Belief Quote by Aldous Huxley
““Give us this day our daily Faith, but deliver us, dear God, from Belief. Faith is something very different from belief. Belief is the systematic taking of unanalyzed words much too seriously. Paul's words, Mohammed's words, Marx's words, Hitler's words---people take them too seriously, and what happens? What happens is the senseless ambivalence of history---sadism versus duty, or (incomparably worse) sadism as duty; devotion counterbalanced by organized paranoia; sisters of charity selflessly tending the victims of their own church's inquisitors and crusaders. Faith, on the contrary, can never be taken too seriously. For Faith is the empirically justified confidence in our capacity to know who in fact we are, to forget the belief-intoxicated Manichee in Good Being.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Perennial Philosophy, Aldous Huxley, 1945
Faith is a lived, experiential trust in reality, while belief is an unexamined acceptance of doctrines that can become oppressive.
In simple terms: Faith trusts experience; belief clings to doctrine.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate personal inquiry over rigid doctrine.
Themes
faith
belief
authority
history
psychology
Mood
contemplative
critical
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal meditation
- education
- interfaith dialogue
- political activism
Key Concepts
empiricism
existentialism
critical thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you differentiate personal conviction from inherited doctrine?
- When can belief become a source of harm?
A Different Perspective
Faith can be misused when it becomes dogma; belief may also inspire positive change.
