---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s considered perfectly normal in this…"
description: "\"It’s considered perfectly normal in this society to approach dying people who you don’t know but who are unbelievers and say, ‘Now are you gonna change..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/christopher-hitchens-117_approach_it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this_3114835.jpg"
---

#  It’s considered perfectly normal in this society to…

![“It’s considered perfectly normal in this society to approach dying people who you don’t know but who are unbelievers and say, ‘Now are you gonna change your mind?’ That is considered almost a polite question.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/christopher-hitchens-117_approach_it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this_3114835.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/christopher-hitchens-117_approach_it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this_3114835.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/christopher-hitchens-117_approach_it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this_3114835.jpg)

> “It’s considered perfectly normal in this society to approach dying people who you don’t know but who are unbelievers and say, ‘Now are you gonna change your mind?’ That is considered almost a polite question.”

[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.

Society often pressures strangers to change beliefs, treating it as polite, yet it can be intrusive.

**In simple terms:** Polite pressure to change beliefs can be intrusive.

Key Takeaway

Respect others' beliefs without imposing.

Themes

religion social pressure politeness

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- debates about faith
- interviewing strangers
- counseling
- public discourse

Key Concepts

ethical boundaries belief autonomy

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you felt pressured to change a belief?
- How can you ask sensitive questions respectfully?

A Different Perspective

Politeness can mask coercion, and some may find it offensive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Changing your mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-your-mind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Polite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polite/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Unbelievers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbelievers/)

## Related quotes

> [“Dying, he has that look dying people get in their eyes sometimes, happy and sad, tired and spiritually blessed, all at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-wallace/dying-he-has-that-look-dying-people-get-in-their-eyes-sometimes-happy/)

[Daniel Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-wallace/)

> [I've known a lot of people go mad over the years, and it is more distressing than people dying. People dying is quite natural,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-ve-known-a-lot-of-people-go-mad-over-the-years-and-it-is-more/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [“Shouldn't dying people be all accepting and really wise and philosophical and all?" I shrugged, "Yeah, well. I guess that's just another pretty but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-herzer/shouldn-t-dying-people-be-all-accepting-and-really-wise-and/)

[Natalie Herzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-herzer/)

> [Dying people don't need medicine, the ones who remain do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-rizal/dying-people-don-t-need-medicine-the-ones-who-remain-do/)

[Jose Rizal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-rizal/)

> [Bodily discomfort and emotional fear and attachment make the dying uncomfortable and fearful. So, to help those dying people, I think modern medical science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lobsang-tenzin/bodily-discomfort-and-emotional-fear-and-attachment-make-the-dying/)

[Lobsang Tenzin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lobsang-tenzin/)

> [My deepest belief is that to live as if we're dying can set us free. Dying people teach you to pay attention and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/my-deepest-belief-is-that-to-live-as-if-we-re-dying-can-set-us-free/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“Why?' she whispered. He didn't need her to elaborate; he knew what she was asking. 'I don't want you to be afraid of dying.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/why-she-whispered-he-didn-t-need-her-to-elaborate-he-knew-what-she/)

[M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/)

> [I used to think that you see so many people dying. But now I see it the way my daddy told me. Death been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-rose-ii/i-used-to-think-that-you-see-so-many-people-dying-but-now-i-see-it/)

[Johnnie Rose II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-rose-ii/)

> [People killing, people dying, people lying, people blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william/people-killing-people-dying-people-lying-people-blind/)

[WillIAm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william/)

> [Everybody knows everybody's dying, that's why people are as good as they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/everybody-knows-everybody-s-dying-that-s-why-people-are-as-good-as/)

[Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/)

> [“Death loves death, not life. Dying people love to know that others die with them; it is a comfort to learn you are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/death-loves-death-not-life-dying-people-love-to-know-that-others-die/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Why do dying people never shed tears?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/why-do-dying-people-never-shed-tears/)

[Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/)

> [“What is it? Tens, I can see the stick up your arse from here. I'm dying remember? Dying people don't have time for silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-kizer/what-is-it-tens-i-can-see-the-stick-up-your-arse-from-here-i-m-dying/)

[Amber Kizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-kizer/)

> [A dying people tolerates the present, rejects the future, and finds its satisfactions in past greatness and half remembered glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/a-dying-people-tolerates-the-present-rejects-the-future-and-finds-its/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [He thought he was dying. Dying people lie, too. Wish they'd worked less, they'd been nicer, they'd opened orphanages for kittens. If you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-gregory-house/he-thought-he-was-dying-dying-people-lie-too-wish-they-d-worked-less/)

[Dr Gregory House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-gregory-house/)

## 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 Approach quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/)

[Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/)

[Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

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

> [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/)

[Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/)

> [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/)

[Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/)

> [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/)

[Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/)

[Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It’s considered perfectly normal in this society to approach dying people who you don’t know but who are unbelievers and say, ‘Now are you gonna change your mind?’ That is considered almost a polite question.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Hitchens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this-society-to-approach-dying/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Approach"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this-society-to-approach-dying/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/christopher-hitchens-117_approach_it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this_3114835.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/christopher-hitchens-117_approach_it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this_3114835.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/christopher-hitchens-117_approach_it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this_3114835.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It’s considered perfectly normal in this society to approach dying people who you don’t know but who are…” — 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’s considered perfectly normal in this...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this-society-to-approach-dying/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-considered-perfectly-normal-in-this-society-to-approach-dying/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
