“Human language can but imperfectly describe God’s ways.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Attributed to Gandhi's autobiography ('The Story of My Experiments with Truth').
About this quote
Words are tools shaped for everyday objects and events, so they strain when pointed at anything vast or transcendent. The lesson is humility: hold your descriptions loosely and don't mistake a rough verbal map for the thing itself.
When to use it
- A scientist admits a metaphor only roughly captures what the data actually show.
- A grieving person finds that no words fit the loss, and stops forcing them.
- A teacher warns students that a tidy definition is only a starting sketch.