--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is often said, inside the Church and…" description: "\"“It is often said, inside the Church and out of it, that there is something grotesque about lectures on the sexual life when delivered by those who hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/christopher-hitchens-117_celibacy_it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-o_1837051.jpg" --- # It is often said, inside the Church and out of it, that… ![“It is often said, inside the Church and out of it, that there is something grotesque about lectures on the sexual life when delivered by those who have shunned it. Given the way that the Church forbids women to preach, this point is usually made about men. But given how much this Church allows the…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/christopher-hitchens-117_celibacy_it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-o_1837051.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/christopher-hitchens-117_celibacy_it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-o_1837051.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/christopher-hitchens-117_celibacy_it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-o_1837051.jpg) > ““It is often said, inside the Church and out of it, that there is something grotesque about lectures on the sexual life when delivered by those who have shunned it. Given the way that the Church forbids women to preach, this point is usually made about men. But given how much this Church allows the fanatical Mother Teresa to preach, it might be added that the call to go forth and multiply, and to take no thought for the morrow, sounds grotesque when uttered by an elderly virgin whose chief claim to reverence is that she ministers to the inevitable losers in this very lottery.”” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques hypocrisy of religious authority when moral preaching contradicts personal practice. **In simple terms:** Religious leaders can be hypocritical. Key Takeaway Question personal consistency. Themes hypocrisy religion authority Mood critical ironic Type satirical commentary When to use this quote - church leadership - public preaching - gender roles - public morality Key Concepts moral authority social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does personal behavior affect credibility? - Can institutions change without hypocrisy? A Different Perspective Religious institutions may face backlash for perceived double standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Celibacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celibacy/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church Forbids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-forbids-2320336/) [Lectures Sexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures-sexual-2320337/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mother teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-teresa/) [Teresa Preach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teresa-preach-2320334/) [Women Preach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-preach-2320335/) ## Related quotes > [If the Bible teaches the equality of women, why does the church refuse to ordain women to preach the gospel, to fill the offices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/if-the-bible-teaches-the-equality-of-women-why-does-the-church-refuse/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [ MT \[Mother Teresa\] was not a friend of the poor. She was a friend of poverty. She said that suffering was a gift from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/mt-mother-teresa-was-not-a-friend-of-the-poor-she-was-a-friend-of/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I began the project of judging Mother Teresa’s reputation by her actions and words rather than her actions and words by her reputation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-began-the-project-of-judging-mother-teresa-s-reputation-by-her/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Pettiness often leads both to error and to the digging of a trap for oneself. Wondering (which I am sure he didn't) 'if by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/pettiness-often-leads-both-to-error-and-to-the-digging-of-a-trap-for/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“When the late Pope John Paul II decided to place the woman so strangely known as “Mother” Teresa on the fast track for beatification,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/when-the-late-pope-john-paul-ii-decided-to-place-the-woman-so/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ Everything everyone thinks they know about \[Mother Teresa\] is false. It must be the single most successful emotional con job of the twentieth century. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/everything-everyone-thinks-they-know-about-mother-teresa-is-false-it/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I feel strongly that Mother Teresa’s life has a great message for young people. We so often feel powerless to do anything about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kielburger/i-feel-strongly-that-mother-teresa-s-life-has-a-great-message-for/) [Craig Kielburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kielburger/) > [One need not be a Mother Teresa, but being kind and well-behaved with those around us can win people's hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-lekshmi/one-need-not-be-a-mother-teresa-but-being-kind-and-well-behaved-with/) [Aishwarya Lekshmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-lekshmi/) > [I'm not Mother Teresa, but I'm not Charles Manson, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-m-not-mother-teresa-but-i-m-not-charles-manson-either/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [The picture of Mother Teresa that I remember from my childhood is of a short, sari-wearing woman scurrying down a red gravel path between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/the-picture-of-mother-teresa-that-i-remember-from-my-childhood-is-of/) [Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/) > [For every Mother Teresa, there's a Jeffrey Dahmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/for-every-mother-teresa-there-s-a-jeffrey-dahmer/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [“Mother Teresa used the analogy of electricity: “The wire is you and me; the current is God,” she said. “We have the power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/mother-teresa-used-the-analogy-of-electricity-the-wire-is-you-and-me/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Mother Teresa I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mother-teresa-i-am-not-sure-exactly-what-heaven-will-be-like-but-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nudge is a great kid, but that motormouth of hers could have turned Mother Teresa into an ax murderer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nudge-is-a-great-kid-but-that-motormouth-of-hers-could-have-turned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Celibacy quotes > [“I will tell you this only once. Homosexuals have been among the best warriors in our history, the berserkers of last resort. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-will-tell-you-this-only-once-homosexuals-have-been-among-the-best/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“This worldly life is very difficult. Mother-in-law comes, mother of the mother-in-law comes, sister of mother-in-law comes, aunt of mother-in-law comes. How many mother-in-laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/this-worldly-life-is-very-difficult-mother-in-law-comes-mother-of-the/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Celibacy is the worst form of self-abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-de-vries/celibacy-is-the-worst-form-of-self-abuse/) [Peter De Vries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-de-vries/) > [“Masturbation is not the happiest form of sexuality, but the most advisable for him who wants to be alone and think. I detect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/masturbation-is-not-the-happiest-form-of-sexuality-but-the-most/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“Sheel (the highest state of conduct in worldly interaction) is where not even an iota of a wrong intent arises within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/sheel-the-highest-state-of-conduct-in-worldly-interaction-is-where/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Yes, hypothetically, western Catholicism could revise the theme of celibacy. ... But for the moment, I am in favor of maintaining celibacy, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/yes-hypothetically-western-catholicism-could-revise-the-theme-of/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [It is impossible to believe that the same God who permitted His own son to die a bachelor regards celibacy as an actual sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/it-is-impossible-to-believe-that-the-same-god-who-permitted-his-own/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“Not just the celibacy thing but because he has God’s ear, a line on the mysteries. That’s impressive to girls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-elkin/not-just-the-celibacy-thing-but-because-he-has-god-s-ear-a-line-on/) [Stanley Elkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-elkin/) > [“It is better to lock up your heart with a merciless padlock, than to fall in love with someone who doesn't know what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/it-is-better-to-lock-up-your-heart-with-a-merciless-padlock-than-to/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [In the name of celibacy, sex has been repressed for centuries and you have become just full of sexuality. Rather than transcending it you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/in-the-name-of-celibacy-sex-has-been-repressed-for-centuries-and-you/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“Fr. Benedict Groeschel says it in his uniquely northern New Jersey way: “Celibacy means that we belong exclusively to the Lord, from our brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-m-dolan-cardinal/fr-benedict-groeschel-says-it-in-his-uniquely-northern-new-jersey-way/) [Timothy M Dolan Cardinal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-m-dolan-cardinal/) > [“...it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible to a generous public! A single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-poverty-only-which-makes-celibacy-contemptible-to-a-generous/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Even supposing there were some spiritual advantage in celibacy, it ought to be completely voluntary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/even-supposing-there-were-some-spiritual-advantage-in-celibacy-it/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [There were the physical challenges of hitchhiking across Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as they were quite dangerous areas. I wrote about that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/there-were-the-physical-challenges-of-hitchhiking-across-turkey-iran/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [“Though I wholeheartedly supported celibacy at the start of my seminary career, my opinion changed as I made my way toward and through priesthood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/though-i-wholeheartedly-supported-celibacy-at-the-start-of-my/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) [Browse all 221 Celibacy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celibacy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is often said, inside the Church and out of it, that there is something grotesque about lectures on the sexual life when delivered by those who have shunned it. Given the way that the Church forbids women to preach, this point is usually made about men. But given how much this Church allows the fanatical Mother Teresa to preach, it might be added that the call to go forth and multiply, and to take no thought for the morrow, sounds grotesque when uttered by an elderly virgin whose chief claim to reverence is that she ministers to the inevitable losers in this very lottery.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-out-of-it-that-there-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Celibacy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-out-of-it-that-there-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/christopher-hitchens-117_celibacy_it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-o_1837051.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/christopher-hitchens-117_celibacy_it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-o_1837051.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/christopher-hitchens-117_celibacy_it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-o_1837051.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is often said, inside the Church and out of it, that there is something grotesque about lectures on the…” — Christopher Hitchens", "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": "Christopher Hitchens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is often said, inside the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-out-of-it-that-there-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-is-often-said-inside-the-church-and-out-of-it-that-there-is/#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 } } ] } ```