--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion is an easy target for…" description: "\"Religion is an easy target for accusations of repression and misogyny, but achievement in the sacred and therefore socio-political sphere was often an ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/bettany-hughes-7743_achievement_religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusatio_650490.jpg" --- # Religion is an easy target for accusations of repression… ![“Religion is an easy target for accusations of repression and misogyny, but achievement in the sacred and therefore socio-political sphere was often an option for women, thanks not to brawn, but to brain.” quote by Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/bettany-hughes-7743_achievement_religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusatio_650490.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/bettany-hughes-7743_achievement_religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusatio_650490.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/bettany-hughes-7743_achievement_religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusatio_650490.jpg) > “Religion is an easy target for accusations of repression and misogyny, but achievement in the sacred and therefore socio-political sphere was often an option for women, thanks not to brawn, but to brain.” [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women have historically leveraged intellect over brute force to gain influence in religious and political realms. **In simple terms:** Intelligence can be a path to power for women. Key Takeaway Cultivate knowledge to influence change. Themes gender power history Mood determined critical Type analytical motivational When to use this quote - political activism - academic pursuits - leadership roles - faith communities Key Concepts intellectual agency social structures Questions to Reflect On - How can education empower marginalized groups? - What obstacles remain for women today? A Different Perspective Structural barriers still limit many women’s opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [In matters of religion, it is very easy to deceive a man and very hard to undeceive him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayle/in-matters-of-religion-it-is-very-easy-to-deceive-a-man-and-very-hard/) [Pierre Bayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayle/) > [We are nearly always longing for an easy religion, easy to understand and easy to follow; a religion with no mystery, no insoluble problems,no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tournier/we-are-nearly-always-longing-for-an-easy-religion-easy-to-understand/) [Paul Tournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tournier/) > [Conversion is not my intention. Changing religion is not easy. You may develop some kind of confusion or difficulties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/conversion-is-not-my-intention-changing-religion-is-not-easy-you-may/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“Religion is easy and not hardship and whoever hard-struggled it but it overpowered him”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prophet-muhammad/religion-is-easy-and-not-hardship-and-whoever-hard-struggled-it-but/) [Prophet Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prophet-muhammad/) > [We read many books, but that does not bring us knowledge. We may read all the Bibles in the world, but that will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-read-many-books-but-that-does-not-bring-us-knowledge-we-may-read/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad/religion-is-very-easy-and-whoever-overburdens-himself-in-his-religion/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad/) > [For many people religion can be so easy they stumble right over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathie-lee-gifford/for-many-people-religion-can-be-so-easy-they-stumble-right-over-it/) [Kathie Lee Gifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathie-lee-gifford/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) ## More by Bettany Hughes > [After I graduated, I carried on with my academic work, via grants but I often had a market stall on Camden Market selling hand-painted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/after-i-graduated-i-carried-on-with-my-academic-work-via-grants-but-i/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [I think it's ironic when Plato makes the learned woman Aspasia Socrates' teacher, but I think women crop up more in the Platonic dialogues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/i-think-it-s-ironic-when-plato-makes-the-learned-woman-aspasia/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Even the picturesque prehistoric settlements at Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini were an exercise in problem-solving; white-washed homes and town halls built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/even-the-picturesque-prehistoric-settlements-at-akrotiri-on-the-greek/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [For the Spartans, it wasn’t walls or magnificent public buildings that made a city; it was their own ideals. In essence, Sparta was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/for-the-spartans-it-wasn-t-walls-or-magnificent-public-buildings-that/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Of all the human figurines discovered so far from 30,000-3,000BC, 92% are of the female form. This is not to say there was any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/of-all-the-human-figurines-discovered-so-far-from-30-000-3-000bc-92/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [I think Socrates was fascinated by Alcibiades. It's almost the opposite of hypocrisy. I think it's like when you can see the potential in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/i-think-socrates-was-fascinated-by-alcibiades-it-s-almost-the/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Sophia - a mystical female presence whose appearance is only fleeting in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament - was clearly once a household…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/sophia-a-mystical-female-presence-whose-appearance-is-only-fleeting/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [By day I am a historian, by night a broadcaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/by-day-i-am-a-historian-by-night-a-broadcaster/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Ancient Egyptian women had rights under the law. They could own land. Many were literate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/ancient-egyptian-women-had-rights-under-the-law-they-could-own-land/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [The word 'America' probably didn't appear in the Persian language until the end of the 18th century - but then with a documented past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/the-word-america-probably-didn-t-appear-in-the-persian-language-until/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [History was invented as a tool, an engineered road down which human society could advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/history-was-invented-as-a-tool-an-engineered-road-down-which-human/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [“Herodotus, the ‘Father of History’, records the moment – and you can hear the emotion in his voice as he does so, a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/herodotus-the-father-of-history-records-the-moment-and-you-can-hear/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [I'm horrified at the idea of intimidating someone. I think that's the opposite of what we should be doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/i-m-horrified-at-the-idea-of-intimidating-someone-i-think-that-s-the/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Nefertiti is lovely, but we should use our wit and will to look beyond that beautiful face to discover and to enjoy a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/nefertiti-is-lovely-but-we-should-use-our-wit-and-will-to-look-beyond/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Once universities, rather than religious orders, were established as the key repositories of learning, women would find it ever harder to prove the pen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/once-universities-rather-than-religious-orders-were-established-as/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) [Explore all 87 Bettany Hughes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/) [Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) Nicholas Roerich > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) [Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Religion is an easy target for accusations of repression and misogyny, but achievement in the sacred and therefore socio-political sphere was often an option for women, thanks not to brawn, but to brain.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bettany Hughes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusations-of-repression-and-misogyny/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achievement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusations-of-repression-and-misogyny/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/bettany-hughes-7743_achievement_religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusatio_650490.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/bettany-hughes-7743_achievement_religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusatio_650490.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/bettany-hughes-7743_achievement_religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusatio_650490.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Religion is an easy target for accusations of repression and misogyny, but achievement in the sacred and…” — Bettany Hughes", "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": "Bettany Hughes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Religion is an easy target for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusations-of-repression-and-misogyny/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/religion-is-an-easy-target-for-accusations-of-repression-and-misogyny/#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 } } ] } ```