--- 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.\" A character's response to a discussion about eating from the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_115191.jpg" --- # Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad… ![“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 tree of knowledge.” quote by Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_115191.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_115191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_115191.jpg) > ““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 tree of knowledge.”” [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. Bad religions rely on mysterious doctrines to control followers, just as oppressive regimes depend on secret police to enforce obedience. **In simple terms:** Mysteries and secrecy sustain bad systems. Key Takeaway Opacity fuels authoritarian control. Themes authority secrecy religion government Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political analysis - religious studies - activist strategy Key Concepts social control psychology of belief Practical Applications - Promote transparency - Educate on critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - When does secrecy become harmful? - How can societies balance mystery and openness? A Different Perspective Some traditions use mystery for spiritual depth, not manipulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-government/) [Bad Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-governments-951695/) [Bad Religions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-religions-1357132/) [Character Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-response-1357134/) [Depend Mysteries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depend-mysteries-1357133/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religions Depend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religions-depend-1357131/) [Tree of knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-of-knowledge/) ## Related quotes > [“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police. Truth, beauty and goodness are not mysterious, they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend-2/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [In rivers and bad governments, the lightest things swim at the top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/in-rivers-and-bad-governments-the-lightest-things-swim-at-the-top/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [In Southern Europe, we have, of course, very bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/in-southern-europe-we-have-of-course-very-bad-governments/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [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/) > [“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 regime which is destroyed by a revolution is almost always an improvement on its immediate predecessor, and experience teaches that the most critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-regime-which-is-destroyed-by-a-revolution-is-almost-always-an/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [In rivers and bad governments the lightest things swim at top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/in-rivers-and-bad-governments-the-lightest-things-swim-at-top/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [It is bad governments, not bad people, who cause revolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-bad-governments-not-bad-people-who-cause-revolutions/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police. Truth, beauty and goodness are not mysterious, they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend-2/) [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/) > [“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/) > [“Yes, but bad language is bound to make in addition bad government, whereas good language is not bound to make bad government. That again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/yes-but-bad-language-is-bound-to-make-in-addition-bad-government/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) [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.\" A character's response to a discussion about eating from the tree of knowledge.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alasdair Gray" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad government" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_115191.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_115191.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/alasdair-gray-13383_bad-government_only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-j_115191.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police.\" A character's…” — Alasdair Gray", "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": "Alasdair Gray", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Only bad religions depend on mysteries,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/only-bad-religions-depend-on-mysteries-just-as-bad-governments-depend/#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 } } ] } ```