Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
It may be true that there are no atheists in foxholes. But you don't find many Christians there, either. Or, about as many of one as the other.
Interpretation
What this quote means
In desperate situations, people may turn to faith, yet the authenticity of that faith can be questionable.
Edward Abbey's quote reflects on the human tendency to seek solace in spirituality during times of extreme difficulty, such as war or crisis. It suggests that while many may claim to hold strong beliefs when faced with danger, the reality of their faith, whether atheistic or Christian, may be more ambiguous and less meaningful than it appears.
Themes
FaithCrisisReligionHuman NatureAuthenticity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a discussion on the role of faith in extreme situations.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
Edward AbbeyRead
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
Edward AbbeyRead
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Edward AbbeyRead
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
Similar quotes
Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?
Bob MarleyRead
Who are you to condemn another's sin? He who condemns sin becomes part of it, espouses it.
Georges BernanosRead
To go beyond samsara and nirvana, we will need _x000D_ the two wings of emptiness and compassion. _x000D_ From now on, let us use these two wings _x000D_ to fly fearlessly into the sky of the life to come.
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheRead
She also considered very seriously what she would look like in a little cottage in the middle of the forest, dressed in a melancholy gray and holding communion only with the birds and trees; a life of retirement away from the vain world; a life into which no man came. It had its attractions, but she decided that gray did not suit her.
A. A. MilneRead
In high school, I had to hide my comic book side, my nerd side from the civilian world so they wouldn't categorize me. They would try to marginalize me for what I like. I tried to give it up, believe me. I tried to kick the habit. But there's too much I liked about it to give it up completely.
Mark HamillRead
The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded. Therefore, anything that has the semblance of an external authority is rejected by Zen. Absolute faith is placed in a man's own inner being. For whatever authority there is in Zen, all comes from within.
D.T. SuzukiRead