---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What more does man want to know than that…"
description: "\"What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent? Let him believe this with the force it is ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/thomas-paine-267_believe_what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-tha_53900.png"
---

#  What more does man want to know than that the hand or…

![“What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent? Let him believe this with the force it is impossible to repel, if he permits his reason to act, and his rule of moral life will follow of course.” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/thomas-paine-267_believe_what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-tha_53900.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/thomas-paine-267_believe_what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-tha_53900.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/thomas-paine-267_believe_what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-tha_53900.png)

> “What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent? Let him believe this with the force it is impossible to repel, if he permits his reason to act, and his rule of moral life will follow of course.”

[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.

The quote urges recognition of a supreme creator's power, suggesting that accepting this belief through reason leads naturally to moral order.

**In simple terms:** Recognize divine power for moral guidance.

Key Takeaway

Faith in a higher power shapes ethics.

Themes

theism morality reason spirituality authority

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical theological

When to use this quote

- personal contemplation
- public discourse
- educational settings

Key Concepts

divine authority human reason moral law

Practical Applications

- theological education
- ethical philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does belief in a higher power influence moral decisions?
- Can reason alone establish moral law without divine reference?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-force-755884/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine Omnipotent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-omnipotent-755881/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-life/) [Omnipotent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omnipotent/) [Omnipotent Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omnipotent-let-755882/) [Permit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permit/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Rule Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-moral-755883/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [The great rule of moral conduct is next to God, respect time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/the-great-rule-of-moral-conduct-is-next-to-god-respect-time/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [“The Second Amendment, like all of our rights, is reliant on a moral and virtuous people. Without that, nothing else matters. Man can not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/the-second-amendment-like-all-of-our-rights-is-reliant-on-a-moral-and/)

[Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/)

> [Pope has elegantly said a perfect woman's but a softer man. And if we take in the consideration, that there can be but one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-macaulay/pope-has-elegantly-said-a-perfect-woman-s-but-a-softer-man-and-if-we/)

[Catharine Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-macaulay/)

> [“It was George Bernard Shaw who famously said that you should not do to others as you would wish to be done to -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-buckingham/it-was-george-bernard-shaw-who-famously-said-that-you-should-not-do/)

[Will Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-buckingham/)

> [It is highly significant and indeed almost a rule, that moral courage has its source in such identification through one's own sensitivity with suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/it-is-highly-significant-and-indeed-almost-a-rule-that-moral-courage/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

> [It is a fool only, and not the philosopher, nor even the prudent man, that will live as if there were no God... Were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-is-a-fool-only-and-not-the-philosopher-nor-even-the-prudent-man/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [I am driven by a greater force than I can resist. I believe that force has its own reason and its own morality even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/i-am-driven-by-a-greater-force-than-i-can-resist-i-believe-that-force/)

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

> [“One did not need to believe in the Force to know right from wrong. Many who held no faith in the Force acted righteously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-rucka/one-did-not-need-to-believe-in-the-force-to-know-right-from-wrong/)

[Greg Rucka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-rucka/)

> [It would be misleading to say, 'I believe in the Force,' in the same sense that it would be misleading to say, 'I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/it-would-be-misleading-to-say-i-believe-in-the-force-in-the-same/)

[Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/)

> [“One did not need to believe in the Force to know right from wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-rucka/one-did-not-need-to-believe-in-the-force-to-know-right-from-wrong-2/)

[Greg Rucka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-rucka/)

> [“There is, I believe now, a force in stories, words in motion, that either drives them forward past things into feelings or doesn't. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gopnik/there-is-i-believe-now-a-force-in-stories-words-in-motion-that-either/)

[Adam Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gopnik/)

> [I'm not a bible thumper, I'm not any of that stuff, but I do believe that the force is with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/i-m-not-a-bible-thumper-i-m-not-any-of-that-stuff-but-i-do-believe/)

[Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/)

> [“Pope Alexander smiled. He seemed more amused with the story than horrified. "The Baglioni are true believers," he said. "They believe in paradise. Such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/pope-alexander-smiled-he-seemed-more-amused-with-the-story-than/)

[Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/)

> [“There is an intimate connection between our moral life and our intellectual life. Sometimes I think the history of our times can be described…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-v-schall/there-is-an-intimate-connection-between-our-moral-life-and-our/)

[James V. Schall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-v-schall/)

> [You cannot live a political life, you cannot live a moral life if you're not willing to open your eyes and see the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/you-cannot-live-a-political-life-you-cannot-live-a-moral-life-if-you/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

## 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/)

> [He that rebels against reason is a real rebel, but he that in defence of reason rebels against tyranny has a better title to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/he-that-rebels-against-reason-is-a-real-rebel-but-he-that-in-defence/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

[Explore all 772 Thomas Paine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

## More Believe quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/)

[Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/)

[Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

[Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent? Let him believe this with the force it is impossible to repel, if he permits his reason to act, and his rule of moral life will follow of course.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Paine"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/thomas-paine-267_believe_what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-tha_53900.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/thomas-paine-267_believe_what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-tha_53900.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/thomas-paine-267_believe_what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-tha_53900.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent?…” — 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": "What more does man want to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
