--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps the belief in God is the belief…" description: "\"Perhaps the belief in God is the belief that the universe is intelligible, but not to us.\" — Thomas Nagel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/thomas-nagel-9440_belief_perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief_2596332.jpg" --- # Perhaps the belief in God is the belief that the universe… ![“Perhaps the belief in God is the belief that the universe is intelligible, but not to us.” quote by Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/thomas-nagel-9440_belief_perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief_2596332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/thomas-nagel-9440_belief_perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief_2596332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/thomas-nagel-9440_belief_perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief_2596332.jpg) > “Perhaps the belief in God is the belief that the universe is intelligible, but not to us.” [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Belief in God reflects a desire for a comprehensible universe, though its meaning eludes us **In simple terms:** God belief shows we seek order Key Takeaway Seek understanding beyond certainty Themes philosophy theology epistemology Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical inquisitive When to use this quote - academic discussion - personal reflection - spiritual practice Key Concepts Human cognition metaphysics limits of knowledge Questions to Reflect On - What makes the universe feel intelligible? - Can we accept mystery? A Different Perspective Belief may be comforting but not explanatory ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-god/) [Belief in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-in-god/) [Belief Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-universe-1905724/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [God Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-belief/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Intelligible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-intelligible-1905723/) ## Related quotes > [The knowledge of God, the belief in God, is what I call an a-rational process. It's not rational - it doesn't proceed by scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-coyne/the-knowledge-of-god-the-belief-in-god-is-what-i-call-an-a-rational/) [George Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-coyne/) > [A belief in God and a belief in astrology cannot be reconciled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell/a-belief-in-god-and-a-belief-in-astrology-cannot-be-reconciled/) [Jerry Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell/) > [Religion has the same relation to man's heavenly condition that mathematics has to his earthly one: both the one and the other are merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/religion-has-the-same-relation-to-man-s-heavenly-condition-that/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [God exist whether or not men may choose to believe in Him. The reason why many people do not believe in God is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-alexander-crookston-laidlaw/god-exist-whether-or-not-men-may-choose-to-believe-in-him-the-reason/) [Robert Alexander Crookston Laidlaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-alexander-crookston-laidlaw/) > [The highest power is the human mind. That's where God came from and my belief in God is my belief in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/the-highest-power-is-the-human-mind-that-s-where-god-came-from-and-my/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [Christianity has such a contemptible opinion of human nature that it does not believe a man can tell the truth unless frightened by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/christianity-has-such-a-contemptible-opinion-of-human-nature-that-it/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“Belief in God meant belief in the old tribal idol called Jehovah; and I would not pretend I did not know whether it existed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/belief-in-god-meant-belief-in-the-old-tribal-idol-called-jehovah-and/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [My belief in God has been helping me play the way I'm playing. But for the most part, I've just been working on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/my-belief-in-god-has-been-helping-me-play-the-way-i-m-playing-but-for/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [ I remember clearly that when I was little it was explained to me \[that\] the way that babies were made was that God put… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-remember-clearly-that-when-i-was-little-it-was-explained-to-me-that/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) > [A nation which thinks that it is belief in God and not good law which makes people honest does not seem to me very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/a-nation-which-thinks-that-it-is-belief-in-god-and-not-good-law-which/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [I have a strong belief in God... I find religion to be a very personal thing... I am also very spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sela-ward/i-have-a-strong-belief-in-god-i-find-religion-to-be-a-very-personal/) [Sela Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sela-ward/) > [A belief in God helps provide a foundation to arbitrate our decisions. Without this foundation, we are condemned to live essentially formless lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armstrong-williams/a-belief-in-god-helps-provide-a-foundation-to-arbitrate-our-decisions/) [Armstrong Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armstrong-williams/) > [Everybody dies. There’s nothing you can do about it. Whether or not you eat six almonds a day. Whether or not you believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/everybody-dies-there-s-nothing-you-can-do-about-it-whether-or-not-you/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [“What is it about our specific belief in God and His wishes that makes us so angry at the specific beliefs of another? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-austen/what-is-it-about-our-specific-belief-in-god-and-his-wishes-that-makes/) [Chuck Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-austen/) > [“She stood and tried hard not to believe in God. It seemed mean and petty to have more belief in God when things were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/she-stood-and-tried-hard-not-to-believe-in-god-it-seemed-mean-and/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) ## More by Thomas Nagel > [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [Reason is universal because no attempted challenge to its results can avoid appealing to reason in the end-by claiming, for example, that what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/reason-is-universal-because-no-attempted-challenge-to-its-results-can/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [“A comprehensively reductive conception is favored by the belief that the propensity for the development of organisms with a subjective view must have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/a-comprehensively-reductive-conception-is-favored-by-the-belief-that/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [A theory of motivation is defective if it renders intelligible behaviour which is not intelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/a-theory-of-motivation-is-defective-if-it-renders-intelligible/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [It isn't just that I don't believe in God, and naturally, hope there is no God. I don't want there to be a God;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/it-isn-t-just-that-i-don-t-believe-in-god-and-naturally-hope-there-is/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [What is it like to be a bat? What is it like for a bat to be a bat?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-bat-what-is-it-like-for-a-bat-to-be-a-bat/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/to-look-for-a-single-general-theory-of-how-to-decide-the-right-thing/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [“In speaking of the fear of religion, I don’t mean to refer to the entirely reasonable hostility toward certain established religions and religious institutions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/in-speaking-of-the-fear-of-religion-i-don-t-mean-to-refer-to-the/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture that tries to skip it will never grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/philosophy-is-the-childhood-of-the-intellect-and-a-culture-that-tries/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [Common sense doesn't have the last word in ethics or anywhere else, but it has, as J. L. Austin said about ordinary language, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/common-sense-doesn-t-have-the-last-word-in-ethics-or-anywhere-else/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [“I am drawn to a fourth alternative, natural teleology, or teleological bias, as an account of the existence of the biological possibilities on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/i-am-drawn-to-a-fourth-alternative-natural-teleology-or-teleological/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [“The existence of consciousness is both one of the most familiar and one of the most astounding things about the world. No conception of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/the-existence-of-consciousness-is-both-one-of-the-most-familiar-and/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [“Are there any alternatives? Well, there is the hypothesis that this universe is not unique, but that all possible universes exist, and we find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/are-there-any-alternatives-well-there-is-the-hypothesis-that-this/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [If we tried to rely entirely on reason, and pressed it hard, our lives and beliefs would collapse - a form of madness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/if-we-tried-to-rely-entirely-on-reason-and-pressed-it-hard-our-lives/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [Eventually, I believe, current attempts to understand the mind by analogy with man-made computers that can perform superbly some of the same external tasks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/eventually-i-believe-current-attempts-to-understand-the-mind-by/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) [Explore all 72 Thomas Nagel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. 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Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps the belief in God is the belief that the universe is intelligible, but not to us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Nagel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief-that-the-universe-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief-that-the-universe-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/thomas-nagel-9440_belief_perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief_2596332.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/thomas-nagel-9440_belief_perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief_2596332.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/thomas-nagel-9440_belief_perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief_2596332.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps the belief in God is the belief that the universe is intelligible, but not to us.” — Thomas Nagel", "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 Nagel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Perhaps the belief in God is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief-that-the-universe-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/perhaps-the-belief-in-god-is-the-belief-that-the-universe-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 } } ] } ```