--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only bad religions depend on mysteries…" description: "\"“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police. Truth, beauty and goodness are not mysterious, they are the c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_926030.jpg" --- # Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad… ![“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police. Truth, beauty and goodness are not mysterious, they are the commonest, most obvious, most essential facts of life, like sunlight, air and bread. Only folk whose heads are muddled by expensive educations think…” quote by Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_926030.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_926030.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_926030.jpg) > ““Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police. Truth, beauty and goodness are not mysterious, they are the commonest, most obvious, most essential facts of life, like sunlight, air and bread. Only folk whose heads are muddled by expensive educations think truth, beauty, goodness are rare private properties. Nature is more liberal. The universe keeps nothing essential from us — it is all present, all gift. God is the universe plus mind. Those who say God, or the universe, or nature is mysterious, are like those who call these things jealous or angry. They are announcing the state of their lonely, muddled minds.”” [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truth, beauty, and goodness are ordinary, accessible facts, not hidden or elite; they are universal gifts, not owned by the educated elite. **In simple terms:** Truth and beauty are simple, common facts. Key Takeaway Seek simple truths over mystified ideas. Themes philosophy truth beauty goodness Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - public discourse - personal reflection Key Concepts ethics ontology social critique Questions to Reflect On - What “mysteries” do you accept? - How can we make truth accessible? A Different Perspective Complex ideas can obscure simple truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-government/) [Facts of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts-of-life/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police." A character's response to a discussion about eating from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [Nature has mysterious infinities and imaginative power. It is always varying the productions it offers to us. The artist himself is one of nature's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/nature-has-mysterious-infinities-and-imaginative-power-it-is-always/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [Storms of every sort, torrents, earthquakes, cataclysms, 'convulsions of nature,' etc., however mysterious and lawless at first sight they may seem, are only harmonious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/storms-of-every-sort-torrents-earthquakes-cataclysms-convulsions-of/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [“Nature's a funny old thing, it does whatever it pleases. He had always been a little afraid of it. He tiptoed into forests, speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pascal-garnier/nature-s-a-funny-old-thing-it-does-whatever-it-pleases-he-had-always/) Pascal Garnier > [Nature is always mysterious and secret in her use of means; and art is always likest her when it is most inexplicable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/nature-is-always-mysterious-and-secret-in-her-use-of-means-and-art-is/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Be mindful at all times of the following: the nature of the whole universe, the nature of the part that is me, the relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/be-mindful-at-all-times-of-the-following-the-nature-of-the-whole/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“Words are really a mask,' he said. 'They rarely express the true meaning; in fact they tend to hide it. If you can live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-serrano/words-are-really-a-mask-he-said-they-rarely-express-the-true-meaning/) [Miguel Serrano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-serrano/) > [What it means among other things is the more we learn about the nature of the universe, the nature of creation...if we're not updating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dowd/what-it-means-among-other-things-is-the-more-we-learn-about-the/) [Michael Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dowd/) > [This is a general law of the universe, overlooked by science, that out of complexity emerges greater complexity. We could almost say that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-a-general-law-of-the-universe-overlooked-by-science-that-out/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The history of the universe and nature is being told to us by the stars, by the Earth, by the uprising and elevation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-boff/the-history-of-the-universe-and-nature-is-being-told-to-us-by-the/) [Leonardo Boff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-boff/) > [I like the universe and nature. I am inspired a lot by the beauties of nature. I named myself as the sun because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taeyang/i-like-the-universe-and-nature-i-am-inspired-a-lot-by-the-beauties-of/) [Taeyang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taeyang/) > [The nature of the universe is the nature of things that are. Now, things that are have kinship with things that are from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/the-nature-of-the-universe-is-the-nature-of-things-that-are-now/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [People are so docile right now. It is almost as if good government means when the politicians lie to us for our own good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/people-are-so-docile-right-now-it-is-almost-as-if-good-government/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [History, in general, only informs us of what bad government is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/history-in-general-only-informs-us-of-what-bad-government-is/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Alasdair Gray > [“At last she interrupted with a harsh rattle of laughter. "Oh, yes, I like this book! Crazy hopes of a glamorous, rich, colorful life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/at-last-she-interrupted-with-a-harsh-rattle-of-laughter-oh-yes-i-like/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police." A character's response to a discussion about eating from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [But I do enjoy words—some words for their own sake! Words like river, and dawn, and daylight, and time. These words seem much richer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/but-i-do-enjoy-words-some-words-for-their-own-sake-words-like-river/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“Lanark said irritably, "You seem to understand my questions, but your answers make no sense to me." "That's typical of life, isn't it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/lanark-said-irritably-you-seem-to-understand-my-questions-but-your/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [Are there many people without illness or disability who sit at home in the evening with clenched fists, continually changing the channel of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/are-there-many-people-without-illness-or-disability-who-sit-at-home/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“The world sometimes seems a chessboard where the pieces move themselves. I'm never sure what square to go to. Yet it can't be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/the-world-sometimes-seems-a-chessboard-where-the-pieces-move/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [A good poem is a tautology. It expands one word by adding a number which clarify it, thus making a new word which has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/a-good-poem-is-a-tautology-it-expands-one-word-by-adding-a-number/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“But leaders need to be mostly dead. People want solid monuments to cling to, not confused men like themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/but-leaders-need-to-be-mostly-dead-people-want-solid-monuments-to/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“One day after the exams, the teachers sat at their desks correcting papers while the pupils read comics, played chess or cards or talked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/one-day-after-the-exams-the-teachers-sat-at-their-desks-correcting/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [Think of Florence, Paris, London, New York. Nobody visiting them for the first time is a stranger because he's already visited them in paintings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/think-of-florence-paris-london-new-york-nobody-visiting-them-for-the/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [I distrust speech therapy. Words are the language of lies and evasions. Music cannot lie. Music talks to the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/i-distrust-speech-therapy-words-are-the-language-of-lies-and-evasions/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [Movement turns dead dogs into maggots and daisies, and flour butter sugar an egg and a tablespoon of milk into Abernethy biscuits, and spermatozoa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/movement-turns-dead-dogs-into-maggots-and-daisies-and-flour-butter/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“He watched them with the passionate regret with which he saw them play football or go to dances: the activity itself did not interest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/he-watched-them-with-the-passionate-regret-with-which-he-saw-them/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“It is, but we can only help people by giving less than we take away from them. We enlarge the oasis by increasing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/it-is-but-we-can-only-help-people-by-giving-less-than-we-take-away/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“She is the swelling sail, trim rigging and bust sunlit deck of our matrimonial yacht. I am the low hull, with the invisible ballast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/she-is-the-swelling-sail-trim-rigging-and-bust-sunlit-deck-of-our/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) [Explore all 47 Alasdair Gray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) ## More Bad government quotes > [History, in general, only informs us of what bad government is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/history-in-general-only-informs-us-of-what-bad-government-is/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [People are so docile right now. It is almost as if good government means when the politicians lie to us for our own good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/people-are-so-docile-right-now-it-is-almost-as-if-good-government/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police." A character's response to a discussion about eating from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [“Bad governments always lie because telling the truth requires honour and courage!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/bad-governments-always-lie-because-telling-the-truth-requires-honour/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The Complexities Of Life Caused By Bad Government Leaderships And Parental Mistakes Can Make A Child More Matured Than Their Age. It Happened To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baba-tunde-ojo-olubiyo/the-complexities-of-life-caused-by-bad-government-leaderships-and/) [Baba Tunde Ojo-Olubiyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baba-tunde-ojo-olubiyo/) > [The root cause of poverty is social injustice and the bad government that abets it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-root-cause-of-poverty-is-social-injustice-and-the-bad-government/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [“It may be bad for you, but government has no role in dictating our lives. People should be free to imprison themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/it-may-be-bad-for-you-but-government-has-no-role-in-dictating-our/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [A feeble executive implies a feeble execution of the government. A feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/a-feeble-executive-implies-a-feeble-execution-of-the-government-a/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government, which sooner or later becomes autocratic government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-mackenzie-king/where-there-is-little-or-no-public-opinion-there-is-likely-to-be-bad/) [William Lyon Mackenzie King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-mackenzie-king/) > [My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/my-reading-of-history-convinces-me-that-most-bad-government-results/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [A people can prosper under a very bad government and suffer under a very good one, if in the first case the local administration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/a-people-can-prosper-under-a-very-bad-government-and-suffer-under-a/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [“If a government has the weak eyesight of a mole, that government only brings disaster to that country! The ability to see far is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-a-government-has-the-weak-eyesight-of-a-mole-that-government-only/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [To lodge all power in one party and keep it there is to insure bad government and the sure and gradual deterioration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/to-lodge-all-power-in-one-party-and-keep-it-there-is-to-insure-bad/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A government which is not liked by the artists is certainly a bad government, because artist sees very well what is behind the masks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-government-which-is-not-liked-by-the-artists-is-certainly-a-bad/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) [Browse all 80 Bad government quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-government/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police. 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