--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is only by the exercise of reason that…" description: "\"“It is only by the exercise of reason that man can discover God. Take away that reason, and he would be incapable of understanding anything; and, in th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/thomas-paine-267_bible_it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-tha_796185.png" --- # It is only by the exercise of reason that man can discover… ![“It is only by the exercise of reason that man can discover God. Take away that reason, and he would be incapable of understanding anything; and, in this case, it would be just as consistent to read even the book called the Bible to a horse as to a man. How, then, is it that those people pretend to…” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/thomas-paine-267_bible_it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-tha_796185.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/thomas-paine-267_bible_it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-tha_796185.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/thomas-paine-267_bible_it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-tha_796185.png) > ““It is only by the exercise of reason that man can discover God. Take away that reason, and he would be incapable of understanding anything; and, in this case, it would be just as consistent to read even the book called the Bible to a horse as to a man. How, then, is it that those people pretend to reject reason?”” [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reason is essential for understanding God; without it, belief becomes blind and meaningless. **In simple terms:** Reason needed to understand God. Key Takeaway Cultivate critical thinking. Themes reason faith knowledge Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - religious study - education - public discourse - personal belief Key Concepts skepticism philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Can reason and faith coexist? - What role does emotion play in belief? A Different Perspective Reason alone may not capture spiritual experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Discover God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discover-god-514734/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Incapable Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable-understanding-271105/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Incapable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-incapable-2128363/) [Reject Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reject-reason-1156961/) ## Related quotes > [Weddings in our society seem designed to reduce the bride and groom to precisely the condition of those who, because they 'lack sufficient use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/weddings-in-our-society-seem-designed-to-reduce-the-bride-and-groom/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [To design something really new and innovative you have to reject reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/to-design-something-really-new-and-innovative-you-have-to-reject/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [To do something innovative means that you reject reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/to-do-something-innovative-means-that-you-reject-reason/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [It is only by the exercise of reason that man can discover God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-that-man-can-discover-god/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“At her tender age she was incapable of understanding such a history,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/at-her-tender-age-she-was-incapable-of-understanding-such-a-history/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) > [“Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of solving it, and also never comment on your targets with someone incapable of understanding them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alu-sio-a-silva/never-discuss-your-problems-with-someone-incapable-of-solving-it-and/) [Aluísio A. Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alu-sio-a-silva/) > [There are moments when people are incapable of understanding happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/there-are-moments-when-people-are-incapable-of-understanding-happiness/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Then turn your eyes back on me, and tell me that Cathy and I are still children to be treated with condescension, and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/then-turn-your-eyes-back-on-me-and-tell-me-that-cathy-and-i-are-still-2/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) > [In a way, the world−view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-a-way-the-world-view-of-the-party-imposed-itself-most-successfully/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“who are incapable of understanding a woman’s character, heart, and soul. Yeats insists that men need “protection & care in those deeper things where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-shakespear/who-are-incapable-of-understanding-a-woman-s-character-heart-and-soul/) [Olivia Shakespear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-shakespear/) > [Therefore it is the law of the mystics to see all things, to experience all things, either of heaven or earth, and yet to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/therefore-it-is-the-law-of-the-mystics-to-see-all-things-to/) [Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/) > [“Like the rest of the devout, he was incapable of understanding that the Holy One's face is never turned away but constantly looks down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/like-the-rest-of-the-devout-he-was-incapable-of-understanding-that/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [How is it that there are so many minds that are incapable of understanding mathematics? ... the skeleton of our understanding, ... and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/how-is-it-that-there-are-so-many-minds-that-are-incapable-of/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [“He realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp whatever of what orthodoxy meant. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/he-realized-how-easy-it-was-to-present-an-appearance-of-orthodoxy/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-a-way-the-world-view-of-the-party-imposed-itself-most-successfully-2/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More by Thomas Paine > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The book called the Bible has been voted by men, and decreed by human laws to be the word of God; and the disbelief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-book-called-the-bible-has-been-voted-by-men-and-decreed-by-human/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-argue-with-a-person-who-has-renounced-the-use-of-reason-is-like/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/one-would-think-that-a-system-loaded-with-such-gross-and-vulgar/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/commerce-diminishes-the-spirit-both-of-patriotism-and-military-defence/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/those-who-expect-to-reap-the-blessings-of-freedom-must-like-men/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“It has been the practice of all Christian commentators on the Bible, and of all Christian priests and preachers, to impose the Bible on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-has-been-the-practice-of-all-christian-commentators-on-the-bible/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Wisdom is not the purchase of a day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/wisdom-is-not-the-purchase-of-a-day/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-citizenship-in-the-united-states-is-our-national-character-our/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/suspicion-is-the-companion-of-mean-souls-and-the-bane-of-all-good/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“To pass from the extremes of danger to safety-from the tumult of war to the tranquility of peace, though sweet in contemplation, requires a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-pass-from-the-extremes-of-danger-to-safety-from-the-tumult-of-war/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent? Let him believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) [Explore all 772 Thomas Paine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## More Bible quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) [Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) [Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/) > [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/) [Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/) > [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/) [Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/) > [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/) [Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/) > [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/) [Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/) > [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) [Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is only by the exercise of reason that man can discover God. Take away that reason, and he would be incapable of understanding anything; and, in this case, it would be just as consistent to read even the book called the Bible to a horse as to a man. How, then, is it that those people pretend to reject reason?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Paine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-that-man-can-discover-god-take/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bible" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-that-man-can-discover-god-take/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/thomas-paine-267_bible_it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-tha_796185.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/thomas-paine-267_bible_it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-tha_796185.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/thomas-paine-267_bible_it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-tha_796185.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is only by the exercise of reason that man can discover God. Take away that reason, and he would be…” — Thomas Paine", "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 Paine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is only by the exercise...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-that-man-can-discover-god-take/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-is-only-by-the-exercise-of-reason-that-man-can-discover-god-take/#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 } } ] } ```