--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: O Thou, Far off and here, whole and…" description: "\"O Thou, Far off and here, whole and broken, Who in necessity and in bounty wait, Whose truth is light and dark, mute though spoken, By Thy wide grace s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/wendell-berry-236_bounty_o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken_1444268.jpg" --- # O Thou, Far off and here, whole and broken, Who in… ![“O Thou, Far off and here, whole and broken, Who in necessity and in bounty wait, Whose truth is light and dark, mute though spoken, By Thy wide grace show me Thy narrow gate.” quote by Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/wendell-berry-236_bounty_o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken_1444268.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/wendell-berry-236_bounty_o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken_1444268.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/wendell-berry-236_bounty_o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken_1444268.jpg) > “O Thou, Far off and here, whole and broken, Who in necessity and in bounty wait, Whose truth is light and dark, mute though spoken, By Thy wide grace show me Thy narrow gate.” [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divine grace guides through paradoxes of need and abundance, revealing a narrow path to truth. **In simple terms:** Grace shows the narrow gate amid light and dark. Key Takeaway Seek humility and guidance in life's contradictions. Themes spirituality humility paradox Mood contemplative reverent Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - prayer - meditation - ethical decision-making - environmental stewardship - personal crisis Key Concepts Theology moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you discern true guidance? - What role does humility play in your choices? A Different Perspective Human interpretation can misread divine signs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bounty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounty/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gates/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Grace Thy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace-thy-827896/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light and dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-and-dark/) [Mute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mute/) [Show me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/show-me/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Thou Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou-far-1430778/) [Thy Narrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thy-narrow-5176149/) [Thy Wide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thy-wide-5176148/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Wide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wide/) [Wide Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wide-grace-5176150/) ## Related quotes > [wert thou as far As that vast shore washed with the farthest sea, I would adventure for such merchandise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/wert-thou-as-far-as-that-vast-shore-washed-with-the-farthest-sea-i/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“By love that first did prompt me to inquire; He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes. I am no pilot, yet wert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/by-love-that-first-did-prompt-me-to-inquire-he-lent-me-counsel-and-i/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/i-pray-thee-if-i-have-found-grace-in-thy-sight-shew-me-now-thy-way/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) > [Thou wouldst be loved? - then let thy heart From its present pathway part not! Being everything which now thou art, Be nothing which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/thou-wouldst-be-loved-then-let-thy-heart-from-its-present-pathway/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [My Lord, I have nothing to do in this World, but to seek and serve thee; I have nothing to do with a Heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/my-lord-i-have-nothing-to-do-in-this-world-but-to-seek-and-serve-thee/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [O blessed bounty, giving ail content! The only fautress of all noble arts That lend'st success to every good intent. A grace that rests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-drayton/o-blessed-bounty-giving-ail-content-the-only-fautress-of-all-noble/) [Michael Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-drayton/) > [“Champagne arrived in flûtes on trays, and we emptied them with gladness in our hearts... for when feasts are laid and classical music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/champagne-arrived-in-fl-tes-on-trays-and-we-emptied-them-with/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [The bible teaches that woman brought sin and death into the world, that she precipitated the fall of the race, that she was arraigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-bible-teaches-that-woman-brought-sin-and-death-into-the-world/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [We have a greedy cycle where Human Rights Commissions fine citizens in order to pay their own salaries so they can employ more Human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/we-have-a-greedy-cycle-where-human-rights-commissions-fine-citizens/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The bounty of nature is too little for the greedy person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-bounty-of-nature-is-too-little-for-the-greedy-person/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Let us give out of our own bounty, just as God gives to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-us-give-out-of-our-own-bounty-just-as-god-gives-to-us/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Allah (swt) by His grace has given you some ni'ma (blessing), some bounty. So, the best way to be thankful to Allah (swt) is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junaid-jamshed/allah-swt-by-his-grace-has-given-you-some-ni-ma-blessing-some-bounty/) [Junaid Jamshed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junaid-jamshed/) > [The pious farmer, who ne'er misses pray'rs, With patience suffers unexpected rain; He blesses Heav'n for what its bounty spares, And sees, resign'd, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/the-pious-farmer-who-ne-er-misses-pray-rs-with-patience-suffers/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [Our acts of kindness we reserve for our friends, our bounties for our dependants, our riches for our children and relations, our praises for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/our-acts-of-kindness-we-reserve-for-our-friends-our-bounties-for-our/) [Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/) > [Stop and go: always on some journey. My bounty is a photograph or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plachy/stop-and-go-always-on-some-journey-my-bounty-is-a-photograph-or-two/) [Sylvia Plachy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plachy/) ## More by Wendell Berry > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in mariage. My grandfather made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-two-families-sundered-in-the-ruin-of-a-friendship-were-united/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The living can't quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can't because they don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-living-can-t-quit-living-because-the-world-has-turned-terrible/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“I knew a man who, in the age of chain-saws, went right on cutting his wood with a handsaw and an axe. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-knew-a-man-who-in-the-age-of-chain-saws-went-right-on-cutting-his/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The concept of country, homeland, dwelling place becomes simplified as "the environment" -- that is, what surrounds us, we have already made a profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-concept-of-country-homeland-dwelling-place-becomes-simplified-as/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“That we can prescribe the terms of our own success, that we can live outside or in ignorance of the Great Economy are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/that-we-can-prescribe-the-terms-of-our-own-success-that-we-can-live/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-dislike-the-thought-that-some-animal-has-been-made-miserable-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/laughter-is-immeasurable-be-joyful/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [These are people who are capable of devotion, public devotion, to justice. They meant what they said and every day that passes, they mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/these-are-people-who-are-capable-of-devotion-public-devotion-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) [Explore all 847 Wendell Berry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More Bounty quotes > [Stop and go: always on some journey. My bounty is a photograph or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plachy/stop-and-go-always-on-some-journey-my-bounty-is-a-photograph-or-two/) [Sylvia Plachy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plachy/) > [Our acts of kindness we reserve for our friends, our bounties for our dependants, our riches for our children and relations, our praises for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/our-acts-of-kindness-we-reserve-for-our-friends-our-bounties-for-our/) [Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/) > [The pious farmer, who ne'er misses pray'rs, With patience suffers unexpected rain; He blesses Heav'n for what its bounty spares, And sees, resign'd, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/the-pious-farmer-who-ne-er-misses-pray-rs-with-patience-suffers/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [Allah (swt) by His grace has given you some ni'ma (blessing), some bounty. So, the best way to be thankful to Allah (swt) is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junaid-jamshed/allah-swt-by-his-grace-has-given-you-some-ni-ma-blessing-some-bounty/) [Junaid Jamshed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junaid-jamshed/) > [Let us give out of our own bounty, just as God gives to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-us-give-out-of-our-own-bounty-just-as-god-gives-to-us/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [The bounty of nature is too little for the greedy person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-bounty-of-nature-is-too-little-for-the-greedy-person/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [We have a greedy cycle where Human Rights Commissions fine citizens in order to pay their own salaries so they can employ more Human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/we-have-a-greedy-cycle-where-human-rights-commissions-fine-citizens/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The bible teaches that woman brought sin and death into the world, that she precipitated the fall of the race, that she was arraigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-bible-teaches-that-woman-brought-sin-and-death-into-the-world/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [“Champagne arrived in flûtes on trays, and we emptied them with gladness in our hearts... for when feasts are laid and classical music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/champagne-arrived-in-fl-tes-on-trays-and-we-emptied-them-with/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [O blessed bounty, giving ail content! The only fautress of all noble arts That lend'st success to every good intent. A grace that rests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-drayton/o-blessed-bounty-giving-ail-content-the-only-fautress-of-all-noble/) [Michael Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-drayton/) > [Diversity creates harmony, and harmony creates beauty, balance, bounty and peace in nature and society, in agriculture and culture, in science and in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/diversity-creates-harmony-and-harmony-creates-beauty-balance-bounty/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [We have learned to turn out lots of goods and services, but we haven't learned as well how to have everybody share in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/we-have-learned-to-turn-out-lots-of-goods-and-services-but-we-haven-t/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [ There are certain aspects of celebrity that I understand, although that's not the main point of the story \[in Assassination of Jesse James\] ,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/there-are-certain-aspects-of-celebrity-that-i-understand-although/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [Halloween is an ancient druidic holiday, one the Celtic peoples have celebrated for millennia. It is the crack between the last golden rays of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-colgan/halloween-is-an-ancient-druidic-holiday-one-the-celtic-peoples-have/) [Jenny Colgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-colgan/) > [We should be happy. We should be enjoying that there is all this bounty. Somebody can take an iPod and have all the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-stock/we-should-be-happy-we-should-be-enjoying-that-there-is-all-this/) [Gregory Stock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-stock/) [Browse all 141 Bounty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "O Thou, Far off and here, whole and broken, Who in necessity and in bounty wait, Whose truth is light and dark, mute though spoken, By Thy wide grace show me Thy narrow gate.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wendell Berry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken-who-in-necessity-and-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bounty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken-who-in-necessity-and-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/wendell-berry-236_bounty_o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken_1444268.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/wendell-berry-236_bounty_o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken_1444268.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/wendell-berry-236_bounty_o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken_1444268.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“O Thou, Far off and here, whole and broken, Who in necessity and in bounty wait, Whose truth is light and…” — Wendell Berry", "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": "Wendell Berry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "O Thou, Far off and here,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken-who-in-necessity-and-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/o-thou-far-off-and-here-whole-and-broken-who-in-necessity-and-in/#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 } } ] } ```