--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like a christening, a wedding, a…" description: "\"Like a christening, a wedding, a graduation ceremony, a holy war, a revolutioneven?a fireworksdisplay, agaudy promise of what life ought to be, not lif..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alistair-cooke-9876_ceremony_like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduatio_2046072.jpg" --- # Like a christening, a wedding, a graduation ceremony, a… ![“Like a christening, a wedding, a graduation ceremony, a holy war, a revolutioneven?a fireworksdisplay, agaudy promise of what life ought to be, not life itself.” quote by Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alistair-cooke-9876_ceremony_like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduatio_2046072.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alistair-cooke-9876_ceremony_like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduatio_2046072.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alistair-cooke-9876_ceremony_like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduatio_2046072.jpg) > “Like a christening, a wedding, a graduation ceremony, a holy war, a revolutioneven?a fireworksdisplay, agaudy promise of what life ought to be, not life itself.” [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rituals and grand events mask the ordinary reality of existence. **In simple terms:** Big ceremonies hide everyday life. Key Takeaway Seek meaning beyond spectacle. Themes rituals illusion reality Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - weddings - political movements - daily routine Key Concepts sociology philosophy culture Questions to Reflect On - How do you find authenticity in rituals? - When do ceremonies become hollow? A Different Perspective Rituals can become empty symbols. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ceremony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremony/) [Christening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christening/) [Graduation ceremony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduation-ceremony/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Holy war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-war/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-itself/) [Life Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-ought-259274/) [Like Christening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-christening-3833276/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Promise Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise-life-304673/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I am terminally sentimental about graduations. They are more individual than weddings, more conscious than christenings, or bar mitzvahs or bat mitzvahs. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-am-terminally-sentimental-about-graduations-they-are-more/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Sonnet of Holy Water A new day starts with a new you, And I ain't talkin' about born again nonsense. A bigot baptized a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/sonnet-of-holy-water-a-new-day-starts-with-a-new-you-and-i-ain-t/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [What a blight that woman is. Do you happen to know why? I lean toward a malignant fairy at her christening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/what-a-blight-that-woman-is-do-you-happen-to-know-why-i-lean-toward-a/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/if-i-had-influence-with-the-good-fairy-who-is-supposed-to-preside-2/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [All world was one, one windy nothing, My world was christened in a stream of milk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/all-world-was-one-one-windy-nothing-my-world-was-christened-in-a/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) > [A wee bit of heaven drifted down from above, a handful of happiness, a heart full of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-steiner-rice/a-wee-bit-of-heaven-drifted-down-from-above-a-handful-of-happiness-a/) [Helen Steiner Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-steiner-rice/) > [Success doesn't come overnight and there's certain things you can't do. I've missed so many weddings, christenings and birthdays, but I know all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-meadows/success-doesn-t-come-overnight-and-there-s-certain-things-you-can-t/) [Jenny Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-meadows/) > [Prepare ye the way of the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah/prepare-ye-the-way-of-the-lord/) [Isaiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah/) > [What we do every St. Patty's day, which is wear green and drink a lot of Guinness. And maybe cry a little bit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/what-we-do-every-st-patty-s-day-which-is-wear-green-and-drink-a-lot/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [Christening stars I remember the way. We were needle and spoon mislaid in the burning hay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cradle-of-filth/christening-stars-i-remember-the-way-we-were-needle-and-spoon-mislaid/) [Cradle Of Filth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cradle-of-filth/) > [The matter of making christening robes for caterpillars, it is not a difficult one; the difficulty is to get a frisky caterpillar to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-whiteley/the-matter-of-making-christening-robes-for-caterpillars-it-is-not-a/) [Opal Whiteley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-whiteley/) > [There are no persons more solicitous about the preservation of rank than those who have no rank at all. Observe the humors of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/there-are-no-persons-more-solicitous-about-the-preservation-of-rank/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/now-i-lay-me-down-to-sleep-i-pray-the-lord-my-soul-to-keep/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [If I had influence with the good fairy... I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/if-i-had-influence-with-the-good-fairy-i-should-ask-that-her-gift-to/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [“The oblong, one-layer cake was coated in powder-pink frosting. Around the sides of the cake the pink was decorated with white frills resembling lace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaile-parkin/the-oblong-one-layer-cake-was-coated-in-powder-pink-frosting-around/) [Gaile Parkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaile-parkin/) ## More by Alistair Cooke > [It has always been cited as an irrepressible symptom of America's vitality that her people, in fair times and foul, believe in themselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-has-always-been-cited-as-an-irrepressible-symptom-of-america-s/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [No myth dies harder, and none is more regularly debunked by the facts, than the one about international sports contributing to international friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/no-myth-dies-harder-and-none-is-more-regularly-debunked-by-the-facts/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [The emblem on the necktie reserved for the members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews - The Vatican of golf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/the-emblem-on-the-necktie-reserved-for-the-members-of-the-royal-and/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [If computers take over, it will serve us right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/if-computers-take-over-it-will-serve-us-right/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [ \[In 1889\] the last big tract of Indian land was declared open for settlement, in Oklahoma. The claimants and the speculators mounted their horses… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/in-1889-the-last-big-tract-of-indian-land-was-declared-open-for/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [“Every sport pretends to be literature. . .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/every-sport-pretends-to-be-literature/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [To watch an American on a beach, or crowding into a subway, or buying a theatre ticket, or sitting at home with his radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/to-watch-an-american-on-a-beach-or-crowding-into-a-subway-or-buying-a/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [To the goggling unbeliever Texans say, as people always say about their mangier dishes, 'But it's just like chicken, only tenderer.' Rattlesnake is, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/to-the-goggling-unbeliever-texans-say-as-people-always-say-about/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [I talk to my typewriter and that is what I've been working on for 40 years-how to write for talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/i-talk-to-my-typewriter-and-that-is-what-i-ve-been-working-on-for-40/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [I hasten to say to snobs from the Surrey pine-and-sand country that no invention since the corn plaster or the electric toothbrush has brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/i-hasten-to-say-to-snobs-from-the-surrey-pine-and-sand-country-that/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [A professional is a person who can do his best at a time when he doesn't particularly feel like it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/a-professional-is-a-person-who-can-do-his-best-at-a-time-when-he/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [Liberty is the luxury of self-discipline, that those nations historically who have failed to discipline themselves have had discipline imposed by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/liberty-is-the-luxury-of-self-discipline-that-those-nations/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [The best thing about Eisenhower's Presidency was his Jeffersonian conviction that there should be as little government and as much golf as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/the-best-thing-about-eisenhower-s-presidency-was-his-jeffersonian/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [There is even - as with no other game - a fascinating detective literature, a wry commentary on the human comedy, implicit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/there-is-even-as-with-no-other-game-a-fascinating-detective/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [It's an acting job - acting natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-s-an-acting-job-acting-natural/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) [Explore all 68 Alistair Cooke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) ## More Ceremony quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things - he never said that gay people should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/jesus-never-said-a-word-about-homosexuality-in-all-of-his-teachings/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [It is merely the egoism of the man, who wants to bury a woman like a treasure. All attempts at using vows, contracts, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/it-is-merely-the-egoism-of-the-man-who-wants-to-bury-a-woman-like-a/) [Leopold von Sacher-Masoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/) > [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [There are ceremonious bows that repel one like a cudgel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/there-are-ceremonious-bows-that-repel-one-like-a-cudgel/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I am unable to distinguish clearly between your religious ceremonies and apparently identical behavior at the sporting and cultural functions you have transmitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-am-unable-to-distinguish-clearly-between-your-religious-ceremonies/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Politics resemble religion; attempting to divest either of ceremony is the most certain mode of bringing either into contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/politics-resemble-religion-attempting-to-divest-either-of-ceremony-is/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Singing at the Opening Ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics in 2000 was amazing and, probably the highlight of this decade is the opening of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/singing-at-the-opening-ceremonies-of-the-sydney-olympics-in-2000-was/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [Nostalgia is also a trait of the organizations that I call lodges - everything from corporate cultures to religious sects. Their bonding power often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-james/nostalgia-is-also-a-trait-of-the-organizations-that-i-call-lodges/) [Jennifer James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-james/) > [Over the weekend, former Enron executives Jeffrey Skilling and Rebecca Carter married each other during a huge ceremony in Houston. The happy couple is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/over-the-weekend-former-enron-executives-jeffrey-skilling-and-rebecca/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [“Japanese tea ceremony,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-berk/japanese-tea-ceremony/) [Sheryl Berk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-berk/) > [Truth and ceremony are two things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/truth-and-ceremony-are-two-things/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [The trappings of a religious cult tend to fall into candlelit ceremonies and robes and group chanting and singing and prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-durkin/the-trappings-of-a-religious-cult-tend-to-fall-into-candlelit/) [Sean Durkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-durkin/) > [No known human group... simply throw out its dead without any ritual or ceremony. In stark contrast, no animal practices burial of dead individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/no-known-human-group-simply-throw-out-its-dead-without-any-ritual-or/) [Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/) [Browse all 534 Ceremony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremony/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Like a christening, a wedding, a graduation ceremony, a holy war, a revolutioneven?a fireworksdisplay, agaudy promise of what life ought to be, not life itself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alistair Cooke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduation-ceremony-a-holy-war-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ceremony" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduation-ceremony-a-holy-war-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alistair-cooke-9876_ceremony_like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduatio_2046072.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alistair-cooke-9876_ceremony_like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduatio_2046072.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alistair-cooke-9876_ceremony_like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduatio_2046072.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Like a christening, a wedding, a graduation ceremony, a holy war, a revolutioneven?a fireworksdisplay…” — Alistair Cooke", "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": "Alistair Cooke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Like a christening, a wedding, a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduation-ceremony-a-holy-war-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/like-a-christening-a-wedding-a-graduation-ceremony-a-holy-war-a/#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 } } ] } ```