--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Believing in religion is like believing…" description: "\"Believing in religion is like believing that adulthood is the solution to childhood.\" — Adam Phillips" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/adam-phillips-18270_adulthood_believing-in-religion-is-like-believing_2719019.jpg" --- # Believing in religion is like believing that adulthood is… ![“Believing in religion is like believing that adulthood is the solution to childhood.” quote by Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/adam-phillips-18270_adulthood_believing-in-religion-is-like-believing_2719019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/adam-phillips-18270_adulthood_believing-in-religion-is-like-believing_2719019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/adam-phillips-18270_adulthood_believing-in-religion-is-like-believing_2719019.jpg) > “Believing in religion is like believing that adulthood is the solution to childhood.” [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religion is likened to believing adulthood solves childhood issues, implying it’s a simplistic fix. **In simple terms:** Religion may be seen as a naive solution to deeper problems. Key Takeaway Seek deeper understanding beyond simple fixes. Themes faith psychology growth Mood skeptical introspective Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - counselling - personal development - family dynamics - cultural critique Key Concepts developmental theory spiritual seeking Questions to Reflect On - What “adult” solutions do you rely on? - How might you address childhood wounds directly? A Different Perspective Religion can also provide community and meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) [Adulthood Solution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood-solution-2867747/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believing Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-adulthood-2867746/) [Believing Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-religion-261075/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Like Believing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-believing-776205/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-like/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) ## Related quotes > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Not believing in anything is also a religion .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/not-believing-in-anything-is-also-a-religion/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [I'm grateful for believing in a religion that can naturally adapt to changing times yet uphold timeless values and principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/i-m-grateful-for-believing-in-a-religion-that-can-naturally-adapt-to/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Believing in religion is an insult to God, because God means high intelligence and what intelligence there is in religion? Let us save the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/believing-in-religion-is-an-insult-to-god-because-god-means-high/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Think hard about the reasons for believing and not believing, what your religion teaches you and demands so inexorably that you believe. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-meslier/think-hard-about-the-reasons-for-believing-and-not-believing-what/) [Jean Meslier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-meslier/) > [“And it isn’t a mistake in taste, like believing that the Matrix sequels were as good as the original.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/and-it-isn-t-a-mistake-in-taste-like-believing-that-the-matrix/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [“How do you know when you love somebody?" I felt something inside of me shrink when the words left his mouth. It sounded like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/how-do-you-know-when-you-love-somebody-i-felt-something-inside-of-me/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [Believing in everything looks a lot like believing in nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/believing-in-everything-looks-a-lot-like-believing-in-nothing/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [Perhaps believing in good design is like believing in God, it makes you an optimist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perhaps-believing-in-good-design-is-like-believing-in-god-it-makes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't tell me you love me unless you mean it because ill do something crazy like believing it !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yashar-ibra/don-t-tell-me-you-love-me-unless-you-mean-it-because-ill-do-something/) [Yashar Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yashar-ibra/) > [Believing in books is a lot like believing in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-schumacher/believing-in-books-is-a-lot-like-believing-in-god/) [Julie Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-schumacher/) > [“Believing in love isn’t like believing in flying reindeer. It’s like believing in rain. Or summer. Or Christmas. Love is real and steady and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/believing-in-love-isn-t-like-believing-in-flying-reindeer-it-s-like/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [Don't tell me you love me if you don't mean it, because I might end up doing some crazy thing, like believing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori-morton/don-t-tell-me-you-love-me-if-you-don-t-mean-it-because-i-might-end-up/) [Cori Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori-morton/) > [Holding on is like believing that there's only a past, letting go and moving on is knowing in your heart that there's a bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/holding-on-is-like-believing-that-there-s-only-a-past-letting-go-and/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) ## More by Adam Phillips > [“Writers as diverse as Wordsworth and Freud, as Blake and Dickens have all hypothesized that the turbulence and intensity we feel as young children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/writers-as-diverse-as-wordsworth-and-freud-as-blake-and-dickens-have/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [Transgression is a quest for solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/transgression-is-a-quest-for-solitude/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [The vocabulary of one’s self-criticism is so impoverished and clichéd. We are at our most stupid in our self-hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/the-vocabulary-of-one-s-self-criticism-is-so-impoverished-and-clich-d/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [The big secret about Art is that no one wants it to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/the-big-secret-about-art-is-that-no-one-wants-it-to-be-true/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [“Indeed psychoanalysis makes sense only as part of the larger cultural conversation in the arts that became known as modernism. Vienna, where Freud lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/indeed-psychoanalysis-makes-sense-only-as-part-of-the-larger-cultural/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [“If you want to be with somebody who gets you, you prefer collusion to desire, safety to excitement (sometimes good things to prefer but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/if-you-want-to-be-with-somebody-who-gets-you-you-prefer-collusion-to/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [“Anger, then, is only for the engaged; for those with projects that matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/anger-then-is-only-for-the-engaged-for-those-with-projects-that-matter/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [“Finding hate-objects may be every bit as essential as finding love-objects, but if one can tolerate some of one's badness -- meaning recognize it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/finding-hate-objects-may-be-every-bit-as-essential-as-finding-love/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [Sanity, as the project of keeping ourselves recognizably human, therefore has to limit the range of human experience. To keep faith with recognition we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/sanity-as-the-project-of-keeping-ourselves-recognizably-human/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [“So there is something perhaps more difficult to conceive of, sometimes born of resignation and sometimes not- a life in which not getting it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/so-there-is-something-perhaps-more-difficult-to-conceive-of-sometimes/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [ The child..will try to make himself..independent of other people. .. Excesses of appetite are self-cures for feelings of hopelessness. ..The child \[uses\] ‘doubt about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/the-child-will-try-to-make-himself-independent-of-other-people/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [To grow up is to discover what one is unequal to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/to-grow-up-is-to-discover-what-one-is-unequal-to/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [There is nothing more terrorizing than the possibility that nothing is hidden. There is nothing more scandalous than a happy marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/there-is-nothing-more-terrorizing-than-the-possibility-that-nothing/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [There is always a ..belief that by destroying the thing that we love we destroy our needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/there-is-always-a-belief-that-by-destroying-the-thing-that-we-love-we/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) > [Everybody is dealing with how much of their own aliveness they can bear and how much they need to anesthetize themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/everybody-is-dealing-with-how-much-of-their-own-aliveness-they-can/) [Adam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) [Explore all 32 Adam Phillips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/) ## More Adulthood quotes > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [People often say that you should never work with child actors. I think that's all wrong. Children have not had the imagination kicked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/people-often-say-that-you-should-never-work-with-child-actors-i-think/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Two things suck about becoming an adult male - paying taxes and getting a finger in your butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-code/two-things-suck-about-becoming-an-adult-male-paying-taxes-and-getting/) [Guy Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-code/) > [You can only pretend for so long before reality hits and you realize he/she is not who you thought or what you truly want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-can-only-pretend-for-so-long-before-reality-hits-and-you-realize/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. More significantly can one say that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/no-one-it-has-been-said-will-ever-look-at-the-moon-in-the-same-way/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-secret-of-adulthood-is-never-start-a-sentence-with-the-words-no/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs. Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age. But ponderously, inevitably, it overtakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/in-their-youth-mortals-behave-more-like-nymphs-adulthood-seems/) [Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/) > [Public schools were designed as the great equalizers of our society - the place where all children could have access to educational opportunities to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-napolitano/public-schools-were-designed-as-the-great-equalizers-of-our-society/) [Janet Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-napolitano/) > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) > [“The entrepreneurs are only about my age, probably younger, but they don't seem so. Their tailored clothes and unbending hairdos, their clipboards and laser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-entrepreneurs-are-only-about-my-age-probably-younger-but-they-don/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) [Browse all 651 Adulthood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Believing in religion is like believing that adulthood is the solution to childhood.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adam Phillips" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/believing-in-religion-is-like-believing-that-adulthood-is-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adulthood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/believing-in-religion-is-like-believing-that-adulthood-is-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/adam-phillips-18270_adulthood_believing-in-religion-is-like-believing_2719019.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/adam-phillips-18270_adulthood_believing-in-religion-is-like-believing_2719019.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/adam-phillips-18270_adulthood_believing-in-religion-is-like-believing_2719019.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Believing in religion is like believing that adulthood is the solution to childhood.” — Adam Phillips", "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": "Adam Phillips", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-phillips/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Believing in religion is like believing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/believing-in-religion-is-like-believing-that-adulthood-is-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-phillips/believing-in-religion-is-like-believing-that-adulthood-is-the/#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 } } ] } ```