It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
What religion a man shall have is a historical accident, quite as much as what language he shall speak.
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
All quotes βThe working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought.
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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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