--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We only know Him in so far as we are…" description: "\"“We only know Him in so far as we are known by Him, and our contemplation of Him is a participation in His contemplation of Himself.”\" — Thomas Merton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/thomas-merton-231_meditation_we-only-know-him-in-so-far-as-we-are-kno_984497.jpg" --- # We only know Him in so far as we are known by Him, and our… ![“We only know Him in so far as we are known by Him, and our contemplation of Him is a participation in His contemplation of Himself.” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/thomas-merton-231_meditation_we-only-know-him-in-so-far-as-we-are-kno_984497.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/thomas-merton-231_meditation_we-only-know-him-in-so-far-as-we-are-kno_984497.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/thomas-merton-231_meditation_we-only-know-him-in-so-far-as-we-are-kno_984497.jpg) > ““We only know Him in so far as we are known by Him, and our contemplation of Him is a participation in His contemplation of Himself.”” [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. Knowing God is reciprocal; our understanding of Him mirrors how He knows us, and contemplating Him joins us in His own thought. **In simple terms:** Knowing God is a two‑way relationship. Key Takeaway Seek mutual understanding with the divine. Themes spirituality relationship contemplation Mood reverent thoughtful Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - prayer - meditation - ethical living Key Concepts theology mysticism self‑knowledge Questions to Reflect On - How does your perception of God shape your actions? - In what ways can you reflect divine contemplation? A Different Perspective Human concepts may limit divine comprehension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contemplation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplation/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) ## Related quotes > [“Many questing young people and stressed older people nowadays seek relaxation through meditation. 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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. 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No hand, except its own, can dissolve the fabric of beauty in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/poetical-taste-is-the-only-magician-whose-wand-is-not-broken-no-hand/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Catholicity seized on man... and the mystics, transcending all, taught him to ascend on high with the wings of contemplation the Ladder of Jacob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-donoso-cortes/catholicity-seized-on-man-and-the-mystics-transcending-all-taught-him/) Juan Donoso Cortes > [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 whole of life is a journey toward youthful old age, toward self-contemplation, love, gaiety, and, in a fundamental sense, the most gratifying time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/the-whole-of-life-is-a-journey-toward-youthful-old-age-toward-self/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [“Yet that grief and this joy were alike outside all the ordinary conditions of life; they were loop-holes, as it were, in that ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/yet-that-grief-and-this-joy-were-alike-outside-all-the-ordinary/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/everyone-who-wants-to-know-what-will-happen-ought-to-examine-what-has/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [We must not imitate the externals of nature with so much fidelity that the picture fails to evoke that wonderful teasing recurrence of emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/we-must-not-imitate-the-externals-of-nature-with-so-much-fidelity/) [John F. 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