--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The opposite of faith is not doubt, but…" description: "\"“The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discom..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/anne-lamott-188_certainty_the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-c_2816663.png" --- # The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty… ![“The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. Faith also means reaching deeply within, for the sense one was born with, the sense, for…” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/anne-lamott-188_certainty_the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-c_2816663.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/anne-lamott-188_certainty_the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-c_2816663.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/anne-lamott-188_certainty_the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-c_2816663.png) > ““The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. Faith also means reaching deeply within, for the sense one was born with, the sense, for example, to go for a walk.”” [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. Faith is not the opposite of doubt but of certainty; it embraces uncertainty, messiness, and inner longing, allowing growth until clarity emerges. **In simple terms:** Faith embraces uncertainty and inner longing. Key Takeaway Accept mess, wait for light. Themes faith uncertainty inner growth resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - personal crisis - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism spirituality psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you sit with uncertainty? - What inner sense guides you in doubt? A Different Perspective Certainty can blind us to nuance and change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Certainty Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty-certainty-804489/) [Discomfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discomfort/) [Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-doubt/) [Faith Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-means/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess/) [Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite/) [Opposite Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-faith-1170084/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Walk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walk/) ## Related quotes > [I have a lot of faith. But I am also afraid a lot, and have no real certainty about anything. I remembered something Father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-have-a-lot-of-faith-but-i-am-also-afraid-a-lot-and-have-no-real/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [The opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-it-s-certainty/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-certainty/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The opposite of faith is not doubt: It is certainty. It is madness. You can tell you have created God in your own image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-it-is-certainty-it-is-madness-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Take faith, for example. For many people in our world, the opposite of faith is doubt. The goal, then, within this understanding, is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/take-faith-for-example-for-many-people-in-our-world-the-opposite-of/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“But this work has forced me to see that it's our fear of the unknown and our fear of being wrong that create most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/but-this-work-has-forced-me-to-see-that-it-s-our-fear-of-the-unknown/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [ “In the nine years since \[Robert\] Harris’s novel \[Conclave\] was published our culture has, if anything, become more enamored with certainty, not less —… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/in-the-nine-years-since-robert-harris-s-novel-conclave-was-published/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Faith is not a commodity that you either have or don't have enough of, or the right kind of. It's an ongoing process. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/faith-is-not-a-commodity-that-you-either-have-or-don-t-have-enough-of/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [“Fear is the opposite of faith”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/fear-is-the-opposite-of-faith/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [The opposite of faith is not heresy but indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-heresy-but-indifference/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. Faith also means reaching deeply within,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/faith-includes-noticing-the-mess-the-emptiness-and-discomfort-and-2/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“The church's ... certainty is bound to certain norms and ... a feeling of subjective certainty does not guarantee irrefutable certainty ... it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-c-berkouwer/the-church-s-certainty-is-bound-to-certain-norms-and-a-feeling-of/) [G C Berkouwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-c-berkouwer/) > [“The difference between theism and new atheist science is the difference between mystery and certainty. Certainty is a relic, an atavism, a husk we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-difference-between-theism-and-new-atheist-science-is-the/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [... moral certainty is certainty which is sufficient to regulate our behaviour, or which measures up to the certainty we have on matters relating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/moral-certainty-is-certainty-which-is-sufficient-to-regulate-our/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [In practice, some come to see easily, some with difficulty. But whatever the case, never mind. Difficult or easy, the Buddha said not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/in-practice-some-come-to-see-easily-some-with-difficulty-but-whatever/) [Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/) ## 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 Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. Faith also means reaching deeply within, for the sense one was born with, the sense, for example, to go for a walk.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Lamott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-certainty-certainty-is-missing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certainty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-certainty-certainty-is-missing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/anne-lamott-188_certainty_the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-c_2816663.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/anne-lamott-188_certainty_the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-c_2816663.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/anne-lamott-188_certainty_the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-c_2816663.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes…” — Anne Lamott", "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": "Anne Lamott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The opposite of faith is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-certainty-certainty-is-missing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-opposite-of-faith-is-not-doubt-but-certainty-certainty-is-missing/#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 } } ] } ```