--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are always those who take it upon…" description: "\"“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/yann-martel-395_different-story_there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon_2412615.jpg" --- # There are always those who take it upon themselves to… ![“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and…” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/yann-martel-395_different-story_there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon_2412615.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/yann-martel-395_different-story_there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon_2412615.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/yann-martel-395_different-story_there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon_2412615.jpg) > ““There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think "Business as usual." But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story.”” [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It criticizes those who defend abstract divine concepts while ignoring tangible suffering, treating spiritual concerns as more urgent than human misery. **In simple terms:** People prioritize distant ideas over immediate human needs. Key Takeaway Address real suffering before abstract doctrines. Themes morality compassion religion social justice Mood reflective critical empathetic Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - poverty relief - healthcare - homelessness - child welfare - advocacy Key Concepts ethical responsibility human dignity spiritual neglect Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance spiritual beliefs with concrete compassion? - What responsibilities do we have to visible suffering? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook systemic causes of suffering that also need spiritual reflection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as-2/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“And that wasn't the end of it. There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/and-that-wasn-t-the-end-of-it-there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as-4/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God...The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening. These people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-the/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are those who take upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-those-who-take-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as-if-ultimate/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God... These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“If I were God, it’d be a whole different story, dropping fruit at will. Let them eat apples.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trebor-healey/if-i-were-god-it-d-be-a-whole-different-story-dropping-fruit-at-will/) [Trebor Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trebor-healey/) > [We would people always want to bully the helpless people in this world..you should care and help your self instead of making others peoples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow-timmi/we-would-people-always-want-to-bully-the-helpless-people-in-this/) Unknow Timmi > [“We saw so many sad and helpless people. I remember looking at people on the TeeVee from other countries who was all drenched and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-antieau/we-saw-so-many-sad-and-helpless-people-i-remember-looking-at-people/) Kim Antieau > [That is my ambition, to have killed more people-more helpless people-than any man or woman who has ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/that-is-my-ambition-to-have-killed-more-people-more-helpless-people/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy...walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, 'Business as usual.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/these-people-walk-by-a-widow-deformed-by-leprosy-walk-by-children/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Things will happen that seem to be totally contradictory, but these are God's arrangements. It was a wonderful day when I finally realized I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/things-will-happen-that-seem-to-be-totally-contradictory-but-these/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [I don't have to explain or defend the will of God. My job is simply to obey it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/i-don-t-have-to-explain-or-defend-the-will-of-god-my-job-is-simply-to/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [It doesn't take an army to bring a giant down...it takes one person who is willing to risk it all to defend the Name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-doesn-t-take-an-army-to-bring-a-giant-down-it-takes-one-person-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Yann Martel > [“It’s a big ocean crossed by busy ships. I went slowly, observing much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-s-a-big-ocean-crossed-by-busy-ships-i-went-slowly-observing-much/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The word isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-word-isn-t-just-the-way-it-is-it-is-how-we-understand-it-no-and/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth-are-counted-and-you-might-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I must say a word about fear. It's is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-must-say-a-word-about-fear-it-s-is-life-s-only-true-opponent-only/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [High calls low and low calls high. I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as I was, you too would elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/high-calls-low-and-low-calls-high-i-tell-you-if-you-were-in-such-dire/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, a Story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/or-rather-since-christians-are-so-fond-of-capital-letters-a-story/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Progress is unstoppable. It is a drumbeat to which we must all march. Technology helps and good ideas spread - these are two laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/progress-is-unstoppable-it-is-a-drumbeat-to-which-we-must-all-march/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I never had problems with my fellow scientists. Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-never-had-problems-with-my-fellow-scientists-scientists-are-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-evil-in-the-open-is-but-evil-from-within-that-has-been-let-out/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Books are something social - a writer speaking to a reader - so I think making the reading of a book the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/books-are-something-social-a-writer-speaking-to-a-reader-so-i-think/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nothing-beats-reason-for-keeping-tigers-away-but-be-excessively/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Uvek ima onih koji uzmu za pravo da brane Boga, kao da je Poslednja stvarnost, kao da je temeljni ram postojanja nešto slabašno i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/uvek-ima-onih-koji-uzmu-za-pravo-da-brane-boga-kao-da-je-poslednja/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-reason-death-sticks-so-closely-to-life-isn-t-biological-necessity/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) [Explore all 570 Yann Martel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## More Different story quotes > [The greatest tales, well told, awaken the fears and longings of the listeners. Each man hears a different story. Each is touched by it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/the-greatest-tales-well-told-awaken-the-fears-and-longings-of-the/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [It's crazy for somebody who's kind of empowered and wealthy like myself to say, "Oh, I don't need to be patronized by the state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/it-s-crazy-for-somebody-who-s-kind-of-empowered-and-wealthy-like/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I feel like Chicago it's so different, we have a different story to tell, we are seeing these things happen in this city every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polo-g/i-feel-like-chicago-it-s-so-different-we-have-a-different-story-to/) [Polo G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polo-g/) > [Any girl that's in a professional setting has to have a certain amount of decorum, but there's always a different story going on, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stana-katic/any-girl-that-s-in-a-professional-setting-has-to-have-a-certain/) [Stana Katic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stana-katic/) > [Don't ever compare a girl to a bulldog. You may see the side you don't want to. Now if you compare her to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savannah-whalen/don-t-ever-compare-a-girl-to-a-bulldog-you-may-see-the-side-you-don-t/) [Savannah Whalen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savannah-whalen/) > [My story is going to be completely different than someone else's story in terms of hard work. What I might feel like is hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-baby/my-story-is-going-to-be-completely-different-than-someone-else-s/) [Lil Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-baby/) > [“Everyone has a different story, and you have to ask yourself what motivates people to see reality the way they do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-holton/everyone-has-a-different-story-and-you-have-to-ask-yourself-what/) [Cathy Holton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-holton/) > [The mind may tell you one thing but the heart can tell you a different story. Why is that? Because the heart can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serenity-karma/the-mind-may-tell-you-one-thing-but-the-heart-can-tell-you-a/) [Serenity Karma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serenity-karma/) > [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I never knew a man could tell so many lies, he had a different story for every set of eyes. How can he remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/i-never-knew-a-man-could-tell-so-many-lies-he-had-a-different-story/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [What a different story men would have to tell if only they would adopt a DEFINITE PURPOSE, and stand by that purpose until it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/what-a-different-story-men-would-have-to-tell-if-only-they-would/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [No use crying over spilled milk. now spilled coffee is a completely different story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylee/no-use-crying-over-spilled-milk-now-spilled-coffee-is-a-completely/) [Kylee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylee/) > [Too often we blame ourselves for things that we really had no control over. We tell ourselves that if maybe we had done things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/superman/too-often-we-blame-ourselves-for-things-that-we-really-had-no-control/) Superman > [“Without looking up to God, sinking leads to drowning. But when my eyes are locked on his, sinking tells a different story. Drop the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-p-freeman/without-looking-up-to-god-sinking-leads-to-drowning-but-when-my-eyes/) [Emily P. Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-p-freeman/) > [“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-knew-that-if-i-allowed-fear-to-overtake-me-my-journey-was-doomed/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) Browse all 256 Different story quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think \"Business as usual.\" But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yann Martel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as-3/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Different story" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as-3/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/yann-martel-395_different-story_there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon_2412615.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/yann-martel-395_different-story_there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon_2412615.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/yann-martel-395_different-story_there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon_2412615.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the…” — Yann Martel", "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": "Yann Martel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There are always those who take...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as-3/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as-3/#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 } } ] } ```