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.
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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.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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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
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