--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love is the epiphany of God in our poverty." description: "\"Love is the epiphany of God in our poverty.\" — Thomas Merton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/thomas-merton-231_epiphany_love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-pover_1544651.jpg" --- # Love is the epiphany of God in our poverty. ![“Love is the epiphany of God in our poverty.” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/thomas-merton-231_epiphany_love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-pover_1544651.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/thomas-merton-231_epiphany_love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-pover_1544651.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/thomas-merton-231_epiphany_love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-pover_1544651.jpg) > “Love is the epiphany of God in our poverty.” [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. God's presence appears as a profound revelation within human suffering. **In simple terms:** God reveals Himself in our poverty. Key Takeaway Find divine insight in hardship. Themes spirituality poverty revelation Mood contemplative hopeful Type mystical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - charitable work - spiritual retreats - mental health counseling Key Concepts theology mysticism Questions to Reflect On - How can we recognize divine moments in hardship? - What role does poverty play in spiritual growth? A Different Perspective Suffering may obscure rather than reveal divine truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Epiphany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epiphany/) [Epiphany God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epiphany-god-3403420/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-poverty-1576233/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Epiphany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-epiphany-4898503/) [Love is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-is/) [Loves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loves/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ## Related quotes > [“I am part of his story. I am the epiphany of God. I am a character whose life events have a purpose for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-palpant/i-am-part-of-his-story-i-am-the-epiphany-of-god-i-am-a-character/) [Ben Palpant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-palpant/) > [I love it when you have an epiphany and suddenly get how to do a math problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-it-when-you-have-an-epiphany-and-suddenly-get-how-to-do-a-math/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Thank God for poverty That makes and keeps us free And lets us go our unobtrusive way, Glad of the sun and rain, Upright,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bliss-carman/thank-god-for-poverty-that-makes-and-keeps-us-free-and-lets-us-go-our/) [Bliss Carman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bliss-carman/) > [I thought back to my middle-school experience of having slumber parties and watching Romeo + Juliet and staring at Leo and thinking about my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mckee/i-thought-back-to-my-middle-school-experience-of-having-slumber/) [Bonnie McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mckee/) > [“Need-love cries to God from our poverty; Gift-love longs to serve, or even to suffer for, God; Appreciative love says: “We give thanks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/need-love-cries-to-god-from-our-poverty-gift-love-longs-to-serve-or-2/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Prayer is our yearning for God, the cry of our poverty and misery, stretching out toward the throne of His divine mercy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-d-alzon/prayer-is-our-yearning-for-god-the-cry-of-our-poverty-and-misery/) [Emmanuel D'Alzon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-d-alzon/) > [Wealth is a great sin in the eyes of God. Poverty is a great sin in the eyes of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/wealth-is-a-great-sin-in-the-eyes-of-god-poverty-is-a-great-sin-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [As much as I loved the model of St. Francis, I realized that I couldn't afford to be poor, because unlike St. Francis, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-sanchez/as-much-as-i-loved-the-model-of-st-francis-i-realized-that-i-couldn-t/) [Bo Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-sanchez/) > [All plenty which is not my God is poverty to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/all-plenty-which-is-not-my-god-is-poverty-to-me/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Do not, under any circumstances, belittle a work of fiction by trying to turn it into a carbon copy of real life; what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/do-not-under-any-circumstances-belittle-a-work-of-fiction-by-trying/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“I had an epiphany a few years ago when I was out at a celebrity party and it suddenly dawned on me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-had-an-epiphany-a-few-years-ago-when-i-was-out-at-a-celebrity-party/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [So if there was a way that I knew something about my character's desires or the things that they were resisting because I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/so-if-there-was-a-way-that-i-knew-something-about-my-character-s/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [ \[On Cantor's work:\] The finest product of mathematical genius and one of the supreme achievements of purely intellectual human activity. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/on-cantor-s-work-the-finest-product-of-mathematical-genius-and-one-of/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [I was 12 when I was on stage for the first time and had an epiphany that this is what I wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithila-palkar/i-was-12-when-i-was-on-stage-for-the-first-time-and-had-an-epiphany/) [Mithila Palkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithila-palkar/) > [I recently had an epiphany and now I'm making the most of my days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-recently-had-an-epiphany-and-now-i-m-making-the-most-of-my-days/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Epiphany quotes > [I recently had an epiphany and now I'm making the most of my days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-recently-had-an-epiphany-and-now-i-m-making-the-most-of-my-days/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was 12 when I was on stage for the first time and had an epiphany that this is what I wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithila-palkar/i-was-12-when-i-was-on-stage-for-the-first-time-and-had-an-epiphany/) [Mithila Palkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithila-palkar/) > [ \[On Cantor's work:\] The finest product of mathematical genius and one of the supreme achievements of purely intellectual human activity. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/on-cantor-s-work-the-finest-product-of-mathematical-genius-and-one-of/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [So if there was a way that I knew something about my character's desires or the things that they were resisting because I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/so-if-there-was-a-way-that-i-knew-something-about-my-character-s/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [“I had an epiphany a few years ago when I was out at a celebrity party and it suddenly dawned on me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-had-an-epiphany-a-few-years-ago-when-i-was-out-at-a-celebrity-party/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Do not, under any circumstances, belittle a work of fiction by trying to turn it into a carbon copy of real life; what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/do-not-under-any-circumstances-belittle-a-work-of-fiction-by-trying/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“Without the quest, there can be no epiphany.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantine-e-scaros/without-the-quest-there-can-be-no-epiphany/) [Constantine E. Scaros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantine-e-scaros/) > [Very often in mathematics the crucial problem is to recognize and discover what are the relevant concepts; once this is accomplished the job may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-nathan-herstein/very-often-in-mathematics-the-crucial-problem-is-to-recognize-and/) [Israel Nathan Herstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-nathan-herstein/) > [I can't relate to the idea of suicide. I guess I'm just one of those people that is always optimistic and upbeat. But one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/i-can-t-relate-to-the-idea-of-suicide-i-guess-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [“To be human is nothing less than to be caught in the great congested pilgrimage of existence and to join ourselves freely to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-kennedy/to-be-human-is-nothing-less-than-to-be-caught-in-the-great-congested/) [Eugene Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-kennedy/) > [The rarity is the sudden epiphany or single turning point showing you with dramatic clarity that your marriage is over, although that does happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wasser/the-rarity-is-the-sudden-epiphany-or-single-turning-point-showing-you/) [Laura Wasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wasser/) > [the feminine journey is a story unfolding, and its epiphanies come through real things, through tangibles like walking sticks and dreams and deer antlers--all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-feminine-journey-is-a-story-unfolding-and-its-epiphanies-come/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“The scene sucker-punched Max. He never saw it coming. It encapsulated in one poignant instant the tragic beauty of his family history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/the-scene-sucker-punched-max-he-never-saw-it-coming-it-encapsulated/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [Humility is not self deprecating, rather it is the quiet internal confidence allowing you to accept things as they are, especially yourself; that epiphany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casar-jacobson/humility-is-not-self-deprecating-rather-it-is-the-quiet-internal/) [Casar Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casar-jacobson/) > [“It’s a little-known secret, and it should probably stay that way: attempting suicide usually jump-starts your brain chemistry. There must be something about taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/it-s-a-little-known-secret-and-it-should-probably-stay-that-way/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) [Browse all 299 Epiphany quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epiphany/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Love is the epiphany of God in our poverty.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-poverty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Epiphany" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-poverty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/thomas-merton-231_epiphany_love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-pover_1544651.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/thomas-merton-231_epiphany_love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-pover_1544651.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/thomas-merton-231_epiphany_love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-pover_1544651.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Love is the epiphany of God in our poverty.” — 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": "Love is the epiphany of God...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-poverty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-is-the-epiphany-of-god-in-our-poverty/#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 } } ] } ```