--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We instinctively tend to limit for whom…" description: "\"We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. Jesus will have none of that. By ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/timothy-keller-240_brother_we-instinctively-tend-to-limit-for-whom_776126.jpg" --- # We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert… ![“We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. Jesus will have none of that. By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need - regardless of race…” quote by Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/timothy-keller-240_brother_we-instinctively-tend-to-limit-for-whom_776126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/timothy-keller-240_brother_we-instinctively-tend-to-limit-for-whom_776126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/731/timothy-keller-240_brother_we-instinctively-tend-to-limit-for-whom_776126.jpg) > “We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. Jesus will have none of that. By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need - regardless of race, politics, class, and religion - is your neighbour. Not everyone is your brother or sister in faith, but everyone is your neighbour, and you must love your neighbour.” [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jesus expands love beyond familiar circles, urging care for all in need regardless of identity. **In simple terms:** Love everyone, not just those similar to you. Key Takeaway Practice unconditional compassion. Themes compassion inclusion neighborliness Mood empathetic inspirational Type theological motivational When to use this quote - volunteering - community aid - interfaith dialogue - political activism Key Concepts Christian ethics universal love social justice Questions to Reflect On - Who do you exclude unconsciously? - How can you broaden your circle of care? A Different Perspective Human bias often limits empathy; overcoming it requires conscious effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Depicting Samaritan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depicting-samaritan-5324569/) [Faith Neighbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-neighbour-5989013/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Helping Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-jew-5324570/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Neighbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbour/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Religion Neighbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-neighbour-5989012/) [Samaritans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/samaritans/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need—regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/by-depicting-a-samaritan-helping-a-jew-jesus-could-not-have-found-a/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Christ said "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" and when asked "who is thy neighbour? went on to the parable of the Good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/christ-said-thou-shalt-love-thy-neighbor-as-thyself-and-when-asked/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Happiness is a by-product of wanting something more than happiness-to be rightly related to God and our neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/happiness-is-a-by-product-of-wanting-something-more-than-happiness-to/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Each day millions of children arrive in American classrooms in search of more than reading and math skills. They are looking for a light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/each-day-millions-of-children-arrive-in-american-classrooms-in-search/) [Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/) > [Evangelism and the local church are inseparable. It's like the Good Samaritan seeking an inn for the one he rescued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhard-bonnke/evangelism-and-the-local-church-are-inseparable-it-s-like-the-good/) [Reinhard Bonnke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhard-bonnke/) > [We show our adoration by going to visit Christ in the tabernacle or exposed in the monstrance. Would it not indeed be a failing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/columba-marmion/we-show-our-adoration-by-going-to-visit-christ-in-the-tabernacle-or/) [Columba Marmion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/columba-marmion/) > [Justice goes across racial and economic barriers - like the good Samaritan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-perkins/justice-goes-across-racial-and-economic-barriers-like-the-good/) [John M. Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-perkins/) > [Jesus disclosed that God is compassionate. Jesus spoke of God that way: "Be compassionate, as God is compassionate." Compassion is the primary quality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-borg/jesus-disclosed-that-god-is-compassionate-jesus-spoke-of-god-that-way/) [Marcus Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-borg/) > [A Good Samaritan is not simply one whose heart is touched in an immediate act of care and charity, but one who provides a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-forbes/a-good-samaritan-is-not-simply-one-whose-heart-is-touched-in-an/) [James A. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-forbes/) > [“Good Samaritans: Truth, justice and the American way–for them it wasn't only a comic book code; it was a way of life. it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/good-samaritans-truth-justice-and-the-american-way-for-them-it-wasn-t/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [Psychologists tested the story of the Good Samaritan. What they learned gives us reason to pause. The greatest determinant of who stopped to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/psychologists-tested-the-story-of-the-good-samaritan-what-they/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [A pipe is the fountain of contemplation, the source of pleasure, the companion of the wise; and the man who smokes, thinks like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/a-pipe-is-the-fountain-of-contemplation-the-source-of-pleasure-the/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Hell is paved with good samaritans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hell-is-paved-with-good-samaritans/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fasting makes sense if it really chips away at our security and, as a consequence, benefits someone else, if it helps us cultivate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/fasting-makes-sense-if-it-really-chips-away-at-our-security-and-as-a/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Like the Good Samaritan, may we not be ashamed of touching the wounds of those who suffer, but try to heal them with concrete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/like-the-good-samaritan-may-we-not-be-ashamed-of-touching-the-wounds/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## More by Timothy Keller > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [The more you rejoice in your own forgiveness, the quicker you will be to forgive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-more-you-rejoice-in-your-own-forgiveness-the-quicker-you-will-be/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Evangelism will come organically in friendship if we don’t let our pride, fears, and pessimism cause us to hide our faith and heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/evangelism-will-come-organically-in-friendship-if-we-don-t-let-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. At his first coming, he saved us from the penalty of sin and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-coming-of-the-messianic-king-occurs-in-two-stages-at-his-first/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [ “24 A few pages later, Delbanco writes the following: \[Alexis de\] Tocqueville’s detection of a “strange melancholy in the midst of abundance” has a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/24-a-few-pages-later-delbanco-writes-the-following-alexis-de/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible's teaching is offensive to you assumes that if there is a God he wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/to-stay-away-from-christianity-because-part-of-the-bible-s-teaching/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-the-preaching-of-our-ministers-and-the-practice-of-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“of temple, presence, and sacrifice; of covenant and faithfulness; of kingdom and victory. When we seek to communicate the gospel to a particular culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/of-temple-presence-and-sacrifice-of-covenant-and-faithfulness-of/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Finally, you are ready to launch your church. Begin by developing action steps and goals that can be used as benchmarks to track your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/finally-you-are-ready-to-launch-your-church-begin-by-developing/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If you are a child of God, you don’t lose your status if you have a bad week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-a-child-of-god-you-don-t-lose-your-status-if-you-have-a/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-s-salvation-does-not-come-in-response-to-a-changed-life-a-changed/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/when-anything-in-life-is-an-absolute-requirement-for-your-happiness/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Suffering is the stripping of our hope in finite things, therefore we do not put our ultimate hope in anything finite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/suffering-is-the-stripping-of-our-hope-in-finite-things-therefore-we/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Christ will do everything for you or nothing. He's either all of your righteousness or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/christ-will-do-everything-for-you-or-nothing-he-s-either-all-of-your/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If we give God things in hope that they'll earn us blessings, we're really not doing anything for him. It's for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-we-give-god-things-in-hope-that-they-ll-earn-us-blessings-we-re/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) [Explore all 843 Timothy Keller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## More Brother quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/) [Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/) [Spencer Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-moody/) > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/) [Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/) > [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/) [George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/) [Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. 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