It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
The Bible is literature, not dogma.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that the Bible should be viewed as a piece of literature rather than a strict set of doctrines.
George Santayana's quote emphasizes the importance of understanding the Bible as a literary work that contains cultural and historical significance, rather than merely adhering to its teachings as dogma. This perspective invites readers to explore the narratives, poetry, and philosophical insights found within its texts, promoting a richer and more nuanced engagement with the material.
Themes
BibleLiteratureDogmaPhilosophyInterpretation
In practice
Example use cases
In a literary class discussing the narrative techniques in religious texts.
More from George Santayana
All quotes →The working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought.
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There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. The dark background which death supplies brings out the tender colours of life in all their purity.
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Not to believe in love is a great sign of dullness. There are some people so indirect and lumbering that they think all real affection rests on circumstantial evidence.
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To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
George SantayanaRead
The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
George SantayanaRead
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