My father once told me that respect for truth comes close to being the basis for all morality. 'Something cannot emerge from nothing,' he said. This is profound thinking if you understand how unstable 'the truth' can be.
Frank HerbertRead
Much that was called religion has carried an unconscious attitude of hostility toward life. True religion must teach that life is filled with joys pleasing to the eye of God, that knowledge without action is empty. All men must see that the teaching of religion by rules and rote is largely a hoax. The proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you’ve always known.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that true religion should celebrate life and its joys rather than foster hostility, advocating for knowledge that inspires action.
Frank Herbert argues that many religious teachings create a negative perception of life, overshadowing its joys. He proposes that genuine religion should illuminate the beauty of existence and encourage real understanding through personal experience rather than rote learning. True religion resonates deeply with individuals, awakening a recognition of timeless truths about life and knowledge. It suggests that authentic understanding is not just intellectual but is accompanied by a feeling of familiarity and resonance within oneself.
Themes
ReligionLifeKnowledgeActionJoy
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on spirituality, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of joyful practices in religion.
More from Frank Herbert
All quotes →If you need something to worship, then worship life - all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!
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Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, "I am not the kind of person I want to be." It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.
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To know a thing well, know it's limits; Only when pushed beyond it's tolerance will it's true nature be seen. -The Amtal Rule
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Technology tends toward avoidance of risks by investors. Uncertainty is ruled out if possible. People generally prefer the predictable. Few recognize how destructive this can be, how it imposes severe limits on variability and thus makes whole populations fatally vulnerable to the shocking ways our universe can throw the dice.
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It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.
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