---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Try lighting your house by prayer instead…"
description: "\"Try lighting your house by prayer instead of electricity and see which one works.\" — A.C. Grayling"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/a-c-grayling-9398_electricity_try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instea_1269037.png"
---

#  Try lighting your house by prayer instead of electricity…

![“Try lighting your house by prayer instead of electricity and see which one works.” quote by A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/a-c-grayling-9398_electricity_try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instea_1269037.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/a-c-grayling-9398_electricity_try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instea_1269037.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/a-c-grayling-9398_electricity_try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instea_1269037.png)

> “Try lighting your house by prayer instead of electricity and see which one works.”

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Relying on prayer alone for practical needs is ineffective compared to tangible solutions like electricity.

**In simple terms:** Prayer can't replace practical tools.

Key Takeaway

Test ideas with real-world results.

Themes

faith practicality skepticism technology efficacy

Mood

inquisitive skeptical thoughtful

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- energy use
- healthcare
- disaster preparedness
- personal projects

Key Concepts

empiricism critical thinking resourcefulness

Questions to Reflect On

- When is faith appropriate versus technology?
- What are the limits of empirical testing?

A Different Perspective

Spiritual belief may still hold value beyond utility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Electricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electricity/) [Electricity Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electricity-works-4061589/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Instead Electricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instead-electricity-4061586/) [Lighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lighting/) [Lighting House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lighting-house-3382858/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Prayer Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer-instead-4061588/) [Try Lighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-lighting-4061587/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/)

## Related quotes

> [“if you have something capable of lighting up your whole house, why would you ever want to hide that light? The only logical thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/if-you-have-something-capable-of-lighting-up-your-whole-house-why/)

[Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/)

> [I don't know how electricity works. All I know is that it calms me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-don-t-know-how-electricity-works-all-i-know-is-that-it-calms-me/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [I've got so much work to do today, I'd better spend two hours in prayer instead of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/i-ve-got-so-much-work-to-do-today-i-d-better-spend-two-hours-in/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [I'd rather that people could be both entertained and given rest while reading my book than for someone to have to put the book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-d-rather-that-people-could-be-both-entertained-and-given-rest-while/)

[Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/)

> [David Fincher is probably the best comprehensive director in terms of being a manger of a process that must drive forward. He has such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/david-fincher-is-probably-the-best-comprehensive-director-in-terms-of/)

[Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/)

> [And I was very successful at baby photography... Strange isn't it? Because some of my portraits of babies were - I used dramatic lighting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-shulman/and-i-was-very-successful-at-baby-photography-strange-isn-t-it/)

[Julius Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-shulman/)

> [Faith is like lighting the torch that passes from one person to the next. You can't light the torch of another if yours isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/faith-is-like-lighting-the-torch-that-passes-from-one-person-to-the/)

[Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/)

> [I'm a big fan of fiction film where you have a story and you have to transform that into a visual language, basically working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dror-moreh/i-m-a-big-fan-of-fiction-film-where-you-have-a-story-and-you-have-to/)

[Dror Moreh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dror-moreh/)

> [People don't realize that lighting can change the whole look of a place and the feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-berk/people-don-t-realize-that-lighting-can-change-the-whole-look-of-a/)

[Bobby Berk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-berk/)

> [I think lighting is a reflection of what is at stake emotionally in a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/i-think-lighting-is-a-reflection-of-what-is-at-stake-emotionally-in-a/)

[Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/)

> [Everything is really about lighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-denning/everything-is-really-about-lighting/)

[Robert Denning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-denning/)

> [The director makes the movie. The director has to have the story in their head, has to know the style of the piece, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovitz/the-director-makes-the-movie-the-director-has-to-have-the-story-in/)

[Jon Lovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovitz/)

> [Lighting is vital. Without that they've got nothing. And, of course, color and texture. When they showed me a little piece of Finding Nemo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-grant/lighting-is-vital-without-that-they-ve-got-nothing-and-of-course/)

[Joe Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-grant/)

> [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/)

[Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/)

> [What a cool job to be part of - whether it's doing lighting or acting or serving food on set. You're part of telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/what-a-cool-job-to-be-part-of-whether-it-s-doing-lighting-or-acting/)

[Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/)

## More by A.C. Grayling

> [“I to je zapravo sustina proslavljanja Dana sv. Valentina:san o ljubavi. Zivot bi zaista bio gorak kada se san nikada ne bi ostvario ili…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/i-to-je-zapravo-sustina-proslavljanja-dana-sv-valentina-san-o-ljubavi/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/to-read-is-to-fly-it-is-to-soar-to-a-point-of-vantage-which-gives-a/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Inculcating the various competing - competing, note - falsehoods of the major faiths into small children is a form of child abuse, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/inculcating-the-various-competing-competing-note-falsehoods-of-the/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Religions survive mainly because they brainwash the young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/religions-survive-mainly-because-they-brainwash-the-young/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“Goethe had long since remarked that nationalistic feelings ‘are at their strongest and most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/goethe-had-long-since-remarked-that-nationalistic-feelings-are-at/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [I do not believe that there are any such things as gods and goddesses, for exactly the same reasons as I do not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/i-do-not-believe-that-there-are-any-such-things-as-gods-and-goddesses/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [When I was 14 a chaplain at school gave me a reading list. I read everything and I went back to him with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/when-i-was-14-a-chaplain-at-school-gave-me-a-reading-list-i-read/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [ Perhaps worse still is what liberal societies might do to themselves in the face of this new and different threat \[of terrorism\]. They begin,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/perhaps-worse-still-is-what-liberal-societies-might-do-to-themselves/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Christian churches and Muslim groups have no more right to have their say than women's institutes or trades unions. The government has actively encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/christian-churches-and-muslim-groups-have-no-more-right-to-have-their/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Everybody is entitled to believe. Churches have exactly the same right to exist as a football club, a trade union or a political party.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/everybody-is-entitled-to-believe-churches-have-exactly-the-same-right/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“The notion that evil is non-rational is a more significant claim for Eagleton than at first appears, because he is (in this book \[…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/the-notion-that-evil-is-non-rational-is-a-more-significant-claim-for/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [And I say, the meaning of life is what you make it. There will be as many different meaningful lives as there are people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/and-i-say-the-meaning-of-life-is-what-you-make-it-there-will-be-as/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“Hatred is a sentiment that leads to the extinction of values. ORTEGA Y GASSET”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/hatred-is-a-sentiment-that-leads-to-the-extinction-of-values-ortega-y/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Behave in life as at a dinner party. Is anything brought around to you? Put out your hand and take your share with moderation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/behave-in-life-as-at-a-dinner-party-is-anything-brought-around-to-you/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

[Explore all 73 A.C. Grayling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

## More Electricity quotes

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [In the Green Zone in Iraq you have your radio, you have your food, you have your own electricity, your own toilets. Everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/in-the-green-zone-in-iraq-you-have-your-radio-you-have-your-food-you/)

[Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> ['Brace the Wave' is an acoustic-electric record recorded with electricity on analog-digital and digitally-analog equipment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/brace-the-wave-is-an-acoustic-electric-record-recorded-with/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [I have been much amused at ye singular phenomena resulting from bringing of a needle into contact with a piece of amber or resin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/i-have-been-much-amused-at-ye-singular-phenomena-resulting-from/)

[Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/)

> [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [Instead of explaining the sober facts of mechanics and electricity, I want to say a few words about the debt which we owe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-bloch/instead-of-explaining-the-sober-facts-of-mechanics-and-electricity-i/)

[Felix Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-bloch/)

> [He’d moved toward me again. His hands released mine and moved to my waist, and I noticed I wasn’t the only one breathing heavily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/he-d-moved-toward-me-again-his-hands-released-mine-and-moved-to-my/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [By embracing clean energy across the country, we can create more and better jobs, protect the air our children breathe and the water they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lujan-grisham/by-embracing-clean-energy-across-the-country-we-can-create-more-and/)

[Michelle Lujan Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lujan-grisham/)

> [We can go up or we can do down. I think generally the world is going on an upward swing. We're in a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/we-can-go-up-or-we-can-do-down-i-think-generally-the-world-is-going/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/)

[Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/)

> [We're full of electricity, and the walls and floor of a building contain carbon - the same makeup as a video tape - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/we-re-full-of-electricity-and-the-walls-and-floor-of-a-building/)

[Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/)

> [Electricity transmission operates on a frequency between 49.7 Hertz and 50.2 Hertz. What I have done is petitioned the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/electricity-transmission-operates-on-a-frequency-between-49-7-hertz/)

[Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/)

[Browse all 825 Electricity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electricity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Try lighting your house by prayer instead of electricity and see which one works.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "A.C. Grayling"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instead-of-electricity-and-see/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Electricity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instead-of-electricity-and-see/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/a-c-grayling-9398_electricity_try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instea_1269037.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/a-c-grayling-9398_electricity_try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instea_1269037.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/a-c-grayling-9398_electricity_try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instea_1269037.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Try lighting your house by prayer instead of electricity and see which one works.” — A.C. Grayling",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "A.C. Grayling",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Try lighting your house by prayer...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instead-of-electricity-and-see/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/try-lighting-your-house-by-prayer-instead-of-electricity-and-see/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
