[1] The phrase first appeared in James Weldon Johnson's novel, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, in which he attributed it to a Black preacher named John Brown.

Describing this powerful preacher, he wrote, "He struck the attitude of a pugilist and thundered out: 'Young man, your arm's too short to box with God!

The phrase also appears in the Black Star song "Thieves in the Night", in the line "Your firearms are too short to box with God".

GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan also used a variation ("Rhymes too short to box with God") on his track "Paper Plates" from Pro Tools.

by Pusha T. This line is also used in Dumbfoundead's song, "Korean Jesus" with the lyrics "Buddha blessed, with Muhammad, trying to hotbox with Gods."

Professional wrestler CM Punk quoted the title word-for-word in a promotional clip on Monday Night Raw on January 7, 2013.

In the 1990 album "Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em" by Eric B and Rakim, the line "Your arms too short to box with God so quit it" appears in the song "Untouchable".