“Madame de Staël thought it was pride in mankind to endeavour to penetrate the secret of the universe; and speaking of the higher metaphysics she said: "I prefer the Lord's Prayer to it all."”

Sketch of the Life, Character, and Writings of Baroness de Staël-Holstein (1820) by Albertine-Adrienne Necker de Saussure, p. 349; often misquoted as, "I desire no other evidence of the truth of Christianity than the Lord's Prayer."

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Madame de Staël thought it was pride in mankind to endeavour to penetrate the secret of the universe; and speaking of t…" by Anne Louise Germaine de Staël?
Anne Louise Germaine de Staël photo
Anne Louise Germaine de Staël 42
Swiss author 1766–1817

Related quotes

Abraham Joshua Heschel photo

“Those of faith who plant sacred thoughts in the uplands of time, the secret gardeners of the Lord in mankind's desolate hopes, may slacken and tarry but rarely betray their vocation.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972) Polish-American Conservative Judaism Rabbi

"The Holy Dimension", p. 332
Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Essays (1997)

Thomas Carlyle photo
Alfred, Lord Tennyson photo
John le Carré photo

“I think what gives my works whatever universality they have is that they use the metaphysical secret world to describe some realities of the overt world.”

John le Carré (1931) British novelist and spy

As quoted in "Master of the Secret World: John le Carré on Deception, Storytelling and American Hubris" by Andrew Ross, in Salon (21 October 1996); also in Conversations with John le Carré (2004) edited by Matthew Joseph Bruccoli and Judith Baughman, p. 141
Context: I use the furniture of espionage to amuse the reader, to make the reader listen to me, because most people like to read about intrigue and spies. I hope to provide a metaphor for the average reader's daily life. Most of us live in a slightly conspiratorial relationship with our employer and perhaps with our marriage. I think what gives my works whatever universality they have is that they use the metaphysical secret world to describe some realities of the overt world.

Madame de La Fayette photo
Sylvia Plath photo
Nikola Tesla photo
F. Scott Fitzgerald photo

Related topics