---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A human best, which is very little. Its…"
description: "\"A human best, which is very little. Its hard to accept the idea that there cannot be an order in the universe because it would offend the free will of ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/umberto-eco-313_accepting_a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-ha_1385641.jpg"
---

#  A human best, which is very little. Its hard to accept the…

![“A human best, which is very little. Its hard to accept the idea that there cannot be an order in the universe because it would offend the free will of God and His omnipotence. So the freedom of God is our condemnation, or at least the condemnation of our pride.” quote by Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/umberto-eco-313_accepting_a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-ha_1385641.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/umberto-eco-313_accepting_a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-ha_1385641.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/umberto-eco-313_accepting_a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-ha_1385641.jpg)

> “A human best, which is very little. Its hard to accept the idea that there cannot be an order in the universe because it would offend the free will of God and His omnipotence. So the freedom of God is our condemnation, or at least the condemnation of our pride.”

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human understanding is limited; believing in a cosmic order may conflict with divine freedom and our pride.

**In simple terms:** Human knowledge is small; order may clash with divine freedom.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about order and pride.

Themes

philosophy theology humility

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical theological

When to use this quote

- academic debate
- personal belief
- ethical decision
- spiritual contemplation
- scientific inquiry

Key Concepts

epistemology divine freedom pride cosmic order

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you accept limits of human knowledge?
- How does pride affect your view of order?

A Different Perspective

The claim may overlook alternative views on chaos or non-theistic frameworks.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Condemnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condemnation/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Gods will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-will/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Omnipotence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omnipotence/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/)

## Related quotes

> [I see a certain order in the universe and math is one way of making it visible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-see-a-certain-order-in-the-universe-and-math-is-one-way-of-making/)

[May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/)

> [Ultimately you understand there is order in the universe, even if there is no order in your immediate circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/ultimately-you-understand-there-is-order-in-the-universe-even-if/)

[Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/)

> [The total disorder in the universe, as measured by the quantity that physicists call entropy, increases steadily over time. Also, the total order in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-total-disorder-in-the-universe-as-measured-by-the-quantity-that/)

[Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/)

> [Take chaotic mathematics, for instance. The universe is chaos. But chaos is whimping out. There is no chaos. There are just different levels of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/take-chaotic-mathematics-for-instance-the-universe-is-chaos-but-chaos/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [There is order in the universe, even though it looks like chaos. We separate the world into categories: this is good and this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/there-is-order-in-the-universe-even-though-it-looks-like-chaos-we/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

> [“A.W. Tozer captured these ideas very well when he wrote: Here is my view: God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-w-tozer-captured-these-ideas-very-well-when-he-wrote-here-is-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/god-sovereignly-decreed-that-man-should-be-free-to-exercise-moral/)

[A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/)

> [The whole of natural theologyresolves itself into one simple, though somewhat ambiguous proposition, That the cause or causesof order in the universe probably bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-whole-of-natural-theologyresolves-itself-into-one-simple-though/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The existence of God is not logically necessary, and yet, on the basis of some profound peculiar empirical order in the universe, it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/the-existence-of-god-is-not-logically-necessary-and-yet-on-the-basis/)

[Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/)

> [What does our generation owe to generations yet unborn? ...there is an order in the universe which must be respected, and... the human person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/what-does-our-generation-owe-to-generations-yet-unborn-there-is-an/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [I actually like seeing how the world - trying to figure out how the world works, how it all fits together. Also, it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-randall/i-actually-like-seeing-how-the-world-trying-to-figure-out-how-the/)

[Lisa Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-randall/)

> [“Cosmos is a Greek word for the order of the universe. It is, in a way, the opposite of Chaos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/cosmos-is-a-greek-word-for-the-order-of-the-universe-it-is-in-a-way/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Sometimes I think I've figured out some order in the universe, but then I find myself in Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/sometimes-i-think-i-ve-figured-out-some-order-in-the-universe-but/)

[Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/)

> [Any legend, any creature, any symbol we ever stumble on, already exists in a vast cosmic reservoir where archetypes wait. Shapes looming outside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/any-legend-any-creature-any-symbol-we-ever-stumble-on-already-exists/)

[Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/)

> [There seems to be a kind of order in the universe…in the movement of the stars and the turning of the Earth and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/there-seems-to-be-a-kind-of-order-in-the-universe-in-the-movement-of/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

## More by Umberto Eco

> [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/followers-of-the-occult-believe-in-only-what-they-already-know-and-in/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“This has nothing to do with realism (even if it explains also realism). A completely real world can be constructed, in which asses fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-realism-even-if-it-explains-also-realism/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [With all of its defects, the global market makes war less likely, even between the USA and China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/with-all-of-its-defects-the-global-market-makes-war-less-likely-even/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Any fact becomes important when it's connected to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/any-fact-becomes-important-when-it-s-connected-to-another/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Listening doesn't mean trying to understand. Anything, however trifling, may be of use one day. What matters is to know something that others don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/listening-doesn-t-mean-trying-to-understand-anything-however-trifling/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [They say that a cat, if it falls from a window and hits its nose, can lose its sense of smell and then, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/they-say-that-a-cat-if-it-falls-from-a-window-and-hits-its-nose-can/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [There are magic moments, involving great physical fatigue and intense motor excitement, that produce visions of people known in the past. As I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-magic-moments-involving-great-physical-fatigue-and-intense/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [All poets write bad poetry. Bad poets publish them, good poets burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/all-poets-write-bad-poetry-bad-poets-publish-them-good-poets-burn-them/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-four-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-cretins-fools-morons-and/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

[Explore all 600 Umberto Eco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

## More Accepting quotes

> [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/)

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [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/)

> [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

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

> [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/)

[Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/)

Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A human best, which is very little. Its hard to accept the idea that there cannot be an order in the universe because it would offend the free will of God and His omnipotence. So the freedom of God is our condemnation, or at least the condemnation of our pride.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Umberto Eco"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-hard-to-accept-the-idea-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-hard-to-accept-the-idea-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/umberto-eco-313_accepting_a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-ha_1385641.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/umberto-eco-313_accepting_a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-ha_1385641.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/umberto-eco-313_accepting_a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-ha_1385641.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A human best, which is very little. Its hard to accept the idea that there cannot be an order in the…” — Umberto Eco",
                "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": "Umberto Eco",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A human best, which is very...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-hard-to-accept-the-idea-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/a-human-best-which-is-very-little-its-hard-to-accept-the-idea-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
