--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you don't believe in God, it may help…" description: "\"If you don't believe in God, it may help to remember this great line of Geneen Roth's: that awareness is learning to keep yourself company. And then le..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/anne-lamott-188_awareness_if-you-don-t-believe-in-god-it-may-help_1263556.jpg" --- # If you don't believe in God, it may help to remember this… ![“If you don't believe in God, it may help to remember this great line of Geneen Roth's: that awareness is learning to keep yourself company. And then learn to be more compassionate company, as if you were somebody you are fond of and wish to encourage. I doubt that you would read a close friend's…” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/anne-lamott-188_awareness_if-you-don-t-believe-in-god-it-may-help_1263556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/anne-lamott-188_awareness_if-you-don-t-believe-in-god-it-may-help_1263556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/anne-lamott-188_awareness_if-you-don-t-believe-in-god-it-may-help_1263556.jpg) > “If you don't believe in God, it may help to remember this great line of Geneen Roth's: that awareness is learning to keep yourself company. And then learn to be more compassionate company, as if you were somebody you are fond of and wish to encourage. I doubt that you would read a close friend's early efforts and, in his or her presence, roll your eyes and snicker. I doubt that you would pantomime sticking your finger down your throat. I think you might say something along the lines of, 'Good for you. We can work out some of the problems later, but for now, full steam ahead!” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑compassion and inner awareness are essential for personal growth and kindness toward oneself. **In simple terms:** Be kind to yourself. Key Takeaway Practice self‑compassion daily. Themes self‑care mindfulness compassion Mood introspective inspirational Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - meditation practice - creative writing - coaching Key Concepts psychology spirituality personal development Questions to Reflect On - How can you nurture a supportive inner dialogue? - What practices help you stay compassionate? A Different Perspective Self‑criticism can undermine progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-god/) [Believe in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Close Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-friend/) [Close friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-friends/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Compassionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassionate/) [Don't believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-t-believe/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Encourage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encourage/) [Encourage Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encourage-doubt-4026113/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [God help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-help/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Pantomime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pantomime/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Roth Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roth-awareness-4026114/) [Snickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snickers/) [Steam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steam/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Throat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/throat/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/) ## Related quotes > [Close friendships are one of life's miracles - that a few people get to know you deeply, all your messy or shadowy stuff along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/close-friendships-are-one-of-life-s-miracles-that-a-few-people-get-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“When I feel the Snickers bar in my hand, I know I'm in the inner sanctum.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ee/when-i-feel-the-snickers-bar-in-my-hand-i-know-i-m-in-the-inner/) [Susan Ee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ee/) > [Spade-“If you’d refrain from slamming my face any more into this dirty rock floor, I’ll do whatever you like,” was his even reply. “Fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/spade-if-you-d-refrain-from-slamming-my-face-any-more-into-this-dirty/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [There's no such thing as a diet Snickers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-run/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-diet-snickers/) [Rev. Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rev-run/) > [Jeb Bush cheated on his diet and had a fried Snickers bar, pork on a stick, and a beer. Jeb Bush said he ate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/jeb-bush-cheated-on-his-diet-and-had-a-fried-snickers-bar-pork-on-a/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Dude. Post-apocalyptic world. Who does job applications anymore?” “I do.” I squint at it, then him. “What are you paying me?” I angle. “Dude.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/dude-post-apocalyptic-world-who-does-job-applications-anymore-i-do-i/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [My dad's been giving me Snickers since I was six years old. Since I first turned amateur, my dad's been giving it to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-ruiz-jr/my-dad-s-been-giving-me-snickers-since-i-was-six-years-old-since-i/) [Andy Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-ruiz-jr/) > [“Oh baby", Madoc groaned to the girl next to him. "Snickers ain't the only thing king sized.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-douglas/oh-baby-madoc-groaned-to-the-girl-next-to-him-snickers-ain-t-the-only/) [Penelope Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-douglas/) > [A word is an arbitrary label - that's the foundation of linguistics. But many people think otherwise. They believe in word magic: that uttering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/a-word-is-an-arbitrary-label-that-s-the-foundation-of-linguistics-but/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Will somebody get North Korea a Snickers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/will-somebody-get-north-korea-a-snickers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more people that are out of work, the better for the Democrat Party. I know you might snicker at that, but it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-more-people-that-are-out-of-work-the-better-for-the-democrat/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“As there was no saddle, Lisa said to the horse, “May I pull myself up?” And damned if the horse didn’t nod.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-kessler/as-there-was-no-saddle-lisa-said-to-the-horse-may-i-pull-myself-up/) [Jackie Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-kessler/) > [I can't say I don't like acting, but I can't imagine a career when I have to spend 70 percent of my time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-can-t-say-i-don-t-like-acting-but-i-can-t-imagine-a-career-when-i/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [Jabs are the lightweight pieces of content that benefit your customers by making them laugh, snicker, ponder, play a game, feel appreciated, or escape;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/jabs-are-the-lightweight-pieces-of-content-that-benefit-your/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [Everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Jon Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-sanchez/everybody-who-runs-cnn-is-a-lot-like-jon-stewart-and-a-lot-of-people/) [Rick Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-sanchez/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Awareness quotes > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. 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It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) [Vashti Quiroz-Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vashti-quiroz-vega/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Browse all 4,768 Awareness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you don't believe in God, it may help to remember this great line of Geneen Roth's: that awareness is learning to keep yourself company. And then learn to be more compassionate company, as if you were somebody you are fond of and wish to encourage. I doubt that you would read a close friend's early efforts and, in his or her presence, roll your eyes and snicker. I doubt that you would pantomime sticking your finger down your throat. I think you might say something along the lines of, 'Good for you. 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