---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To Follow by faith alone is to follow…"
description: "\"To Follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.\" — Benjamin Franklin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/benjamin-franklin-65_blindly_to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-bl_251621.png"
---

#  To Follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.

![“To Follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.” quote by Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/benjamin-franklin-65_blindly_to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-bl_251621.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/benjamin-franklin-65_blindly_to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-bl_251621.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/benjamin-franklin-65_blindly_to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-bl_251621.png)

> “To Follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.”

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Following faith without evidence is equivalent to blind following.

**In simple terms:** Blind faith lacks critical thinking.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions.

Themes

faith critical thinking skepticism belief

Mood

cautious inquisitive

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- personal belief systems
- policy making

Key Concepts

blind adherence rational inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- When is faith justified?
- How to balance faith and reason?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blindly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blindly/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-follow-2260748/) [Follow Blindly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-blindly-516994/) [Follow Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-faith-1155270/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [“- What faith do you practice? What religion do you follow?” - The old woman chortled softly, her bosom jiggling beneath the shift. “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-davis/what-faith-do-you-practice-what-religion-do-you-follow-the-old-woman/)

[James L. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-davis/)

> [I don't follow anything blindly. I have to know the entire thing, if I have to get in to it. It might sound funny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-kher/i-don-t-follow-anything-blindly-i-have-to-know-the-entire-thing-if-i/)

[Kailash Kher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-kher/)

> [“To be free, you must think. There is no way to follow blindly and to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kramer/to-be-free-you-must-think-there-is-no-way-to-follow-blindly-and-to-be/)

[John Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kramer/)

> [You take that leap of faith. You have to be willing to follow, blindly, wherever it takes you. If you know where you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-messer/you-take-that-leap-of-faith-you-have-to-be-willing-to-follow-blindly/)

[Sam Messer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-messer/)

> [I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-not-apt-to-follow-blindly-the-lead-of-other-men/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [The advice of friends must be received with a judicious reserve; we must not give ourselves up to it and follow it blindly, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-charron/the-advice-of-friends-must-be-received-with-a-judicious-reserve-we/)

[Pierre Charron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-charron/)

> [“Hope is the light you follow; faith is believing there is actually a light--they are the refusal to give up when you have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-hudson-2/hope-is-the-light-you-follow-faith-is-believing-there-is-actually-a/)

[A. M. Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-hudson-2/)

> [Even in national crisis, it is important that we continue to stand up for our community and follow where our faith leads us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-mcbath/even-in-national-crisis-it-is-important-that-we-continue-to-stand-up/)

[Lucy McBath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-mcbath/)

> [I follow the faith of all religions. My mother gave me abundant love when I was a child. She taught me the ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-shroff/i-follow-the-faith-of-all-religions-my-mother-gave-me-abundant-love/)

[Jackie Shroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-shroff/)

> [“Should one continue to follow the faith of a group that's cast him out? Shouldn't it stand to reason that if he was true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a-miles/should-one-continue-to-follow-the-faith-of-a-group-that-s-cast-him/)

[T. A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-a-miles/)

> [“Faith is wonderful for when you understand it's meaning, it understands you and it takes you where you are destined to be. A rare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-ranjan/faith-is-wonderful-for-when-you-understand-it-s-meaning-it/)

[Ravi Ranjan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-ranjan/)

> [If religion comprises rules you follow, faith is demonstrated by the actions you take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/if-religion-comprises-rules-you-follow-faith-is-demonstrated-by-the/)

[Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/)

> [Intelligence must follow faith, never precede it, and never destroy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/intelligence-must-follow-faith-never-precede-it-and-never-destroy-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Yes, faith is vital to everything, and “without faith it is impossible to please Him.” But faith’s focus must always be Jesus Christ—and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-eareckson-tada/yes-faith-is-vital-to-everything-and-without-faith-it-is-impossible/)

[Joni Eareckson Tada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-eareckson-tada/)

> [“I hope you see how this changes the definition of success. Suddenly success is primarily about having a bold enough faith to follow God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-howerton/i-hope-you-see-how-this-changes-the-definition-of-success-suddenly/)

[Mike Howerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-howerton/)

## More by Benjamin Franklin

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Give me 26 lead soldiers and I will conquer the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/give-me-26-lead-soldiers-and-i-will-conquer-the-world/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [In the affairs of this world, men are saved not by faith, but by the want of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/in-the-affairs-of-this-world-men-are-saved-not-by-faith-but-by-the/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree, and endless in duration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-heaven-we-understand-a-state-of-happiness-infinite-in-degree-and/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [I have thought that wild flowers might be the alphabet of angels, — whereby they write on hills and fields mysterious truths, which it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/i-have-thought-that-wild-flowers-might-be-the-alphabet-of-angels/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [How do you become better tomorrow? By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/how-do-you-become-better-tomorrow-by-improving-yourself-the-world-is/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Little leaks sink the ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/little-leaks-sink-the-ship/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/who-is-rich-he-that-is-content-who-is-that-nobody/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“But on the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/but-on-the-whole-though-i-never-arrived-at-the-perfection-i-had-been/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [The good particular men may do separately, in relieving the sick, is small, compared with what they may do collectively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-good-particular-men-may-do-separately-in-relieving-the-sick-is/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Love your Neighbour; yet don't pull down your Hedge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/love-your-neighbour-yet-don-t-pull-down-your-hedge/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Take counsel in wine, but resolve afterwards in water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/take-counsel-in-wine-but-resolve-afterwards-in-water/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [He that's secure is not safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/he-that-s-secure-is-not-safe/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

[Explore all 1,692 Benjamin Franklin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

## More Blindly quotes

> [ Man blindly works the will of fate. \[Ger., Blindlings that er blos den Willen des Geschickes.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-martin-wieland/man-blindly-works-the-will-of-fate-ger-blindlings-that-er-blos-den/)

[Christoph Martin Wieland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-martin-wieland/)

> [I always was kind of on the edge of the church when I was fully in it , cos I was always asking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/i-always-was-kind-of-on-the-edge-of-the-church-when-i-was-fully-in-it/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Sometimes its easier to look at the world blindly and not see the ugliness that reveals within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboni-gilree/sometimes-its-easier-to-look-at-the-world-blindly-and-not-see-the/)

[Eboni Gilree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboni-gilree/)

> [We can't gather the intelligence we need to foil future attacks, if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. But for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-t-gather-the-intelligence-we-need-to-foil-future-attacks-if-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“But in love, merit is won blindly and unaccountably, and in this blindness and unaccountability lies happiness. pp. 445-446”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-goncharov/but-in-love-merit-is-won-blindly-and-unaccountably-and-in-this/)

[Ivan Goncharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-goncharov/)

> [“A girl may fall in love blindly, but she becomes very clear sighted to her man’s flaws into a year of the relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sneha-mehta/a-girl-may-fall-in-love-blindly-but-she-becomes-very-clear-sighted-to/)

[Sneha Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sneha-mehta/)

> [Human beings, when they encounter that which can't be understood, either run away from it, run towards it blindly, or just rationalize it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/human-beings-when-they-encounter-that-which-can-t-be-understood/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“How could the people around me not see that I’d been spending my day in nineteenth-century Kansas, or in the pit of a giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-joy-arnold/how-could-the-people-around-me-not-see-that-i-d-been-spending-my-day/)

[Elizabeth Joy Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-joy-arnold/)

> [I trusted you blindly but don't think I am blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushan-sharma/i-trusted-you-blindly-but-don-t-think-i-am-blind/)

[Sushan Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushan-sharma/)

> [A request to my specials - I trust you blindly.. But Please. . . . never prove me BLIND..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nit/a-request-to-my-specials-i-trust-you-blindly-but-please-never-prove/)

[Nit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nit/)

> [We are trained from birth not to question authority and to blindly follow it into the abyss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-richard-skaff/we-are-trained-from-birth-not-to-question-authority-and-to-blindly/)

[Rev Richard Skaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rev-richard-skaff/)

> [“I followed Peter heedlessly, or more specifically, my penis followed blindly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alexander/i-followed-peter-heedlessly-or-more-specifically-my-penis-followed/)

[Dani Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alexander/)

> [When someone trusts you blindly, never prove that they are blind..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/when-someone-trusts-you-blindly-never-prove-that-they-are-blind/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“there are many points in life when we cannot see what awaits us around the corner, and it is precisely at such times, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-c-morais/there-are-many-points-in-life-when-we-cannot-see-what-awaits-us/)

[Richard C. Morais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-c-morais/)

> [He struggled with himself, too. I saw it -- I heard it. I saw the inconceivable mystery of a soul that knew no restraint,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/he-struggled-with-himself-too-i-saw-it-i-heard-it-i-saw-the/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

[Browse all 111 Blindly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blindly/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To Follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Benjamin Franklin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-blindly/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blindly"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-blindly/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/benjamin-franklin-65_blindly_to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-bl_251621.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/benjamin-franklin-65_blindly_to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-bl_251621.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/benjamin-franklin-65_blindly_to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-bl_251621.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To Follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.” — Benjamin Franklin",
                "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": "Benjamin Franklin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To Follow by faith alone is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-blindly/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/to-follow-by-faith-alone-is-to-follow-blindly/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
