--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, God, send down fire from heaven to…" description: "\"“Oh, God, send down fire from heaven to consume the blasphemer,” said Lawson. “What has nature got to do with it? No one knows what’s in nature and wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/w-somerset-maugham-237_nature_oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-con_317742.jpg" --- # Oh, God, send down fire from heaven to consume the… ![“Oh, God, send down fire from heaven to consume the blasphemer,” said Lawson. “What has nature got to do with it? No one knows what’s in nature and what isn’t! The world sees nature through the eyes of the artist. Why, for centuries it saw horses jumping a fence with all their legs extended, and by…” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/w-somerset-maugham-237_nature_oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-con_317742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/w-somerset-maugham-237_nature_oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-con_317742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/w-somerset-maugham-237_nature_oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-con_317742.jpg) > ““Oh, God, send down fire from heaven to consume the blasphemer,” said Lawson. “What has nature got to do with it? No one knows what’s in nature and what isn’t! The world sees nature through the eyes of the artist. Why, for centuries it saw horses jumping a fence with all their legs extended, and by Heaven, sir, they were extended. It saw shadows black until Monet discovered they were colored, and by Heaven, sir, they were black. If we choose to surround objects with a black line, the world will see the black line, and there will be a black line; and if we paint glass red and cows blue, it’ll see them red and blue, and, by Heaven, they will be red and blue.”” [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that artistic perception reshapes reality, suggesting that what we see is colored by artistic imagination rather than objective truth. **In simple terms:** Art changes how we see the world, making the imagined real. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of perspective in shaping reality. Themes art perception reality subjectivity creativity Mood inspirational thought‑provoking Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - painting - writing - design - visual arts - creative projects Key Concepts interpretation visual perception artistic license Questions to Reflect On - How does your own perception shape your reality? - Can art reveal truths that science cannot? A Different Perspective Artistic view may ignore empirical facts, leading to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Red and blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-and-blue/) ## Related quotes > [Nature has not got two voices, you know, one of them condemning all day what the other commands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/nature-has-not-got-two-voices-you-know-one-of-them-condemning-all-day/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [I discover that some of the Eastern papers represent me as a great blasphemer, because I said, in my lecture on Marriage, at our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-pratt/i-discover-that-some-of-the-eastern-papers-represent-me-as-a-great/) [Orson Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-pratt/) > [It's very important to get out, to do reporting. It's also really interesting. I come at it as a journalist, and I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/it-s-very-important-to-get-out-to-do-reporting-it-s-also-really/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The artist labors while he may, But finds at best too brief the day; And, tho' his works outlast the time And nation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-abbey/the-artist-labors-while-he-may-but-finds-at-best-too-brief-the-day/) [Henry Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-abbey/) > [“In the country one sees only nature's fair works, and one's soul is not saddened by the cruel struggle for mere existence that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/in-the-country-one-sees-only-nature-s-fair-works-and-one-s-soul-is/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [I admire our ancestors, whoever they were. I think the first self-conscious person must have shaken in his boots. Because as he becomes self-conscious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-admire-our-ancestors-whoever-they-were-i-think-the-first-self/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Any person who has spent time outdoors actually doing something, such as hunting and fishing as opposed to standing there with a doobie in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/any-person-who-has-spent-time-outdoors-actually-doing-something-such/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Anyone ever lost in the wild knows that nature wants you dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/anyone-ever-lost-in-the-wild-knows-that-nature-wants-you-dead/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/he-who-exerts-his-mind-to-the-utmost-knows-his-nature/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [He who goes to the bottom of his own heart knows his own nature; And knowing his own nature, he knows heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/he-who-goes-to-the-bottom-of-his-own-heart-knows-his-own-nature-and/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [Man seems not so much wicked as frail, unable to face pain, trouble and growing old. A good woman knows that nature is her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/man-seems-not-so-much-wicked-as-frail-unable-to-face-pain-trouble-and/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [“The ultimate lesson is that science isn’t special – at least not anymore. Maybe back when Einstein talked to Niels Bohr, and there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/the-ultimate-lesson-is-that-science-isn-t-special-at-least-not/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Nature is also great fun. To pretend that nature isn't fun is to miss much of the joy of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/nature-is-also-great-fun-to-pretend-that-nature-isn-t-fun-is-to-miss/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Nature isn't classical, dammit, and if you want to make a simulation of nature, you'd better make it quantum mechanical, and by golly it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/nature-isn-t-classical-dammit-and-if-you-want-to-make-a-simulation-of/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Nature, never, never let's you down, it's not a cliché, nature isn't a cliché, pictures might be, but you can get tired of pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/nature-never-never-let-s-you-down-it-s-not-a-clich-nature-isn-t-a/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) ## More by W. Somerset Maugham > [“A man thinks it quite natural that he should fall out of love with a woman, but it never strikes him for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-thinks-it-quite-natural-that-he-should-fall-out-of-love-with-a/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A man's work reveals him. In social intercourse he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept, but in his book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-s-work-reveals-him-in-social-intercourse-he-gives-you-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/love-is-only-a-dirty-trick-played-on-us-to-achieve-continuation-of/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [The world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. We must be very humble. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-world-is-hard-and-cruel-we-are-here-none-knows-why-and-we-go-none/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“There is no more merit in having read a thousand books than in having ploughed a thousand fields.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-no-more-merit-in-having-read-a-thousand-books-than-in-having/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“I wanted to live again and again. I was willing to accept every sort of life, no matter what its pain and sorrow; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-wanted-to-live-again-and-again-i-was-willing-to-accept-every-sort/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/in-hollywood-the-women-are-all-peaches-it-makes-one-long-for-an-apple/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Follow your inclinations with due regard to the policeman round the corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/follow-your-inclinations-with-due-regard-to-the-policeman-round-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“His love became a prison from which he longed to escape, but he had not the strength merely to open the door-that was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/his-love-became-a-prison-from-which-he-longed-to-escape-but-he-had/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I did not believe him capable of love. That is an emotion in which tenderness is an essential part, but Strickland had no tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-did-not-believe-him-capable-of-love-that-is-an-emotion-in-which/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [If only the good were a little less heavy-footed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-only-the-good-were-a-little-less-heavy-footed/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perfection-has-one-grave-defect-it-is-apt-to-be-dull/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-god-that-can-be-understood-is-no-god-who-can-explain-the-infinite/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“My dear, you used to be quite a dish; now you're quite a tureen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/my-dear-you-used-to-be-quite-a-dish-now-you-re-quite-a-tureen/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) [Explore all 840 W. Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## More Nature quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [“When the water covers the earth the sun will vanish the darkess and the cold will come.When the last dragon and the last Elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvana-de-mari/when-the-water-covers-the-earth-the-sun-will-vanish-the-darkess-and/) [Silvana de Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvana-de-mari/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) [Browse all 47,383 Nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Oh, God, send down fire from heaven to consume the blasphemer,” said Lawson. “What has nature got to do with it? No one knows what’s in nature and what isn’t! The world sees nature through the eyes of the artist. Why, for centuries it saw horses jumping a fence with all their legs extended, and by Heaven, sir, they were extended. It saw shadows black until Monet discovered they were colored, and by Heaven, sir, they were black. If we choose to surround objects with a black line, the world will see the black line, and there will be a black line; and if we paint glass red and cows blue, it’ll see them red and blue, and, by Heaven, they will be red and blue.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W. Somerset Maugham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-consume-the-blasphemer-said/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nature" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-consume-the-blasphemer-said/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/w-somerset-maugham-237_nature_oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-con_317742.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/w-somerset-maugham-237_nature_oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-con_317742.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/w-somerset-maugham-237_nature_oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-con_317742.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oh, God, send down fire from heaven to consume the blasphemer,” said Lawson. “What has nature got to do with…” — W. Somerset Maugham", "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": "W. Somerset Maugham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Oh, God, send down fire from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-consume-the-blasphemer-said/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/oh-god-send-down-fire-from-heaven-to-consume-the-blasphemer-said/#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 } } ] } ```