all-i-want-and-more-i-mean-damn-what-s-not-to-adore/) Nevershoutnever > [She dotes on poetry, sir. She adores it; I may say that her whole soul and mind are wound up, and entwined with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/she-dotes-on-poetry-sir-she-adores-it-i-may-say-that-her-whole-soul/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I adore Chicago. It is the pulse of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/i-adore-chicago-it-is-the-pulse-of-america/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [It isn't called TV money for nothing. There was a time where I paid my rent by doing theater for years, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/it-isn-t-called-tv-money-for-nothing-there-was-a-time-where-i-paid-my/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [I'm sorry I can't give you the normal life you wanted, but I promise to adore you every day for the rest of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-m-sorry-i-can-t-give-you-the-normal-life-you-wanted-but-i-promise/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [You could at least complain,” I say. “I adore complaining. It calms the nerves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/you-could-at-least-complain-i-say-i-adore-complaining-it-calms-the/) [Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/) > [I'm massively inspired by Janet Jackson, and I adore Whitney Houston and Madonna.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shura/i-m-massively-inspired-by-janet-jackson-and-i-adore-whitney-houston/) Shura > [Emily and I have some funny scenes where we quarrel and it gets quite heated, the mother-daughter relationship. You know, film mothers and daughters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacki-weaver/emily-and-i-have-some-funny-scenes-where-we-quarrel-and-it-gets-quite/) [Jacki Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacki-weaver/) > [I love what I do and I adore this whole world. I'm able to meet fantastic people. I meet fantastic writers, I meet architects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-ghesquiere/i-love-what-i-do-and-i-adore-this-whole-world-i-m-able-to-meet/) [Nicolas Ghesquiere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-ghesquiere/) Browse all 749 Adore quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every man becomes the image of the God he adores. He whose worship is directed to a dead thing becomes dead. He who loves corruption rots. He who loves a shadow becomes, himself, a shadow. He who loves things that must perish lives in dread of their perishing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-he-adores-he-whose-worship-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adore" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-he-adores-he-whose-worship-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/thomas-merton-231_adore_every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-h_2603420.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/thomas-merton-231_adore_every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-h_2603420.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/thomas-merton-231_adore_every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-h_2603420.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every man becomes the image of the God he adores. He whose worship is directed to a dead thing becomes dead…” — Thomas Merton", "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 Merton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every man becomes the image of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-he-adores-he-whose-worship-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/every-man-becomes-the-image-of-the-god-he-adores-he-whose-worship-is/#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 } } ] } ```