---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is so human a book that I don't see…"
description: "\"It is so human a book that I don't see how belief in its divine authority can survive the reading of it.\" — William James"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86c/william-james-228_authority_it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-h_2476923.png"
---

#  It is so human a book that I don't see how belief in its…

![“It is so human a book that I don't see how belief in its divine authority can survive the reading of it.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86c/william-james-228_authority_it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-h_2476923.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86c/william-james-228_authority_it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-h_2476923.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86c/william-james-228_authority_it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-h_2476923.png)

> “It is so human a book that I don't see how belief in its divine authority can survive the reading of it.”

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

## About This Quote

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

Human texts often resist divine authority when critical scrutiny reveals contradictions.

**In simple terms:** Question authority when evidence conflicts.

Key Takeaway

Critically evaluate beliefs.

Themes

skepticism faith philosophy

Mood

philosophical critical

Type

thought‑provoking analytical

When to use this quote

- theological study
- academic debate
- personal belief crises

Key Concepts

Epistemology religious criticism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you reconcile faith with doubt?
- What role does evidence play in belief?

A Different Perspective

Faith can provide comfort despite logical challenges.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-divine-821382/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-authority-403963/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-book-410017/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/)

## Related quotes

> [The Bible rose to the place it now occupies because it deserved to rise to that place, and not because God sent anybody with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barton/the-bible-rose-to-the-place-it-now-occupies-because-it-deserved-to/)

[Bruce Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barton/)

> [Historical investigation and literary criticism have taken the magic out of the Bible and have made it a composite human book, written by many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/historical-investigation-and-literary-criticism-have-taken-the-magic/)

[Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/)

> [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [The kingdom of God is an order of government established by divine authority. It is the only legal government that can exist in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-pratt/the-kingdom-of-god-is-an-order-of-government-established-by-divine/)

[Orson Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-pratt/)

> [Belief in a Divine mission is one of the many forms of certainty that have afflicted the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/belief-in-a-divine-mission-is-one-of-the-many-forms-of-certainty-that/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [God, once imagined to be an omnipresent force throughout the whole world of nature and man. has been increasingly tending to seem omniabsent. Everywhere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corliss-lamont/god-once-imagined-to-be-an-omnipresent-force-throughout-the-whole/)

[Corliss Lamont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corliss-lamont/)

> [“Every human has a book inside them hidden, you just need to be awakened enough, to see it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/every-human-has-a-book-inside-them-hidden-you-just-need-to-be/)

[Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/)

> [When I was about eight, I decided that the most wonderful thing, next to a human being, was a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-walker/when-i-was-about-eight-i-decided-that-the-most-wonderful-thing-next/)

[Margaret Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-walker/)

> [“The practice of non-violence requires a belief in divine vengeance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-volf/the-practice-of-non-violence-requires-a-belief-in-divine-vengeance/)

[Miroslav Volf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-volf/)

> [“There have been times I would have given anything for such faith, for the belief that divine justice exists somewhere in the universe. Facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/there-have-been-times-i-would-have-given-anything-for-such-faith-for/)

[Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/)

> [“Some skeptics assert that there is no other vital energy in the world but physical force, while contrary to their assertions, thousands and tens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-torrey-2/some-skeptics-assert-that-there-is-no-other-vital-energy-in-the-world/)

[R.A. Torrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-torrey-2/)

> [The belief in a Divine education, open to each man and to all men, takes up into itself all that is true in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-campbell-shairp/the-belief-in-a-divine-education-open-to-each-man-and-to-all-men/)

[John Campbell Shairp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-campbell-shairp/)

> [“But in practice the lack of belief in divine presence is just as likely to lead to humans avoiding responsibility: if there's nothing other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/but-in-practice-the-lack-of-belief-in-divine-presence-is-just-as/)

[Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/)

> [In truth, there never was any remarkable lawgiver amongst any people who did not resort to divine authority, as otherwise his laws would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/in-truth-there-never-was-any-remarkable-lawgiver-amongst-any-people/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [“In the best case, notions of God’s love and grace provide some relief—but the central message of these faiths is that each of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/in-the-best-case-notions-of-god-s-love-and-grace-provide-some-relief/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

## More by William James

> [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

## More Authority quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/)

[Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/)

[Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/)

[Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/)

[Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is so human a book that I don't see how belief in its divine authority can survive the reading of it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William James"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-how-belief-in-its-divine/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-how-belief-in-its-divine/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86c/william-james-228_authority_it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-h_2476923.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86c/william-james-228_authority_it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-h_2476923.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86c/william-james-228_authority_it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-h_2476923.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is so human a book that I don't see how belief in its divine authority can survive the reading of it.” — William James",
                "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": "William James",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is so human a book...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-how-belief-in-its-divine/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-so-human-a-book-that-i-don-t-see-how-belief-in-its-divine/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
