WHO SAID / WROTE these quotes about heaven and hell?
~ “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.”
~ “Whenever cannibals are on the brink of starvation, Heaven, in its infinite mercy, sends them a nice plump missionary.”
~ “To reach heaven, the harmony of being, we must understand the divine Principle of being.”
~ “Paradise was made for tender hearts; hell, for loveless hearts.”
~ “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
~ “To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.”
~ “Heaven means to be one with God.”
~ “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
~ “The torture of a bad conscience is the hell of a living soul.”
~ “Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.”
~ “Marriage is neither heaven nor hell, it is simply purgatory.”
~ “Hell is yourself and the only redemption is when a person puts himself aside to feel deeply for another person.”
~ ”There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”
Answers: (1) Mark Twain (2) Oscar Wilde (3) Mary Baker Eddy (4) Voltaire (5) Winston Churchill (6) Ralph Waldo Emerson (7) Confucius (8) William Shakespeare (9) John Calvin (10) William Blake (11) Abraham Lincoln (12) Tennessee Williams (13) Stephen Hawking.
The last quote is indeed very recent. A lot is being said on Twitter and several media outlets as a result of Stephen Hawking’s recent interview, where he refers to heaven or afterlife as being a “fairy story”.
For many people heaven and hell are actual localities. I think it’s true to say that most of us have experienced our own heaven and hell, one way or another. I’ve had good days and bad days, and am constantly learning how to handle the feelings, situations or thoughts that cause the bad times. Which in turn leads me on a quest to know about the good times!
I’m often reassured by the teachings of “the most scientific man who ever trod the globe“* – Christ Jesus when he said, “The kingdom of God is within.” Surely that means within consciousness, which determines our experience, here and now? To me that’s not a fairy story, but a fact.
I agree with Hawkings’ quote in so far as temporary, material things (the computer he alludes to being the brain) don’t go to heaven.
In order to reason and decipher facts there must be a sound cause; a principle. I for one have found it imperative to gain an understanding of the synonym for God – Principle – which Mary Baker Eddy uses uniquely. In her aforementioned quote: “To reach heaven, the harmony of being, we must understand the divine Principle of being.” I can’t see how we can go forward with reasoning unless we have a better understanding of God and divine Science. ‘Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures’ contains the full details of divine Science. Physical science just isn’t enough for thinkers tackling big ideas outside of the box.
A poll is being conducted in my local mainstream paper, The Sydney Morning Herald, asking “Do you think heaven exists?”. Is that an accurate question, or could “Do you think heaven is a locality?” be more accurate?
* “Jesus of Nazareth was the most scientific man that ever trod the globe. He plunged beneath the material surface of things, and found the spiritual cause.” ~ Mary Baker Eddy
“HEAVEN. Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul.” “HELL. Mortal belief; error; lust; remorse; hatred; revenge; sin; sickness; death; suffering and self-destruction; self-imposed agony; effects of sin; that which “worketh abomination or maketh a lie.” ~ Mary Baker Eddy
CREDITS: For more quotes: Brainy Quote. All Great Quotes.
Thanks for getting together this collection of quotes on heaven and hell! And I think it’s important for everyone to personally ask the question “Does heaven and hell exist?” It’s a very personal question!
Hi Susan; thanks so much for your thoughts. It is a personal question indeed. The poll was open for 2 days, and the results: 25254 people voted on-line; 22% YES; 78% NO. The link: http://goo.gl/gSqDQ
I really feel that as intelligent beings we have the natural need to know what’s real – a constant quest within us. From my own experience, I’m glad to know through my study of divine Science that the good times (heaven) are real, and the hard times (hell) aren’t, even though they feel so at the time! (*_*) Carey
Dear Carey,
I do not know a lot about Christian Science, and will not comment on that aspect. But one should be very careful about denying the existence of Hell. I would not want to think that ruthless rapes and murders go unpunished. The Holy Bible is clear on the existence of Hell. And Heaven is there for us all. Eternity is too long to be wrong on this point. God Bless You and please consider the effect of evil unpunished.
Thank you, Keith. Even in common law there is a penalty for wrong-doing. The Bible teaches God’s laws, and that ‘God is love’. The discoverer and founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, wrote substantially on the subjects of heaven and hell. Her guide to understanding God’s law of love and justice is wholly from the inspired word of the Holy Bible. Here are just a couple of her quotes on said subject:
“The design of Love is to reform the sinner. If the sinner’s punishment here has been insufficient to reform him, the good man’s heaven would be a hell to the sinner. They, who know not purity and affection by experience, can never find bliss in the blessed company of Truth and Love simply through translation into another sphere. Divine Science reveals the necessity of sufficient suffering, either before or after death, to quench the love of sin. To remit the penalty due for sin, would be for Truth to pardon error. Escape from punishment is not in accordance with God’s government, since justice is the handmaid of mercy. …
“We acknowledge God’s forgiveness of sin in the destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as unreal. But the belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts.”
Hi Carey…I really believe your poll finding is very true because it just proving what the Lord Jesus Christ is saying about Heaven and Hell…and it is in Matthew 7:13-14. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. key words are MANY(NO) (78%) and FEW(YES) (22%). Awesome poll that to proves TO ME that there is a heaven and a hell and one day I will know for sure after I live this world. I need to make sure that after I die I will be in Heaven!
Thanks, Paul. The poll is taken from the Sydney Morning Herald’s website, and can be interpreted in different ways. I am always comforted and guided by Christ Jesus’s teaching, that “the Kingdom of God is within” – very present within consciousness.