--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Saying that Jesus was a moral teacher is…" description: "\"“Saying that Jesus was a moral teacher is like calling Winston Churchill a landscape painter; both statements are true (and Jesus was a much better mor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/walter-russell-mead-31750_true-greatness_saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is_1229344.jpg" --- # Saying that Jesus was a moral teacher is like calling… ![“Saying that Jesus was a moral teacher is like calling Winston Churchill a landscape painter; both statements are true (and Jesus was a much better moralist than Churchill was a painter) but in neither case does the description capture the true greatness of the person.” quote by Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/walter-russell-mead-31750_true-greatness_saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is_1229344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/walter-russell-mead-31750_true-greatness_saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is_1229344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/walter-russell-mead-31750_true-greatness_saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is_1229344.jpg) > ““Saying that Jesus was a moral teacher is like calling Winston Churchill a landscape painter; both statements are true (and Jesus was a much better moralist than Churchill was a painter) but in neither case does the description capture the true greatness of the person.”” [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comparing Jesus to Churchill highlights that labeling them by a single role misses their broader significance. **In simple terms:** Labels can obscure true greatness. Key Takeaway Look beyond simple labels. Themes religion leadership legacy Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical interpretive When to use this quote - church leadership - personal identity - public perception - media representation Key Concepts theology historical comparison greatness Questions to Reflect On - How do we capture a person's full impact? - What other figures are reduced to single traits? A Different Perspective Simplistic labels can mislead understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moralist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moralist/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [True greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-greatness/) ## Related quotes > [ “Paints a vivid picture of Jesus’ groundbreaking lessons . . . An impressively concise portrayal of Jesus as a moral philosopher \[and\] social reformer,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-r-nordstrom/paints-a-vivid-picture-of-jesus-groundbreaking-lessons-an/) Oscar R. Nordstrom > [Christianity without the cross is nothing. The cross was the fitting close of a life of rejection, scorn and defeat. But in no true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/christianity-without-the-cross-is-nothing-the-cross-was-the-fitting/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [“Jesus' own moral discipline was rooted in His discipleship to the Father. To His disciples He explained, “My meat is to do the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-todd-christofferson/jesus-own-moral-discipline-was-rooted-in-his-discipleship-to-the/) [D. Todd Christofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-todd-christofferson/) > [We may note in passing that He (Jesus) was never regarded as a mere moral teacher. He did not produce that effect on any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/we-may-note-in-passing-that-he-jesus-was-never-regarded-as-a-mere/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-am-trying-here-to-prevent-anyone-saying-the-really-foolish-thing/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-m-ready-to-accept-jesus-as-a-great-moral-teacher-but-i-don-t-accept/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-man-who-was-merely-a-man-and-said-the-sort-of-things-jesus-said-2/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“The real job of every moral teacher is to keep bringing us back, time after time, to the old simple principles which we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-real-job-of-every-moral-teacher-is-to-keep-bringing-us-back-time/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that… The real job of every moral teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The real job of every moral teacher is to keep bringing us back to the simple principles, which we're so anxious not to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-real-job-of-every-moral-teacher-is-to-keep-bringing-us-back-to/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [There are only two sorts of greatness: true greatness, which is of a spiritual order, and the old, old lie of world conquest. Conquest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/there-are-only-two-sorts-of-greatness-true-greatness-which-is-of-a/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Let your desire for truth transcend all minor considerations. Ignorance is invariably confident. The man of knowledge learns to realize his own needs. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grenville-kleiser/let-your-desire-for-truth-transcend-all-minor-considerations/) [Grenville Kleiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grenville-kleiser/) > [True greatness,true leadership,is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/true-greatness-true-leadership-is-found-in-giving-yourself-in-service/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/) [Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/) > [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) ## More by Walter Russell Mead > [What begins in arrogance often ends in shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/what-begins-in-arrogance-often-ends-in-shame/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [This very individualistic form of Protestant Christianity that became so basic in English and then American life is to a large degree responsible for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/this-very-individualistic-form-of-protestant-christianity-that-became/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [The American people are extraordinarily comfortable, affluent, and secure. It's easy for us to make the argument that God's purpose is being fulfilled through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/the-american-people-are-extraordinarily-comfortable-affluent-and/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [Life isn't easy, and leadership is harder still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/life-isn-t-easy-and-leadership-is-harder-still/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [“The African villager with a solar powered smartphone has more access to more information than Louis XIV in the halls of Versailles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/the-african-villager-with-a-solar-powered-smartphone-has-more-access/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [Carter's hopes died when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and he ended up having to reverse policy and launch the military buildup that Reagan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/carter-s-hopes-died-when-the-soviet-union-invaded-afghanistan-and-he/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [When Edward Gibbon was writing about the fall of the Roman Empire in the late 18th century, he could argue that transportation hadn't changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/when-edward-gibbon-was-writing-about-the-fall-of-the-roman-empire-in/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [We Americans look at the last 300 years of history, and we basically see a world that's getting better and better. The rule of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/we-americans-look-at-the-last-300-years-of-history-and-we-basically/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [There is not a great sense that the Americans know what they are doing, or are making much progress in Iraq. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/there-is-not-a-great-sense-that-the-americans-know-what-they-are/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [Unlike some, I don't claim to hold the mystic key to the future. But judging from past events, it seems to me that those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/unlike-some-i-don-t-claim-to-hold-the-mystic-key-to-the-future-but/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [Mr. Obama's approach to engagement to some degree makes him dependent on people who wish neither him nor America well. This doesn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/mr-obama-s-approach-to-engagement-to-some-degree-makes-him-dependent/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [It is a kind of ego booster, the way Egypt's winning the 1973 war, in the first stages, was an uplift. But I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/it-is-a-kind-of-ego-booster-the-way-egypt-s-winning-the-1973-war-in/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [Jordan is the only Arab state that has provided citizenship to Palestinian refugees and integrated them. But something has to be done about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/jordan-is-the-only-arab-state-that-has-provided-citizenship-to/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [The Arab states don't seem to do a good job of providing for their own people, so I am not sure why they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/the-arab-states-don-t-seem-to-do-a-good-job-of-providing-for-their/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [The historian assesses that the investment of the wealthy classes in the Bank of England wedded them to the fate of the nation as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/the-historian-assesses-that-the-investment-of-the-wealthy-classes-in/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) [Explore all 16 Walter Russell Mead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) ## More Moralist quotes > [I cannot be convinced that great artists are moralists. Art is first appearances, then meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-cannot-be-convinced-that-great-artists-are-moralists-art-is-first/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [The moralist of sheer work and obedience can be an ethic that, unwilling to face a despair of its ends, glorifies its means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-moralist-of-sheer-work-and-obedience-can-be-an-ethic-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nine-tenths of the appeal of pornography is due to the indecent feelings concerning sex which moralists inculcate in the young; the other tenth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/nine-tenths-of-the-appeal-of-pornography-is-due-to-the-indecent/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All the parties of capitalist society, all its moralists and all its sycophants will perish beneath the debris of the impending catastrophe. The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/all-the-parties-of-capitalist-society-all-its-moralists-and-all-its/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [I like pacifists and people who have a heavy emotional identification with deathism and war would probably call me a pacifist, but I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-like-pacifists-and-people-who-have-a-heavy-emotional-identification/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/boredom-is-a-vital-problem-for-the-moralist-since-at-least-half-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If it is the great delusion of moralists to suppose that all previous ages were less sinful than their own, then it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/if-it-is-the-great-delusion-of-moralists-to-suppose-that-all-previous/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [There is no sterner moralist than pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/there-is-no-sterner-moralist-than-pleasure/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [A statesman cannot afford to be a moralist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/a-statesman-cannot-afford-to-be-a-moralist/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-crux-of-the-matter-is-whether-total-war-in-its-present-form-is/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [If I am against the condition of the world it is not because I am a moralist, it is because I want to laugh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-i-am-against-the-condition-of-the-world-it-is-not-because-i-am-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [For over two thousand years it has been the custom among earnest moralists to decry happiness as something degraded and unworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/for-over-two-thousand-years-it-has-been-the-custom-among-earnest/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [We are perpetually moralists, but we are geometricians only by chance. Our intercourse with intellectual nature is necessary; our speculations upon matter are voluntary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/we-are-perpetually-moralists-but-we-are-geometricians-only-by-chance/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It becomes the moralist, too, to inquire what man might do to improve and beautify the system; what to make the stars shine more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-becomes-the-moralist-too-to-inquire-what-man-might-do-to-improve/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [For me, moral questions such as stem-cell research turn upon whether suffering is caused. In this case, clearly none is. The embryos have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/for-me-moral-questions-such-as-stem-cell-research-turn-upon-whether/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Browse all 123 Moralist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moralist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Saying that Jesus was a moral teacher is like calling Winston Churchill a landscape painter; both statements are true (and Jesus was a much better moralist than Churchill was a painter) but in neither case does the description capture the true greatness of the person.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Russell Mead" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is-like-calling-winston/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Moralist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is-like-calling-winston/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/walter-russell-mead-31750_true-greatness_saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is_1229344.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/walter-russell-mead-31750_true-greatness_saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is_1229344.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/walter-russell-mead-31750_true-greatness_saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is_1229344.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Saying that Jesus was a moral teacher is like calling Winston Churchill a landscape painter; both statements…” — Walter Russell Mead", "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": "Walter Russell Mead", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Saying that Jesus was a moral...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is-like-calling-winston/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/saying-that-jesus-was-a-moral-teacher-is-like-calling-winston/#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 } } ] } ```