---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our measure of rewards and punishments is…"
description: "\"Our measure of rewards and punishments is most partial and incomplete, absurdly inadequate, utterly worldly; and we wish to continue it into the next w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_acquittal_our-measure-of-rewards-and-punishments-i_2244534.jpg"
---

#  Our measure of rewards and punishments is most partial and…

![“Our measure of rewards and punishments is most partial and incomplete, absurdly inadequate, utterly worldly; and we wish to continue it into the next world. Into that next and awful world we strive to pursue men, and send after them our impotent paltry verdicts of condemnation or acquittal. We set…” quote by William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_acquittal_our-measure-of-rewards-and-punishments-i_2244534.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_acquittal_our-measure-of-rewards-and-punishments-i_2244534.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_acquittal_our-measure-of-rewards-and-punishments-i_2244534.jpg)

> “Our measure of rewards and punishments is most partial and incomplete, absurdly inadequate, utterly worldly; and we wish to continue it into the next world. Into that next and awful world we strive to pursue men, and send after them our impotent paltry verdicts of condemnation or acquittal. We set up our paltry little rod to measure heaven immeasurable.”

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

## About This Quote

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

Human attempts to judge divine matters are limited and flawed, yet we persist in imposing our judgments beyond life.

**In simple terms:** Our moral judgments are inadequate for the afterlife.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the limits of earthly judgment.

Themes

morality judgment spirituality

Mood

reflective skeptical

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- legal systems
- religious doctrine
- personal ethics
- afterlife beliefs

Key Concepts

theology philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we balance earthly justice with spiritual humility?
- Can we accept uncertainty about the afterlife?

A Different Perspective

Our judgments cannot fully capture transcendent realities.

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[Acquittal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquittal/) [Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Condemnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condemnation/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Heaven Immeasurable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-immeasurable-5102656/) [Inadequate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inadequate/) [Incomplete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incomplete/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Measure Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measure-heaven-1672827/) [Measure Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measure-rewards-5102655/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Punishments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishments/) [Punishments Partial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishments-partial-5102654/) [Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursue/) [Reward and punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward-and-punishment/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Strive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive/) [Verdict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verdict/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worldly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worldly/)

## Related quotes

> [Perfection is the measure of heaven, and the wish to be perfect the measure of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/perfection-is-the-measure-of-heaven-and-the-wish-to-be-perfect-the/)

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> [For the preacher's merit or demerit, It were to be wished that the flaws were fewer In the earthen vessel, holding treasure, But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/for-the-preacher-s-merit-or-demerit-it-were-to-be-wished-that-the/)

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> [The breath Of accusation kills an innocent name, And leaves for lame acquittal the poor life, Which is a mask without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/the-breath-of-accusation-kills-an-innocent-name-and-leaves-for-lame/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

> [“And does the trial start over again?” asked K., finding it hard to believe.  “The trial will always start over again,” said the painter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-does-the-trial-start-over-again-asked-k-finding-it-hard-to/)

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> [In America, an acquittal doesn't mean you're innocent, it means you beat the rap. My clients lose even when they win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-lee-bailey/in-america-an-acquittal-doesn-t-mean-you-re-innocent-it-means-you/)

[F. Lee Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-lee-bailey/)

> [“Talk of "witch-hunts" conceals an inconvenient fact: men charged with rape stand a better chance of walking free than other defendants. The conviction rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-smith/talk-of-witch-hunts-conceals-an-inconvenient-fact-men-charged-with/)

[Joan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-smith/)

> [ Interestingly enough, I feel what the show \[OJ Simpson\] was able to accomplish in a really masterful way is that White America could look… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/interestingly-enough-i-feel-what-the-show-oj-simpson-was-able-to/)

[Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/)

> [Mortality: not acquittal but a series of postponements is what we hope for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/mortality-not-acquittal-but-a-series-of-postponements-is-what-we-hope/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [I always received much more satisfaction as a defense attorney in obtaining an acquittal for a client than I ever have as a D.A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-garrison/i-always-received-much-more-satisfaction-as-a-defense-attorney-in/)

[Jim Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-garrison/)

> [Acquittal of the guilty damns the judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/acquittal-of-the-guilty-damns-the-judge/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [Lawyers have been known to wrest from reluctant juries triumphant verdicts of acquittal for their clients, even when those clients, as often happens, were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/lawyers-have-been-known-to-wrest-from-reluctant-juries-triumphant/)

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> [“Roache's statement after his acquittal was dignified but his supporters were angry. They demanded to know why the case was ever brought, claiming that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-smith/roache-s-statement-after-his-acquittal-was-dignified-but-his/)

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> [Among the rednecks of America, which there are many more than people seem to realize, it was terribly damaging. I got blamed for O.J.'s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-lee-bailey/among-the-rednecks-of-america-which-there-are-many-more-than-people/)

[F. Lee Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-lee-bailey/)

> [I made no pretense of doing balanced reporting about murder. I was appalled by defense attorneys who would do anything to win an acquittal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominick-dunne/i-made-no-pretense-of-doing-balanced-reporting-about-murder-i-was/)

[Dominick Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominick-dunne/)

> [“No jury in this part of the world's going to say, "We think you're guilty, but not very," on a charge like that. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/no-jury-in-this-part-of-the-world-s-going-to-say-we-think-you-re/)

[Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/)

## More by William Makepeace Thackeray

> [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/)

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> [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/)

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> [As nature made every man with a nose and eyes of his own, she gave him a character of his own, too; and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-nature-made-every-man-with-a-nose-and-eyes-of-his-own-she-gave-him/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/it-is-best-to-love-wisely-no-doubt-but-to-love-foolishly-is-better/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [Diffidence is a sort of false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/diffidence-is-a-sort-of-false-modesty/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [Our great thoughts, our great affections, the truths of our life, never leave us. Surely they can not separate from our consciousness, shall follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/our-great-thoughts-our-great-affections-the-truths-of-our-life-never/)

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> [Charming Alnaschar visions! it is the happy privilege of youth to construct you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/charming-alnaschar-visions-it-is-the-happy-privilege-of-youth-to/)

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[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [Novelty has charms that our minds can hardly withstand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/novelty-has-charms-that-our-minds-can-hardly-withstand/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [“Picture to yourself, O fair young reader, a worldly, selfish, graceless, thankless, religionless old woman, writhing in pain and fear, and without her wig.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/picture-to-yourself-o-fair-young-reader-a-worldly-selfish-graceless/)

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> [Certain opuscules, denominated 'Christmas Books,' with the ostensible intention of swelling the tide of exhilaration, or other expansive emotions, incident upon the exodus of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/certain-opuscules-denominated-christmas-books-with-the-ostensible/)

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[Explore all 384 William Makepeace Thackeray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

## More Acquittal quotes

> [“No jury in this part of the world's going to say, "We think you're guilty, but not very," on a charge like that. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/no-jury-in-this-part-of-the-world-s-going-to-say-we-think-you-re/)

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> [In America, an acquittal doesn't mean you're innocent, it means you beat the rap. My clients lose even when they win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-lee-bailey/in-america-an-acquittal-doesn-t-mean-you-re-innocent-it-means-you/)

[F. Lee Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-lee-bailey/)

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[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The breath Of accusation kills an innocent name, And leaves for lame acquittal the poor life, Which is a mask without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/the-breath-of-accusation-kills-an-innocent-name-and-leaves-for-lame/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

> [Here is a man whose life and actions the world has already condemned - yet whose enormous fortune...has already brought him acquittal!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/here-is-a-man-whose-life-and-actions-the-world-has-already-condemned/)

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