I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love.

Wendell Berry

Only By Love

Topic: Love, Compassion, & Kindness

I take literally the statement in the Gospel of John that God loves the world. I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love. I believe that divine love, incarnate and indwelling in the world, summons the world always toward wholeness, which ultimately is reconciliation and atonement with God.

Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry was born in Henry County, Kentucky, on August 5, 1934. This region has not only been his lifelong home but also the inspiration for much of his writing. He grew up understanding the rhythms of the land, a knowledge that would deeply influence his roles as both a writer and a farmer.

He has produced a diverse range of works, spanning poetry, essays, and novels. A consistent theme across his writing is the connection between humans and nature, informed by his firsthand experience working on his Kentucky farm. As an academic, Berry taught English, further establishing his foothold in the literary community.

Beyond his personal achievements, Berry's family has played a significant role in his life. His close relationships, especially with those who share his ties to Kentucky, have further anchored his love for the land and community. While he has been a voice for sustainable farming and conservation, his writings also often touch upon the intricate dynamics of family and community life in rural America.

Humanism, Arts and Sciences
The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays

Berry, Wendell. The Art of the Commonplace: the Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry. Edited by Norman Wirzba, ReadHowYouWant.com, Limited, 2010, [Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays].

Wendell Berry

Theme: Love

Commentary About This Wendell Berry Quote [Shorter]

The essence of Wendell Berry’s words captures his belief that love is the foundational force of the universe. The Gospel of John speaks of a divine love that encompasses every particle, every being, and every moment in our world. This is not a distant, detached love but one that is interwoven into the fabric of existence. When Berry mentions that he takes the statement in the Gospel of John literally, he is emphasizing that love isn’t just a poetic or philosophical concept, but a tangible force that drives the creation, sustenance, and ultimate redemption of the world.

[Click “Read More” for more commentary]

Commentary About This Wendell Berry Quote [Longer]

Berry’s understanding of love extends beyond mere emotion or affection. This love holds the world together, gives it coherence and endurance. It’s the glue that binds every atom, every cell, every living thing. But love is also the transformative power, the healing touch that can redeem. Redemption, in this context, isn’t just about saving but about restoring, healing, and bringing back to wholeness. And the journey towards this wholeness is linked with our reconciliation with the Divine. It’s a call to remember our essence, to align ourselves with God’s eternal love.

Yet, while love may be eternal and immortal, our human experience is undeniably characterized by limits, suffering, and the inexorable passage of time. It might seem paradoxical, but Berry sees mortality, with all its pain and sorrow, as an avenue to comprehend immortal love. Our earthly existence, in all its fragility, offers us a unique vantage point, a classroom of sorts, where we can deeply feel and appreciate the love that courses through everything. It’s in our vulnerability, experience of loss, and the simple joys of living that we get glimpses of this all-encompassing love, drawing us into a fuller understanding and union with our Creator.

Love and the World We Live In by Wendell Berry

I take literally the statement in the Gospel of John that God loves the world. I believe the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love. I believe that divine love, incarnate and indwelling in the world, summons the world always toward wholeness, which ultimately is reconciliation and atonement with God.

This is also a fallen world. It involves error and disease, ignorance and partiality, sin and death. If this world is a place where we may learn of our involvement in immortal love, as I believe it is, still such learning is only possible here because that love involves us so inescapably in the limits, suffering and sorrow of mortality.

—Wendell Berry [Citizenship Papers: Essays, 2004].

Additional Wendell Berry Poems and Quotes

“But love, sooner or later, forces us out of time… of all that we feel and do, all the virtues and all the sins, love alone crowds us at last over the edge of the world. For love is always more than a little strange here… It is in the world, but is not altogether of it. It is of eternity. It takes us there when it most holds us here.”

—Wendell Berry [Jayber Crow].

“I see that the life of this place is always emerging beyond expectation or prediction or typicality, that it is unique, given to the world minute by minute, only once, never to be repeated. And this is when I see that this life is a miracle, absolutely worth having, absolutely worth saving. We are alive within mystery, by miracle.”

—Wendell Berry [Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition].

Resources

I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love.

Wendell Berry

Only By Love

Topic: Love, Compassion, & Kindness

I take literally the statement in the Gospel of John that God loves the world. I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love. I believe that divine love, incarnate and indwelling in the world, summons the world always toward wholeness, which ultimately is reconciliation and atonement with God.

Wendell Berry

Humanism, Arts and Sciences
The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays

Wendell Berry

Theme: Love

Commentary About This Wendell Berry Quote [Shorter]

The essence of Wendell Berry’s words captures his belief that love is the foundational force of the universe. The Gospel of John speaks of a divine love that encompasses every particle, every being, and every moment in our world. This is not a distant, detached love but one that is interwoven into the fabric of existence. When Berry mentions that he takes the statement in the Gospel of John literally, he is emphasizing that love isn’t just a poetic or philosophical concept, but a tangible force that drives the creation, sustenance, and ultimate redemption of the world.

[Click “Read More” for more commentary]

Commentary About This Wendell Berry Quote [Longer]

Berry’s understanding of love extends beyond mere emotion or affection. This love holds the world together, gives it coherence and endurance. It’s the glue that binds every atom, every cell, every living thing. But love is also the transformative power, the healing touch that can redeem. Redemption, in this context, isn’t just about saving but about restoring, healing, and bringing back to wholeness. And the journey towards this wholeness is linked with our reconciliation with the Divine. It’s a call to remember our essence, to align ourselves with God’s eternal love.

Yet, while love may be eternal and immortal, our human experience is undeniably characterized by limits, suffering, and the inexorable passage of time. It might seem paradoxical, but Berry sees mortality, with all its pain and sorrow, as an avenue to comprehend immortal love. Our earthly existence, in all its fragility, offers us a unique vantage point, a classroom of sorts, where we can deeply feel and appreciate the love that courses through everything. It’s in our vulnerability, experience of loss, and the simple joys of living that we get glimpses of this all-encompassing love, drawing us into a fuller understanding and union with our Creator.

Love and the World We Live In by Wendell Berry

I take literally the statement in the Gospel of John that God loves the world. I believe the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love. I believe that divine love, incarnate and indwelling in the world, summons the world always toward wholeness, which ultimately is reconciliation and atonement with God.

This is also a fallen world. It involves error and disease, ignorance and partiality, sin and death. If this world is a place where we may learn of our involvement in immortal love, as I believe it is, still such learning is only possible here because that love involves us so inescapably in the limits, suffering and sorrow of mortality.

—Wendell Berry [Citizenship Papers: Essays, 2004].

Additional Wendell Berry Poems and Quotes

“But love, sooner or later, forces us out of time… of all that we feel and do, all the virtues and all the sins, love alone crowds us at last over the edge of the world. For love is always more than a little strange here… It is in the world, but is not altogether of it. It is of eternity. It takes us there when it most holds us here.”

—Wendell Berry [Jayber Crow].

“I see that the life of this place is always emerging beyond expectation or prediction or typicality, that it is unique, given to the world minute by minute, only once, never to be repeated. And this is when I see that this life is a miracle, absolutely worth having, absolutely worth saving. We are alive within mystery, by miracle.”

—Wendell Berry [Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition].

Only By Love

Resources

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Only By Love

Resources

Related Quotes