If you have the guts to be yourself, other people'll pay your price.
John UpdikeRead
The guarantee that our self enjoys an intended relation to the outer world is most, if not all, we ask from religion. God is the self projected onto reality by our natural and necessary optimism. He is the not-me personified.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote explores the relationship between self and the divine, suggesting that religion helps connect our inner selves to the outer world.
In this quote, John Updike reflects on the role of religion in shaping our perception of reality. He suggests that the essence of religion lies in its ability to affirm our self-concept and provide a link to the external world. By personifying God as the 'not-me', he illustrates the projection of our innate optimism onto a higher power, reinforcing a sense of connection and fulfillment in our lives through faith.
Themes
SelfReligionOptimismIdentityOuter WorldFaith
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about finding purpose, one could reference this quote to illustrate how faith shapes our self-identity.
More from John Updike
All quotes →Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of. _x000D_ _x000D_ Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings.
John UpdikeRead
Museums and bookstores should feel, I think, like vacant lots - places where the demands on us are our own demands, where the spirit can find exercise in unsupervised play.
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But it is just two lovers, holding hands and in a hurry to reach their car, their locked hands a starfish leaping through the dark.
John UpdikeRead
The reader knows the writer better than he knows himself; but the writer's physical presence is light from a star that has moved on.
John UpdikeRead
To guarantee the individual maximum freedom within a social frame of minimal laws ensures - if not happiness - its hopeful pursuit.
John UpdikeRead
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