Newton Pulsifer had never...as far as he knew, ever…
““Newton Pulsifer had never...as far as he knew, ever believed in anything. It had been embarrassing, because he quite wanted to believe in something, since he recognized that belief was the lifebelt that got most people through the choppy waters of Life. He'd have liked to believe in a supreme God, although he'd have preferred a half-hour's chat with Him before committing himself, to clear up one or two points. He'd sat in all sorts of churches, waiting for that single flash of blue light, and it hadn't come. And then he'd tried to become an official Atheist and hadn't got the rock-hard, self-satisfied strength of belief even for that. And every single political party had seemed to him equally dishonest. … Then he'd tried believing in the Universe, which seemed sound enough until he'd innocently started reading new books with words like Chaos and Time and Quantum in the titles. He'd found that even the people whose job of work was, so to speak, the Universe, didn't really believe in it and were actually quite proud of not knowing what it really was or even if it could theoretically exist. To Newt's straightforward mind this was intolerable.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The character struggles with belief, trying various faiths and philosophies, yet finds no satisfying certainty.
In simple terms: Search for belief yields frustration.
Key Takeaway
Explore personal convictions.
Themes
faith
skepticism
existential
search
identity
Mood
contemplative
introspective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- religious inquiry
- intellectual exploration
Key Concepts
spiritual quest
philosophical doubt
Questions to Reflect On
- What does belief mean to you?
- Can uncertainty be a source of strength?
A Different Perspective
Belief may remain elusive despite effort.