--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why understand when you can believe?" description: "\"Why understand when you can believe?\" — Christopher Moore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/christopher-moore-353_believe_why-understand-when-you-can-believe-1613_1613317.png" --- # Why understand when you can believe? ![“Why understand when you can believe?” quote by Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/christopher-moore-353_believe_why-understand-when-you-can-believe-1613_1613317.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/christopher-moore-353_believe_why-understand-when-you-can-believe-1613_1613317.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/christopher-moore-353_believe_why-understand-when-you-can-believe-1613_1613317.png) > “Why understand when you can believe?” [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Belief can replace the need for understanding, emphasizing faith over analysis. **In simple terms:** Faith may be chosen over comprehension. Key Takeaway Balance belief with inquiry. Themes faith understanding belief Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - religious practice - personal decisions - education - debate Key Concepts Epistemology faith versus reason Questions to Reflect On - When is belief insufficient? - How does understanding strengthen belief? A Different Perspective Blind belief can be risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand/) [Understand Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-believe-909784/) ## Related quotes > [“If you don’t understand or believe in the decisions coming down from your leadership, it is up to you to ask questions until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-willink/if-you-don-t-understand-or-believe-in-the-decisions-coming-down-from/) [Jocko Willink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-willink/) > [I look at anything in nature and how things work-the stars, the pyramids-and I can't imagine that there's not some kind of design to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-look-at-anything-in-nature-and-how-things-work-the-stars-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [“Even though the gospel is a set of truths to understand and believe, it cannot remain a set of beliefs if it is truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/even-though-the-gospel-is-a-set-of-truths-to-understand-and-believe/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [The material world is simply an expression of the mind; that's what so many fail to see. We're so dependent on what is before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/the-material-world-is-simply-an-expression-of-the-mind-that-s-what-so/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [If you can get to know a person, and you can really understand them, it can usually help you better understand yourself and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-kander/if-you-can-get-to-know-a-person-and-you-can-really-understand-them-it/) [Jason Kander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-kander/) > [For I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand. For I believe this: unless I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-of-canterbury/for-i-do-not-seek-to-understand-in-order-to-believe-but-i-believe-in/) [Anselm of Canterbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-of-canterbury/) > [We don't believe because we understand. We understand because we believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/we-don-t-believe-because-we-understand-we-understand-because-we/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [As soon as you understand 2 x 4 you can't believe there was a time when you didn't understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-lewis/as-soon-as-you-understand-2-x-4-you-can-t-believe-there-was-a-time/) [Cynthia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-lewis/) > [I do not try, Lord, to attain Your lofty heights, because my understanding is in no way equal to it. But I do desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-not-try-lord-to-attain-your-lofty-heights-because-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-augustine-of-hippo/understanding-is-the-reward-of-faith-therefore-seek-not-to-understand/) [St. Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-augustine-of-hippo/) > [Know why you believe, understand what you believe, and possess a reason for the faith that is in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/know-why-you-believe-understand-what-you-believe-and-possess-a-reason/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All that I say is, examine, inquire. Look into the nature of things. Search out the grounds of your opinions, the for and against.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-wright/all-that-i-say-is-examine-inquire-look-into-the-nature-of-things/) [Frances Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-wright/) > [Don't assume that because everyone believes a thing, that it is right or wrong. Reason things out for yourself. Work to get answers on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/don-t-assume-that-because-everyone-believes-a-thing-that-it-is-right/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [“For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-anselm/for-i-do-not-seek-to-understand-in-order-that-i-may-believe-but-i/) [St. Anselm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-anselm/) > [“It is not that hard to understand why most of us believe strongly in things that are palpably not true. We have a natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-carroll/it-is-not-that-hard-to-understand-why-most-of-us-believe-strongly-in/) [Robert Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-carroll/) ## More by Christopher Moore > [“Love them all," said Renoir. "That is the secret, young man. Love them all." The painter let go of his arm and shrugged. "Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/love-them-all-said-renoir-that-is-the-secret-young-man-love-them-all/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I tried cutting myself to express my heartbreak over Tommy (Lord Flood) rejecting me, but OMFG it hurts like flaming fuck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-tried-cutting-myself-to-express-my-heartbreak-over-tommy-lord-flood/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Canada is a myth people made up to entertain children, like the Tooth Fairy. There’s no such place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/canada-is-a-myth-people-made-up-to-entertain-children-like-the-tooth/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Sarcasm will make your tits fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/sarcasm-will-make-your-tits-fall-off/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I hope you are not here to ask me to do my bawdy business- the monkey has a nosebleed and the circus, sir, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-hope-you-are-not-here-to-ask-me-to-do-my-bawdy-business-the-monkey/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [The prospect of change is a many-fanged beast, my dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/the-prospect-of-change-is-a-many-fanged-beast-my-dear/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“The night was crisp and the stars shone with a cold blue light like loneliness or infinity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/the-night-was-crisp-and-the-stars-shone-with-a-cold-blue-light-like/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Children see magic because they look for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/children-see-magic-because-they-look-for-it/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Abby Von Normal - And I'm like, "Don't change the subject, Kung Pao, what I want to know is if you're ready to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/abby-von-normal-and-i-m-like-don-t-change-the-subject-kung-pao-what-i/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“You can't just go around blurting out the truth like a prophet with Tourette's syndrome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/you-can-t-just-go-around-blurting-out-the-truth-like-a-prophet-with/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [How could you deal with a creature as devious as woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/how-could-you-deal-with-a-creature-as-devious-as-woman/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“…turning your ankle hurts like hell, even if you're a superhero.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/turning-your-ankle-hurts-like-hell-even-if-you-re-a-superhero/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Lonliness evaporated off of them like the steam off dry ice, and by morning it was just a cloud on the ceiling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/lonliness-evaporated-off-of-them-like-the-steam-off-dry-ice-and-by/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Give us a call or you know, flash a searchlight in the sky with your logo on it, because we monitor everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/give-us-a-call-or-you-know-flash-a-searchlight-in-the-sky-with-your/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“it wasn't so much like the hands of time had stood still here, more like they'd been thrown in the air in exasperation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/it-wasn-t-so-much-like-the-hands-of-time-had-stood-still-here-more/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) [Explore all 591 Christopher Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why understand when you can believe?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Moore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/why-understand-when-you-can-believe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/why-understand-when-you-can-believe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/christopher-moore-353_believe_why-understand-when-you-can-believe-1613_1613317.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/christopher-moore-353_believe_why-understand-when-you-can-believe-1613_1613317.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/christopher-moore-353_believe_why-understand-when-you-can-believe-1613_1613317.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why understand when you can believe?” — Christopher Moore", "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 Moore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Why understand when you can believe?", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/why-understand-when-you-can-believe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/why-understand-when-you-can-believe/#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 } } ] } ```