--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Professor Langdon,' called a young man…" description: "\"“Professor Langdon,' called a young man with curly hair in the back row, 'if Masonry is not a secret society, not a corporation, and not a religion, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/dan-brown-203_cults_professor-langdon-called-a-young-man-wit_3085965.png" --- # Professor Langdon,' called a young man with curly hair in… ![“Professor Langdon,' called a young man with curly hair in the back row, 'if Masonry is not a secret society, not a corporation, and not a religion, then what is it?' 'Well, if you were to ask a Mason, he would offer the following definition: Masonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and…” quote by Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/dan-brown-203_cults_professor-langdon-called-a-young-man-wit_3085965.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/dan-brown-203_cults_professor-langdon-called-a-young-man-wit_3085965.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/dan-brown-203_cults_professor-langdon-called-a-young-man-wit_3085965.png) > ““Professor Langdon,' called a young man with curly hair in the back row, 'if Masonry is not a secret society, not a corporation, and not a religion, then what is it?' 'Well, if you were to ask a Mason, he would offer the following definition: Masonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.' 'Sounds to me like a euphemism for "freaky cult." ' 'Freaky, you say?' 'Hell yes!' the kid said, standing up. 'I heard what they do inside those secret buildings! Weird candlelight rituals with coffins, and nooses, and drinking wine out of skulls. Now that's freaky!' Langdon scanned the class. 'Does that sound freaky to anyone else?' 'Yes!' they all chimed in. Langdon feigned a sad sigh. 'Too bad. If that's too freaky for you, then I know you'll never want to join my cult.' Silence settled over the room. The student from the Women's Center looked uneasy. 'You're in a cult?' Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. 'Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh.' The class looked horrified. Langdon shrugged. 'And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion.' The classroom remained silent. Langdon winked. 'Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we do not understand.”” [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage satures the allure and fear of secret societies, using humor to critique blind fear of the unknown. **In simple terms:** Secret groups seem mysterious and scary, but often are misunderstood. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about hidden groups. Themes mystery religion culture Mood cautious intrigued Type literary satirical When to use this quote - academic discussion - cultural analysis - media critique - religious studies Key Concepts symbolism secret societies social psychology Questions to Reflect On - Why do we fear what we don’t understand? - How can curiosity replace fear? A Different Perspective The humor may downplay genuine concerns about secrecy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cults/) [Curly hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curly-hair/) [Drinking wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking-wine/) [Freemasonry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freemasonry/) [Holy communion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-communion/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Secret society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-society/) [Sun god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun-god/) ## Related quotes > [“Langdon feigned a sad sigh. "Too bad. If that's too freaky for you, then I know you'll never want to join my cult." 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The pre-Christian God Mithras ... had his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-vestiges-of-pagan-religion-in-christian-symbology-are-undeniable/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/don-t-tell-anyone-but-on-the-pagan-day-of-the-sun-god-ra-i-kneel-at-2/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/don-t-tell-anyone-but-on-the-pagan-day-of-the-sun-god-ra-i-kneel-at/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Originally,” Langdon said, “Christianity honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration day of the sun.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/originally-langdon-said-christianity-honored-the-jewish-sabbath-of/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [The driver got out smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and for a second, I had the uneasy feeling it was Luke, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-driver-got-out-smiling-he-looked-about-seventeen-or-eighteen-and/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Sun is God! Sun is another heavenly body where heavenly / superior people live! Sun is not hot glowing ball!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/sun-is-god-sun-is-another-heavenly-body-where-heavenly-superior/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot." "He's the sun god," I said. "That's not what I meant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/wow-thalia-muttered-apollo-is-hot-he-s-the-sun-god-i-said-that-s-not/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“The sun might be God. God might not watch us at night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/the-sun-might-be-god-god-might-not-watch-us-at-night/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [Under the storms, sun becomes a god!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/under-the-storms-sun-becomes-a-god/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“But if God is the trees and the flowers And the hills and the moonlight and the sun, Why should I call him God?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/but-if-god-is-the-trees-and-the-flowers-and-the-hills-and-the/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“What is 108 times the diameter of the Earth? The diameter of the Sun. I am the Sun God!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/what-is-108-times-the-diameter-of-the-earth-the-diameter-of-the-sun-i/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [“Bunny Sue was nineteen. She had honey-bobbed hair and candid, near-insolent green eyes. She had a snub, delightful nose, a cool, regal, and tapering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-exley/bunny-sue-was-nineteen-she-had-honey-bobbed-hair-and-candid-near/) [Frederick Exley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-exley/) > [Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/religion-has-actually-convinced-people-that-there-s-an-invisible-man/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) ## More by Dan Brown > [The more science I studied, the more I saw that physics becomes metaphysics and numbers become imaginary numbers. The farther you go into science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-more-science-i-studied-the-more-i-saw-that-physics-becomes/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [A little faith can do wonders...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/a-little-faith-can-do-wonders/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/for-me-the-spiritual-quest-will-be-a-life-long-work-in-progress/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Sometimes all it takes is a tiny shift of perspective to see something familiar in a totally new light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/sometimes-all-it-takes-is-a-tiny-shift-of-perspective-to-see/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Leonardo believed his research had the potential to convert millions to a more spiritual life. 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My earliest memory of being utterly transfixed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/we-did-not-have-a-television-while-i-was-growing-up-and-so-i-read/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Robert,” Ambra whispered, “just remember the wise words of Disney’s Princess Elsa.” Langdon turned. “I’m sorry?” Ambra smiled softly. “Let it go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/robert-ambra-whispered-just-remember-the-wise-words-of-disney-s/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“¿Tienes enemigos? Bien. ¡Eso significa que has defendido algo!”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/tienes-enemigos-bien-eso-significa-que-has-defendido-algo/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Who will guard the guards ? If we're the guards of society, then who will watch us and make sure that we're not dangerous?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/who-will-guard-the-guards-if-we-re-the-guards-of-society-then-who/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Dante's poem, Langdon was now reminded, was not so much about the misery of hell as it was about the power of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/dante-s-poem-langdon-was-now-reminded-was-not-so-much-about-the/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [It's kind of a catch-22 now because since the 'Da Vinci Code,' I have access to places and people that I didn't have access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/it-s-kind-of-a-catch-22-now-because-since-the-da-vinci-code-i-have/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“The man was no stranger to deception, and yet his heart was pounding wildly now. He took another deep, throbbing breath. You've been deceiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-man-was-no-stranger-to-deception-and-yet-his-heart-was-pounding/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“the entire operating system of the cosmos could be summed up by a single overriding command: spread energy!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-entire-operating-system-of-the-cosmos-could-be-summed-up-by-a/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) [Explore all 833 Dan Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) ## More Cults quotes > [Cults use our vocabulary, but they don't use our dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/cults-use-our-vocabulary-but-they-don-t-use-our-dictionary/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [I didn't read about it for school. It was just for myself. I was interested in cults in general but Jonestown was the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danzy-senna/i-didn-t-read-about-it-for-school-it-was-just-for-myself-i-was/) [Danzy Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danzy-senna/) > [“Those of us who work in the field of trauma and abuse, whether psychologists, psychoanalysts, social workers, doctors, counselors, or psychotherapists, have been provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-sinason/those-of-us-who-work-in-the-field-of-trauma-and-abuse-whether/) [Valerie Sinason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-sinason/) > [“Ritually abusive groups also convince children that something evil has been put inside them. For example, a child is made to believe he or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-miller/ritually-abusive-groups-also-convince-children-that-something-evil/) [Alison Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-miller/) > [“Cult (totalistic type): a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing and employing unethically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-jolyon-west/cult-totalistic-type-a-group-or-movement-exhibiting-a-great-or/) Louis Jolyon West > [“The Christless cults and deity-dishonoring mushroom religions of this midnight hour tempt the Lord God. Will no one sound the alarm?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/the-christless-cults-and-deity-dishonoring-mushroom-religions-of-this/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [ \[Concerning monotheistic religions\] The only thing these hysterical cults have in common is the belief that this world will be consumed, and deservedly so,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/concerning-monotheistic-religions-the-only-thing-these-hysterical/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“This is the mentality of a cult, in which fantastical beliefs are flaunted as proof of one's piety. That mentality cannot coexist with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-pinker/this-is-the-mentality-of-a-cult-in-which-fantastical-beliefs-are/) [Stephen Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-pinker/) > [“FRACTURED FACTIONS Many cults are created by the uncontrollable egos of religious zealots”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/fractured-factions-many-cults-are-created-by-the-uncontrollable-egos/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Everything we do these days - our lust for ever more comfort, pleasure, and distraction, our refusal to engage with the mandates of reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/everything-we-do-these-days-our-lust-for-ever-more-comfort-pleasure/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [The Scooby gang doesn't travel because they are looking for crimes to solve. They travel because they're one step ahead of the deprogrammers. Somehow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/the-scooby-gang-doesn-t-travel-because-they-are-looking-for-crimes-to/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [“I’m really starting to think the whole world is just a patchwork quilt of crazy little cults, all with their own secret spaces, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-m-really-starting-to-think-the-whole-world-is-just-a-patchwork/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [It might seem perverse for honestly religious people to group their faiths with those of the sadists and megalomaniacs who run most cults, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/it-might-seem-perverse-for-honestly-religious-people-to-group-their/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [“Religion is the most powerful entity on earth. 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'Well, if you were to ask a Mason, he would offer the following definition: Masonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.' 'Sounds to me like a euphemism for \"freaky cult.\" ' 'Freaky, you say?' 'Hell yes!' the kid said, standing up. 'I heard what they do inside those secret buildings! Weird candlelight rituals with coffins, and nooses, and drinking wine out of skulls. Now that's freaky!' Langdon scanned the class. 'Does that sound freaky to anyone else?' 'Yes!' they all chimed in. Langdon feigned a sad sigh. 'Too bad. If that's too freaky for you, then I know you'll never want to join my cult.' Silence settled over the room. The student from the Women's Center looked uneasy. 'You're in a cult?' Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. 'Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh.' The class looked horrified. Langdon shrugged. 'And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion.' The classroom remained silent. Langdon winked. 'Open your minds, my friends. 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