Our chief defect is that we are more given to talking about things than to doing them.
Jawaharlal NehruRead
What the mysterious is I do not know. I do not call it God because God has come to mean much that I do not believe in. I find myself incapable of thinking of a deity or of any unknown supreme power in anthropomorphic terms, and the fact that many people think so is continually a source of surprise to me. Any idea of a personal God seems very odd to me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the author's struggle to conceptualize God or a supreme being in personal terms, challenging conventional beliefs.
Jawaharlal Nehru reflects on the idea of divinity and personal belief, indicating that he finds it difficult to identify with anthropomorphic representations of God. He articulates a sense of surprise at the prevalent notion of a personal deity, suggesting that his understanding of spirituality diverges significantly from traditional religious interpretations.
Themes
GodBeliefDeitySpiritualityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of belief.
More from Jawaharlal Nehru
All quotes →India has known the innocence and insouciance of childhood, the passion and abandon of youth, and the ripe wisdom of maturity that comes from long experience of pain and pleasure; and over and over a gain she has renewed her childhood and youth and age
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Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will.
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Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think.
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What we really are matters more than what other people think of us.
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Loyal and efficient work in a great cause, even though it may not be immediately recognized, ultimately bears fruit.
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