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What religion a man shall have is a historical accident, quite as much as what language he shall speak.
George Santayana
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Interpretation

What this quote means

A person's religion is often determined by historical circumstances rather than personal choice.

George Santayana suggests that the religion to which a person adheres is largely influenced by historical context, similar to the language they speak. This implies that both religion and language are products of cultural and societal circumstances rather than inherent truth or personal disposition, encouraging a reflection on how external factors shape individual beliefs and identities.

Themes

ReligionCultureIdentityHistoryBelief

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the influence of culture on personal beliefs.

More from George Santayana

It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
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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.
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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.
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