Skip to content
quotesby

He who proclaims the existence of the Infinite, and none can avoid it - accumulates in that affirmation more of the supernatural than is to be found in all the miracles of all the religions; for the notion of the Infinite presents that double character that forces itself upon us and yet is incomprehensible. When this notion seizes upon our understanding we can but kneel ... I see everywhere the inevitable expression of the Infinite in the world; through it the supernatural is at the bottom of every heart. The idea of God is a form of the idea of the Infinite. As long as the mystery of the infinite weighs on human thought, temples will be erected for the worship of the Infinite, whether God is called Brahma, Allah, Jehovah, or Jesus; and on the pavement of these temples, men will be seen kneeling, prostrated, annihilated by the thought of the Infinite.

Louis Pasteur#6

AwePhilosophyReligionSpirituality

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker argues the Infinite inspires religion and humility across faiths. It suggests a shared human response to mystery.
In plain terms
The Infinite drives religion and awe in all cultures.
What can you take from it?
Mystery and awe unite human spirituality.

Where it applies

  • spiritual reflection
  • philosophical debate
  • theology

Putting it to work

  • contemplation
  • interfaith dialogue

Questions to consider

  • What inspires worship?
  • How do you see the Infinite?

Another view

Not all people respond to the Infinite with worship.

More from Louis Pasteur

  1. I beseech you to take interest in these sacred domains so expressively called laboratories. Ask that there be more and that they be adorned for these are the t…

    Permalink to quote #5
  2. Blessed is he who carries within himself a god and an ideal and who obeys it - an ideal of art, of science, or gospel virtues. Therein lie the springs of great…

    Permalink to quote #7
  3. L' univers est dissymetrique...

    Permalink to quote #4

Related quotes

  1. I find more meaning in the wing of a bird and in the branch of a tree, than in five hundred icons. God has given us two books: the Bible and Creation.

    Alexander MenAlexander Men quote #1
  2. You must go to Mahometanism, to Buddhism, to the East, to the Sufis & Fakirs, to Pantheism, for the right growth of mysticism.

    Florence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale quote #2
  3. According to Eshin's 'Essentials of Salvation,' the Ten Pleasures are but a drop in the ocean when compared to the joys of the Pure Land.

    Yukio MishimaYukio Mishima quote #3