--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prayer is a ubiquitous practice in nearly…" description: "\"“Prayer is a ubiquitous practice in nearly all religions, but it is seldom understood. Prayer is not magic, meditation, or positive thinking. It remain..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/anonymous-1_discipline_prayer-is-a-ubiquitous-practice-in-nearl_2628351.jpg" --- # Prayer is a ubiquitous practice in nearly all religions… ![“Prayer is a ubiquitous practice in nearly all religions, but it is seldom understood. Prayer is not magic, meditation, or positive thinking. It remains a puzzle to science and a paradoxical discipline to psychology.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/anonymous-1_discipline_prayer-is-a-ubiquitous-practice-in-nearl_2628351.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/anonymous-1_discipline_prayer-is-a-ubiquitous-practice-in-nearl_2628351.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/anonymous-1_discipline_prayer-is-a-ubiquitous-practice-in-nearl_2628351.jpg) > ““Prayer is a ubiquitous practice in nearly all religions, but it is seldom understood. Prayer is not magic, meditation, or positive thinking. It remains a puzzle to science and a paradoxical discipline to psychology.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He distinguishes prayer from magic or positive thinking, noting its scientific and psychological paradox. **In simple terms:** Prayer is a complex, misunderstood practice. Key Takeaway Explore prayer beyond superstition. Themes faith psychology science Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - interfaith dialogue - mental health practice - spiritual counseling Key Concepts religious studies cognitive science Questions to Reflect On - How does prayer differ across cultures? - What scientific methods can study prayer? A Different Perspective May overlook cultural variations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Prayer Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer-magic-1151356/) [Prayer Ubiquitous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer-ubiquitous-2168545/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religions Seldom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religions-seldom-2168547/) [Understood Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood-prayer-2168546/) ## Related quotes > [“Prayer is not magic. God is not a celestial bellhop ready at our beck and call to satisfy our every whim. In some cases,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/prayer-is-not-magic-god-is-not-a-celestial-bellhop-ready-at-our-beck/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/gratitude-goes-beyond-the-mine-and-thine-and-claims-the-truth-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [self-control might be as passionate and as active as the surrender to passion...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/self-control-might-be-as-passionate-and-as-active-as-the-surrender-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“EXPLANATION: God controls the final outcome of all we do. We are accountable to carry out our work with diligence and discipline, not laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/explanation-god-controls-the-final-outcome-of-all-we-do-we-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-really-important-kind-of-freedom-involves-attention-and-awareness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“7 Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge,       but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/7-fear-of-the-lord-is-the-foundation-of-true-knowledge-but-fools/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It goes against the grain of modern education to teach children to program. What fun is there in making plans, acquiring discipline in organizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-goes-against-the-grain-of-modern-education-to-teach-children-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I find when most people are honest about their spiritual pilgrimage, they admit to the difficulty of maintaining the habit of a spiritual discipline.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-find-when-most-people-are-honest-about-their-spiritual-pilgrimage/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learn-the-art-of-patience-apply-discipline-to-your-thoughts-when-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Archaeology, I found, comprehended all manner of excitement and achievement. Adventure is coupled with bookish toil. Romantic excursions go hand in hand with scholarly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/archaeology-i-found-comprehended-all-manner-of-excitement-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My heart pulls you to me, like an unruly child, unafraid of discipline. My brain; exhausted from trying to rationalize this desire, and chasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-heart-pulls-you-to-me-like-an-unruly-child-unafraid-of-discipline/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In our own time, algebra has become the most rarefied and demanding of all mental disciplines, whose objects are abstractions of abstractions of abstractions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-our-own-time-algebra-has-become-the-most-rarefied-and-demanding-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Discipline quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) [W.J. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-turner/) > [You can't have the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing: Private Victories proceed Public Victories. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-can-t-have-the-fruits-without-the-roots-it-s-the-principle-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [I'm always writing. I'm an obsessive. It's not because I'm a disciplined person. It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [The undisciplined child enters into discipline by working in the company of others; not being told he is naughty.” “Discipline is, therefore, primarily a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-undisciplined-child-enters-into-discipline-by-working-in-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) [Burne Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burne-hogarth/) > [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/) [Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/cheerfulness-in-most-cheerful-people-is-the-rich-and-satisfying/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Stay in your seat come times of trouble. Its only people who jump off the roller coaster who get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/stay-in-your-seat-come-times-of-trouble-its-only-people-who-jump-off/) [Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/) [Browse all 5,597 Discipline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Prayer is a ubiquitous practice in nearly all religions, but it is seldom understood. Prayer is not magic, meditation, or positive thinking. 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