--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can learn more about human nature by…" description: "\"You can learn more about human nature by reading the Bible than by living in New York.\" — William Lyon Phelps" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/william-lyon-phelps-11602_bible_you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by_416899.jpg" --- # You can learn more about human nature by reading the Bible… ![“You can learn more about human nature by reading the Bible than by living in New York.” quote by William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/william-lyon-phelps-11602_bible_you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by_416899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/william-lyon-phelps-11602_bible_you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by_416899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/william-lyon-phelps-11602_bible_you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by_416899.jpg) > “You can learn more about human nature by reading the Bible than by living in New York.” [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature offers deep insights into human behavior, sometimes more than urban experience. **In simple terms:** Reading reveals human nature. Key Takeaway Read to understand people. Themes literature human nature insight Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - book clubs - education - personal growth - cultural studies Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does city life shape humanity? - What can literature teach about modern society? A Different Perspective Urban life also teaches valuable lessons. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-living-644493/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-bible/) [Reading the bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-the-bible/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“good way is to study Bible characters—take them right from the cradle to the grave. You find that skeptics often take one particular part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-moody/good-way-is-to-study-bible-characters-take-them-right-from-the-cradle/) [D.L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-moody/) > [ The very practice of reading \[the Bible\] will have a purifying effect upon your mind and heart. Let nothing take the place of this… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-very-practice-of-reading-the-bible-will-have-a-purifying-effect/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I'm looking for loopholes. (Said when caught reading the Bible.).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/i-m-looking-for-loopholes-said-when-caught-reading-the-bible/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [“When we open the Bible we must do so in faith that God has the power to resurrect dead letters. As Scot McKnight says,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-s-mchugh/when-we-open-the-bible-we-must-do-so-in-faith-that-god-has-the-power/) [Adam S. McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-s-mchugh/) > [Reading the Bible will help you get to know the word, but its when you put it down and live your life that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/reading-the-bible-will-help-you-get-to-know-the-word-but-its-when-you/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“What's the Best Question to Ask When You're Reading the Bible? Why did people find this important to write down?...Why did people write this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/what-s-the-best-question-to-ask-when-you-re-reading-the-bible-why-did/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [I loved reading the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ivanir/i-loved-reading-the-bible/) [Mark Ivanir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ivanir/) > [We think "reading the Bible in context" means thinking about the handful of verses before and after the verses we're looking at on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/we-think-reading-the-bible-in-context-means-thinking-about-the/) [Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/) > [Whether we are reading the Bible for the first time or standing in a field in Israel next to a historian and an archaeologist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/whether-we-are-reading-the-bible-for-the-first-time-or-standing-in-a/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [I was taught a lot of Bible at home and had a voracious appetite for reading the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-grant/i-was-taught-a-lot-of-bible-at-home-and-had-a-voracious-appetite-for/) [Amy Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-grant/) > [In fact, the Devil is delighted when we spend our time and energy defending the Bible, as long as we do not get around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-fact-the-devil-is-delighted-when-we-spend-our-time-and-energy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was reading the Bible in Hebrew from a very young age, so that'll shape ideas about how words can move the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/i-was-reading-the-bible-in-hebrew-from-a-very-young-age-so-that-ll/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [Reading the bible and realizing how my actions have been so bad lately, asking for forgiveness and learning valuable lessons!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/reading-the-bible-and-realizing-how-my-actions-have-been-so-bad/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I didn't grow up reading the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-diop/i-didn-t-grow-up-reading-the-bible/) [Anna Diop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-diop/) > [“Reading the Bible isn’t about confirming our ideas and experiences and going away satisfied. It’s about being challenged, called into question. Part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-webster/reading-the-bible-isn-t-about-confirming-our-ideas-and-experiences/) [John Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-webster/) ## More by William Lyon Phelps > [In the whole story of Jesus Christ, the most important event is the resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/in-the-whole-story-of-jesus-christ-the-most-important-event-is-the/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [I do not know how wicked American millionaires are, but as I travel about and see the results of their generosity in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/i-do-not-know-how-wicked-american-millionaires-are-but-as-i-travel/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [There is never much trouble in any family where the children hope someday to resemble their parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/there-is-never-much-trouble-in-any-family-where-the-children-hope/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [Honesty is not necessarily the best policy. The best policy would be to acquire a reputation for honesty and then to cheat at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/honesty-is-not-necessarily-the-best-policy-the-best-policy-would-be/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [Why is it so many people are afraid to admit they are happy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/why-is-it-so-many-people-are-afraid-to-admit-they-are-happy/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good plays, good company,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/those-who-decide-to-use-leisure-as-a-means-of-mental-development-who/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [Two persons who love each other are in a place more holy than the interior of a church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/two-persons-who-love-each-other-are-in-a-place-more-holy-than-the/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [Whenever it is in any way possible, every boy and girl should choose as his life work some occupation which he should like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/whenever-it-is-in-any-way-possible-every-boy-and-girl-should-choose/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [The kind of happiness that stays with you is the happiness that springs from inward thoughts and emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/the-kind-of-happiness-that-stays-with-you-is-the-happiness-that/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [Never try to outsmart a woman, unless you are another woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/never-try-to-outsmart-a-woman-unless-you-are-another-woman/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [Herein lies the real value of education. Advanced education may or may not make men and women more efficient; but it enriches personality, increases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/herein-lies-the-real-value-of-education-advanced-education-may-or-may/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [The happiest people in this world are those who have the most interesting thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/the-happiest-people-in-this-world-are-those-who-have-the-most/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [The principle of happiness should be like the principle of virtue: it should not be dependent of things, but be a part of personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/the-principle-of-happiness-should-be-like-the-principle-of-virtue-it/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [Why is it that so many people are afraid to admit they are happy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/why-is-it-that-so-many-people-are-afraid-to-admit-they-are-happy/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [One of the secrets of life is to keep our intellectual curiosity acute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/one-of-the-secrets-of-life-is-to-keep-our-intellectual-curiosity-acute/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) [Explore all 59 William Lyon Phelps quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) ## More Bible quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [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/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) [Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) [Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/) > [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/) [Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/) > [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/) [Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/) > [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/) [Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/) > [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/) [Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/) > [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) [Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can learn more about human nature by reading the Bible than by living in New York.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Lyon Phelps" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by-reading-the-bible-than-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bible" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by-reading-the-bible-than-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/william-lyon-phelps-11602_bible_you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by_416899.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/william-lyon-phelps-11602_bible_you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by_416899.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/william-lyon-phelps-11602_bible_you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by_416899.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can learn more about human nature by reading the Bible than by living in New York.” — William Lyon Phelps", "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 Lyon Phelps", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can learn more about human...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by-reading-the-bible-than-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/you-can-learn-more-about-human-nature-by-reading-the-bible-than-by/#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 } } ] } ```