--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The god can no more exist without his…" description: "\"The god can no more exist without his people than the nation without its god.\" — William Robertson Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/william-robertson-smith-27443_exist_the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-pe_1270901.jpg" --- # The god can no more exist without his people than the… ![“The god can no more exist without his people than the nation without its god.” quote by William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/william-robertson-smith-27443_exist_the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-pe_1270901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/william-robertson-smith-27443_exist_the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-pe_1270901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/william-robertson-smith-27443_exist_the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-pe_1270901.jpg) > “The god can no more exist without his people than the nation without its god.” [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A god’s existence depends on his people, just as a nation depends on its god. **In simple terms:** God and nation need each other. Key Takeaway Recognize mutual dependence of faith and community. Themes religion nation identity Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical theological When to use this quote - community events - national holidays - faith gatherings - political discourse Key Concepts theology social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - How does faith shape national identity? - Can a nation thrive without a deity? A Different Perspective Secular societies may not share this view. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Exist People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-people-695893/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-exist/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation/) [Nation God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-god/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-nation-346774/) ## Related quotes > [Africa is one continent, one people and one nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/africa-is-one-continent-one-people-and-one-nation/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [We rise and fall as one people, one nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-rise-and-fall-as-one-people-one-nation/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [It has to be understood that the world doesn't exist with people who are exactly like us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/it-has-to-be-understood-that-the-world-doesn-t-exist-with-people-who/) [T.I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-i/) > [“A thing can't exist in people's minds until it has a name. But with a name, it can exist in people's minds without existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/a-thing-can-t-exist-in-people-s-minds-until-it-has-a-name-but-with-a/) [Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/) > [You can have your own thought process about things, but you still need to include and co-exist with other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/you-can-have-your-own-thought-process-about-things-but-you-still-need/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [The key thing about LCD Soundsystem is that people always wanted this band to exist. For years, it was glaringly obvious that a band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/the-key-thing-about-lcd-soundsystem-is-that-people-always-wanted-this/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It seems to me the Washington Monument is a symbol of America's power. It has been the symbol of our great nation. We look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/it-seems-to-me-the-washington-monument-is-a-symbol-of-america-s-power/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [This nation under God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/this-nation-under-god/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [One person is nothing. Two people are a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/one-person-is-nothing-two-people-are-a-nation/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [If you want to know the people of a nation, I am sure you can judge a great deal more about them from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kropotkin/if-you-want-to-know-the-people-of-a-nation-i-am-sure-you-can-judge-a/) [Peter Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kropotkin/) > [A nation that destroys its own people is a nation without hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/a-nation-that-destroys-its-own-people-is-a-nation-without-hope/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [The U.S. incarcerates more of its people than any nation in the world, or any nation in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-u-s-incarcerates-more-of-its-people-than-any-nation-in-the-world/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [People are our nation's greatest strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-ray-lujan/people-are-our-nation-s-greatest-strength/) [Ben Ray Lujan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-ray-lujan/) > [But if not Kelso, then something else, because a free people must own the nation they live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-von-hoffman/but-if-not-kelso-then-something-else-because-a-free-people-must-own/) [Nicholas von Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-von-hoffman/) > [“Religions exist because people would rather have a wrong answer than no answer at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/religions-exist-because-people-would-rather-have-a-wrong-answer-than/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More by William Robertson Smith > [The god, it would appear, was frequently thought of as the physical progenitor or first father of his people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/the-god-it-would-appear-was-frequently-thought-of-as-the-physical/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [Thus a man was born into a fixed relation to certain gods as surely as he was born into a relation to his fellow-men;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/thus-a-man-was-born-into-a-fixed-relation-to-certain-gods-as-surely/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [In all the antique religions, mythology takes the place of dogma; that is, the sacred lore of priests and people... and these stories afford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/in-all-the-antique-religions-mythology-takes-the-place-of-dogma-that/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [It is only in times of social dissolution, as in the last age of the small Semitic states, when men and their gods were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/it-is-only-in-times-of-social-dissolution-as-in-the-last-age-of-the/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [In better times the religion of the tribe or state has nothing in common with the private and foreign superstitions or magical rites that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/in-better-times-the-religion-of-the-tribe-or-state-has-nothing-in/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [This being so, it follows that mythology ought not to take the prominent place that is too often assigned to it in the scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/this-being-so-it-follows-that-mythology-ought-not-to-take-the/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [But, strictly speaking, this mythology was no essential part of ancient religion, for it had no sacred sanction and no binding force on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/but-strictly-speaking-this-mythology-was-no-essential-part-of-ancient/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [Even the highest forms of sacrificial worship present much that is repulsive to modern ideas, and in particular it requires an effort to reconcile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/even-the-highest-forms-of-sacrificial-worship-present-much-that-is/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [Belief in a certain series of myths was neither obligatory as a part of the true religion, nor was it supposed that, by believing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/belief-in-a-certain-series-of-myths-was-neither-obligatory-as-a-part/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [We are so accustomed to think of religion as a thing between individual men and God that we can hardly enter into the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/we-are-so-accustomed-to-think-of-religion-as-a-thing-between/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [But if it not be true, the myth itself requires to be explained, and every principle of philosophy and common sense demand that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/but-if-it-not-be-true-the-myth-itself-requires-to-be-explained-and/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [This, it may be said, is no more than a hypothesis... only of that force of precedent which in all times has been so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/this-it-may-be-said-is-no-more-than-a-hypothesis-only-of-that-force/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [The myths connected with individual sanctuaries and ceremonies were merely part of the apparatus of the worship; they served to excite the fancy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/the-myths-connected-with-individual-sanctuaries-and-ceremonies-were/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [This, it may be said, is no more than a hypothesis, but it satisfies the conditions of a legitimate hypothesis, by postulating the operation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/this-it-may-be-said-is-no-more-than-a-hypothesis-but-it-satisfies-the/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [But we must not forget, this ritual expressed, certain ideas which lie at the very root of true religion, the fellowship of the worshippers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/but-we-must-not-forget-this-ritual-expressed-certain-ideas-which-lie/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) [Explore all 20 William Robertson Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) ## More Exist quotes > [A vacuum can only exist, I imagine, by the things which enclose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-fitzgerald/a-vacuum-can-only-exist-i-imagine-by-the-things-which-enclose-it/) [Zelda Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-fitzgerald/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [You would not exist if you did not have something to bring to the table of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/you-would-not-exist-if-you-did-not-have-something-to-bring-to-the/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [I don't believe in moral victories. I don't think in pro ball they exist, and they shouldn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-witten/i-don-t-believe-in-moral-victories-i-don-t-think-in-pro-ball-they/) [Jason Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-witten/) > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [“Must a people disappear for us to know they exist? Mano Dayak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-dayak/must-a-people-disappear-for-us-to-know-they-exist-mano-dayak/) [Mano Dayak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-dayak/) > [A monkey is unaware that atoms exist. Likewise, our brainpower may not stretch to the deepest aspects of reality. The bedrock nature of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/a-monkey-is-unaware-that-atoms-exist-likewise-our-brainpower-may-not/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [“And then again, maybe people and things are the same as emotions: Even when you can't see them or feel them or be with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-henriquez/and-then-again-maybe-people-and-things-are-the-same-as-emotions-even/) [Cristina Henriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-henriquez/) > [When you rely on incentives, you undermine virtues. Then when you discover that you actually need people who want to do the right thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/when-you-rely-on-incentives-you-undermine-virtues-then-when-you/) [Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/) > [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [“Human race had never planned to show up in this universe. I wonder whether current human efforts are relevant to its sustainability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/human-race-had-never-planned-to-show-up-in-this-universe-i-wonder/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. I don't just want to maintain the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/if-you-ask-why-i-do-what-i-do-i-want-to-make-a-difference-i-don-t/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Happiness, I do not know where to turn to discover you on earth, in the air or the sky; yet I know you exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia-de-castro/happiness-i-do-not-know-where-to-turn-to-discover-you-on-earth-in-the/) [Rosalia de Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia-de-castro/) > [Is when you can not exist without your loves smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff/is-when-you-can-not-exist-without-your-loves-smile/) [Jeff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff/) > [Liberty does not exist where rights are on one side and power on the other. To be liberty, rights must be armed with vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/liberty-does-not-exist-where-rights-are-on-one-side-and-power-on-the/) [Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/) [Browse all 2,297 Exist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The god can no more exist without his people than the nation without its god.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Robertson Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-people-than-the-nation-without/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Exist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-people-than-the-nation-without/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/william-robertson-smith-27443_exist_the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-pe_1270901.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/william-robertson-smith-27443_exist_the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-pe_1270901.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/william-robertson-smith-27443_exist_the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-pe_1270901.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The god can no more exist without his people than the nation without its god.” — William Robertson Smith", "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 Robertson Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The god can no more exist...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-people-than-the-nation-without/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/the-god-can-no-more-exist-without-his-people-than-the-nation-without/#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 } } ] } ```