--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There’s a saying, “There are no atheists…" description: "\"“There’s a saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” but it should be amended to add “. . . or in penitentiaries.”* If I am ever incarcerated you ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/annabelle-gurwitch-37424_religious-education_there-s-a-saying-there-are-no-atheists-i_2088574.jpg" --- # There’s a saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” but… ![“There’s a saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” but it should be amended to add “. . . or in penitentiaries.”* If I am ever incarcerated you can bet I’ll be signing up for every form of religious education offered. They have the best snacks; they observe holidays and often meet in…” quote by Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/annabelle-gurwitch-37424_religious-education_there-s-a-saying-there-are-no-atheists-i_2088574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/annabelle-gurwitch-37424_religious-education_there-s-a-saying-there-are-no-atheists-i_2088574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/annabelle-gurwitch-37424_religious-education_there-s-a-saying-there-are-no-atheists-i_2088574.jpg) > ““There’s a saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” but it should be amended to add “. . . or in penitentiaries.”\* If I am ever incarcerated you can bet I’ll be signing up for every form of religious education offered. They have the best snacks; they observe holidays and often meet in air-conditioned halls.”” [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even in confinement, people seek comfort in familiar rituals, showing faith adapts to circumstance. **In simple terms:** Religion offers comfort in prison. Key Takeaway Respect diverse coping mechanisms. Themes faith prison comfort Mood humorous observational Type cultural sociological When to use this quote - Incarceration - hospital stays - military deployment Key Concepts Adaptation social rituals Questions to Reflect On - Why do people turn to faith in hardship? - What alternatives exist? A Different Perspective May ignore coercive aspects of institutional religion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheists/) [Foxholes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxholes/) [Religious education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-education/) ## Related quotes > [“There’s a saying— there are no atheists in foxholes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarina-bowen/there-s-a-saying-there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes/) [Sarina Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarina-bowen/) > [There are no atheists in the foxholes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thomas-cummings/there-are-no-atheists-in-the-foxholes/) William Thomas Cummings > [“There are no atheists in foxholes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stennett/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes/) Mary Stennett > [There may or may not be atheists in foxholes, but I'm certain there are none in the Ku Klux Klan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/there-may-or-may-not-be-atheists-in-foxholes-but-i-m-certain-there/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“There are Atheists in foxholes Atheists in hurricanes There are Atheists in all the roles Denied by your refrains Atheists are your fellow citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-kagin/there-are-atheists-in-foxholes-atheists-in-hurricanes-there-are/) Edwin Kagin > [There are no atheists in the foxholes of Bataan...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/there-are-no-atheists-in-the-foxholes-of-bataan/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [There are no atheists in foxholes and there are no libertarians in financial crises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes-and-there-are-no-libertarians-in/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [Maybe there are only atheists in foxholes. If the faithful truly and fully believe in a protective deity, why would they dive into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anderson-thomson/maybe-there-are-only-atheists-in-foxholes-if-the-faithful-truly-and/) J. Anderson Thomson > [The sermon was based on what he claimed was a well-known fact, that there were no Atheists in foxholes. I asked Jack what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-sermon-was-based-on-what-he-claimed-was-a-well-known-fact-that/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Were there atheists in foxholes during World War II? Of course, as can be verified by my dogtags . . . A veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-allen-smith/were-there-atheists-in-foxholes-during-world-war-ii-of-course-as-can/) Warren Allen Smith > [“There are no atheists in foxholes. Whoever had said that was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-shay/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes-whoever-had-said-that-was-right/) [Kathryn Shay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-shay/) > [People say there are no atheists in foxholes. A lot of people think this is a good argument against atheism. Personally, I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-say-there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes-a-lot-of-people-think/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [It may be true that there are no atheists in foxholes. But you don't find many Christians there, either. Or, about as many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/it-may-be-true-that-there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes-but-you-don-t/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“There are plenty of atheists in foxholes. What I don't see are Christians in foxholes. If a Christian soldier takes a bullet to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-singleton/there-are-plenty-of-atheists-in-foxholes-what-i-don-t-see-are/) Sam Singleton > [There are no atheists in foxholes" isn't an argument against atheism, it's an argument against foxholes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-no-atheists-in-foxholes-isn-t-an-argument-against-atheism/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Annabelle Gurwitch > [“Being an atheist had never stopped me from enjoying the ritual, community singing, gay friendly and general do-unto-others-as-you-would-have-them-do-unto-you sentiment of the school’s chapel services,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/being-an-atheist-had-never-stopped-me-from-enjoying-the-ritual/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“recent survey indicated that people who’ve had plastic surgery appeared to have shed only three years on average off of their age. Which three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/recent-survey-indicated-that-people-who-ve-had-plastic-surgery/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“It's also at that moment that I realize I am able to maintain the level of judgmentalness that I so cherish only because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/it-s-also-at-that-moment-that-i-realize-i-am-able-to-maintain-the/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“Jeff and I signed a Jewish marriage contract, a ketubah, promising to cherish each other in the "way that Jewish men and women had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/jeff-and-i-signed-a-jewish-marriage-contract-a-ketubah-promising-to/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“I have no idea what the future looks like but I can still dive in and I intend to keep doing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/i-have-no-idea-what-the-future-looks-like-but-i-can-still-dive-in-and/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“Kissing is a means of getting two people so close together that they can’t see anything wrong with each other.” —RENE YASENEK”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/kissing-is-a-means-of-getting-two-people-so-close-together-that-they-2/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“I was beginning to understand why marriage “experts” like to say that if a couple gets through the first year of marriage they stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/i-was-beginning-to-understand-why-marriage-experts-like-to-say-that/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“Charles Darwin came to marriage with some trepidation. Of course he studied it carefully, cataloging the pluses and minuses of the connubial state. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/charles-darwin-came-to-marriage-with-some-trepidation-of-course-he/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“When I was twelve, my sixth-grade English class went on a field trip to see Franco Zeffirelli’s film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/when-i-was-twelve-my-sixth-grade-english-class-went-on-a-field-trip/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“So, fuck you, fifty, I own you. You're my bitch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/so-fuck-you-fifty-i-own-you-you-re-my-bitch/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) > [“Fifty billion dollars is the amount the Iraqi government is estimated to have received in the first three years after the invasion to rebuild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-gurwitch/fifty-billion-dollars-is-the-amount-the-iraqi-government-is-estimated/) [Annabelle Gurwitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) [Explore all 12 Annabelle Gurwitch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-gurwitch/) ## More Atheists quotes > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) > [We're not mad at God, just like atheists don't hate Santa or Unicorns, they're just not there!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemant-mehta/we-re-not-mad-at-god-just-like-atheists-don-t-hate-santa-or-unicorns/) [Hemant Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemant-mehta/) > [“Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ Again, I hear almost everyday from atheists who write off religion as primitive, premodern nonsense. I summon Aquinas, Augustine, Paul \[of Tarsus\], Teresa of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/again-i-hear-almost-everyday-from-atheists-who-write-off-religion-as/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [The two most evangelical groups in the world are atheists and vegetarians, especially the least knowledgeable and least intelligent individuals within those groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-coleman/the-two-most-evangelical-groups-in-the-world-are-atheists-and/) Clark Coleman > [“the plain fact of the matter was that the Disc was manifestly traversing space on the back of a giant turtle and the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-plain-fact-of-the-matter-was-that-the-disc-was-manifestly/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“They hate us because we are atheists and we feel sorry for them because they are religious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/they-hate-us-because-we-are-atheists-and-we-feel-sorry-for-them/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-are-all-atheists-about-most-of-the-gods-that-humanity-has-ever/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [After a few days in hospital, I was thinking, Oh, gee - I raised in a church, Protestant upbringing which I'd rejected as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/after-a-few-days-in-hospital-i-was-thinking-oh-gee-i-raised-in-a/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) [Browse all 400 Atheists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheists/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There’s a saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” but it should be amended to add “. . . or in penitentiaries.”* If I am ever incarcerated you can bet I’ll be signing up for every form of religious education offered. 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