"How individuals of the same species surpass each other in these sensations and in other bodily faculties is universally known, but there is a limit to them, and their power cannot extend to every distance or to every degree"
About this Quote
The intent is disciplinary. As a medieval rationalist working inside a religious universe, Maimonides is always policing categories: what belongs to nature, what belongs to intellect, what belongs to prophecy, what belongs to God. This line reins in the imagination that wants to turn exceptional perception into supernatural reach. If one person hears better than another, it’s still hearing; it doesn’t become omniscience. If someone’s strength exceeds the norm, it still collides with thresholds. The subtext is a warning against sloppy metaphysics: don’t smuggle miracles in through the side door of human difference.
Contextually, this fits his broader project in The Guide for the Perplexed, where he translates scriptural and philosophical language into a framework that can survive Aristotelian physics without collapsing faith into either superstition or denial. Limits matter because they keep the world intelligible. They also keep claims about authority honest. If bodily power cannot extend to every distance or degree, then charisma and anecdote shouldn’t be allowed to masquerade as proof. It’s an argument for humility, but not the sentimental kind: humility as an epistemic boundary, the line that keeps reason from turning into credulity.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Maimonides. (2026, January 17). How individuals of the same species surpass each other in these sensations and in other bodily faculties is universally known, but there is a limit to them, and their power cannot extend to every distance or to every degree. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/how-individuals-of-the-same-species-surpass-each-81946/
Chicago Style
Maimonides. "How individuals of the same species surpass each other in these sensations and in other bodily faculties is universally known, but there is a limit to them, and their power cannot extend to every distance or to every degree." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/how-individuals-of-the-same-species-surpass-each-81946/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"How individuals of the same species surpass each other in these sensations and in other bodily faculties is universally known, but there is a limit to them, and their power cannot extend to every distance or to every degree." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/how-individuals-of-the-same-species-surpass-each-81946/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
