--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just wish this social institution…" description: "\"“I just wish this social institution [religion] wasn't based on what appears to me to be a monumental hoax built on an accumulation of customs and myth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/andy-rooney-1253_atheism_i-just-wish-this-social-institution-reli_313358.png" --- # I just wish this social institution \[religion\] wasn't… ![“I just wish this social institution [religion] wasn't based on what appears to me to be a monumental hoax built on an accumulation of customs and myths directed toward proving something that isn't true.” quote by Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/andy-rooney-1253_atheism_i-just-wish-this-social-institution-reli_313358.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/andy-rooney-1253_atheism_i-just-wish-this-social-institution-reli_313358.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/andy-rooney-1253_atheism_i-just-wish-this-social-institution-reli_313358.png) > ““I just wish this social institution \[religion\] wasn't based on what appears to me to be a monumental hoax built on an accumulation of customs and myths directed toward proving something that isn't true.”” [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning religious institutions as potentially unfounded traditions challenges belief systems. **In simple terms:** Questioning religion as possibly based on myths. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate long‑standing beliefs. Themes skepticism religion tradition Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - personal belief - academic study - public discourse Key Concepts critical thinking faith analysis Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would change your view on religion? - How do cultural traditions shape personal identity? A Different Perspective Belief systems are deeply personal and can be sensitive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Customs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customs/) [Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) [Falsehoods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehoods/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myths/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [ I just wish this social institution \[religion\] wasnt based on what appears to me to be a monumental hoax built on an accumulation of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-just-wish-this-social-institution-religion-wasnt-based-on-what/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [The institution of religion exists only to keep mankind in order, and to make men merit the goodness of God by their virtue. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-institution-of-religion-exists-only-to-keep-mankind-in-order-and/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every person, as every institution, and, above all, every religion is to be judged not by the amount of atrocities or the wrong committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/every-person-as-every-institution-and-above-all-every-religion-is-to/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The institution of religion is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/the-institution-of-religion-is-important/) [Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/) > [“Criticize yourself before you criticize religions, if religion wasn't, security wouldn't have been.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaran-ihsan-salih/criticize-yourself-before-you-criticize-religions-if-religion-wasn-t/) [Kamaran Ihsan Salih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaran-ihsan-salih/) > [“Mrs Davidson was saying she didn't know how they'd have got through the journey if it hadn't been for us," said Mrs Macphail, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mrs-davidson-was-saying-she-didn-t-know-how-they-d-have-got-through/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nadine recruited one third of her daughters, sons and grandbabies into her religion. But not me I wasn’t going to fall for that bull.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-johnson/nadine-recruited-one-third-of-her-daughters-sons-and-grandbabies-into/) Earl Johnson > [My grandparents - my mom's parents - they're Jewish. But nobody ever pushed religion onto us. It wasn't something I ever grew up with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/my-grandparents-my-mom-s-parents-they-re-jewish-but-nobody-ever/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [In fact, I thought that Christianity was very a good and a very valuable thing for us. But after a while, I began to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-fact-i-thought-that-christianity-was-very-a-good-and-a-very/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [“Religion wasn't a big deal in our house. I don't think it was a big deal in most Chinese households. We always had photos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-huang/religion-wasn-t-a-big-deal-in-our-house-i-don-t-think-it-was-a-big/) [Eddie Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-huang/) > [Religion wasn't imposed on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/religion-wasn-t-imposed-on-me/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I went to Catholic high school for half a year and religion wasn't the cool thing to talk about even at a catholic high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-moore/i-went-to-catholic-high-school-for-half-a-year-and-religion-wasn-t/) [Mandy Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-moore/) > [I wasn't raised with a specific religion. I wasn't raised to judge people in any way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-kreuk/i-wasn-t-raised-with-a-specific-religion-i-wasn-t-raised-to-judge/) [Kristin Kreuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-kreuk/) > [Believing in God was something I took as much for granted as the air I breathed. Religion wasn't something that came out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/believing-in-god-was-something-i-took-as-much-for-granted-as-the-air/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [When I was a young boy, my father taught me that to be a good Catholic, I had to confess at church if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/when-i-was-a-young-boy-my-father-taught-me-that-to-be-a-good-catholic/) [Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/) ## More by Andy Rooney > [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Almost all of us have an elevator or two in our lives somewhere. We wait for them, we ride on them. We're annoyed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/almost-all-of-us-have-an-elevator-or-two-in-our-lives-somewhere-we/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Last night we had three small zucchini for dinner that were grown within fifty feet of our back door. I estimate they cost somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/last-night-we-had-three-small-zucchini-for-dinner-that-were-grown/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Sooner or later the world will have to return to the good old days when we fought wars and killed people the old-fashioned way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/sooner-or-later-the-world-will-have-to-return-to-the-good-old-days/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I've learned that no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-ve-learned-that-no-matter-how-serious-your-life-requires-you-to-be/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Unfortunately, propaganda works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/unfortunately-propaganda-works/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [You're almost always better off keeping your mouth shut, but don't let that stop you from popping off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/you-re-almost-always-better-off-keeping-your-mouth-shut-but-don-t-let/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [The fastest thing computers do is go obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/the-fastest-thing-computers-do-is-go-obsolete/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Every one starts out being an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/every-one-starts-out-being-an-atheist/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/if-you-don-t-enjoy-getting-up-and-working-and-finishing-your-work-and/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [As an old reporter, we have a few secrets, and the first thing is we try the phone book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/as-an-old-reporter-we-have-a-few-secrets-and-the-first-thing-is-we/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I've learned... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-ve-learned-that-it-s-those-small-daily-happenings-that-make-life-so/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [... all of us talk faster than we listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/all-of-us-talk-faster-than-we-listen/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [You can't be a good writer without being a good thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/you-can-t-be-a-good-writer-without-being-a-good-thinker/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [A great many people do not have the right to their own opinion because they don't know what they are talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/a-great-many-people-do-not-have-the-right-to-their-own-opinion/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) [Explore all 264 Andy Rooney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [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/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I just wish this social institution [religion] wasn't based on what appears to me to be a monumental hoax built on an accumulation of customs and myths directed toward proving something that isn't true.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andy Rooney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-just-wish-this-social-institution-religion-wasn-t-based-on-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-just-wish-this-social-institution-religion-wasn-t-based-on-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/andy-rooney-1253_atheism_i-just-wish-this-social-institution-reli_313358.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/andy-rooney-1253_atheism_i-just-wish-this-social-institution-reli_313358.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/andy-rooney-1253_atheism_i-just-wish-this-social-institution-reli_313358.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I just wish this social institution [religion] wasn't based on what appears to me to be a monumental hoax…” — Andy Rooney", "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": "Andy Rooney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I just wish this social institution...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-just-wish-this-social-institution-religion-wasn-t-based-on-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-just-wish-this-social-institution-religion-wasn-t-based-on-what/#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 } } ] } ```