--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no future in a sacred myth. Why…" description: "\"“There is no future in a sacred myth. Why not? Because of our curiosity. (...) Whatever we hold precious, we cannot protect it from our curiosity, beca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/daniel-c-dennett-17655_curiosity_there-is-no-future-in-a-sacred-myth-why_2250047.jpg" --- # There is no future in a sacred myth. Why not? Because of… ![“There is no future in a sacred myth. Why not? Because of our curiosity. (...) Whatever we hold precious, we cannot protect it from our curiosity, because being who we are, one of the things we deem precious is the truth.” quote by Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/daniel-c-dennett-17655_curiosity_there-is-no-future-in-a-sacred-myth-why_2250047.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/daniel-c-dennett-17655_curiosity_there-is-no-future-in-a-sacred-myth-why_2250047.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/daniel-c-dennett-17655_curiosity_there-is-no-future-in-a-sacred-myth-why_2250047.jpg) > ““There is no future in a sacred myth. Why not? Because of our curiosity. (...) Whatever we hold precious, we cannot protect it from our curiosity, because being who we are, one of the things we deem precious is the truth.”” [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Curiosity undermines sacred myths, making truth vulnerable because we seek to know. **In simple terms:** Curiosity threatens myths and truth. Key Takeaway Balance curiosity with respect for mystery. Themes curiosity myth truth Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical skeptical When to use this quote - research - journalism - education - personal belief systems Key Concepts Epistemology philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - Should all truths be pursued? - When is it okay to preserve mystery? A Different Perspective Unchecked curiosity can erode cultural cohesion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Myth Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth-curiosity-5135419/) [Sacred Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred-myth-5135420/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It required unusual inquisitiveness to pursue the development of scientific curiosities such as charged pith balls, the voltaic cell, and the electrostatic machine. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-seitz/it-required-unusual-inquisitiveness-to-pursue-the-development-of/) [Frederick Seitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-seitz/) > [The holiness of the church means that life, as well as truth, marks Christ’s church; the behavior of Christians in the world must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clowney/the-holiness-of-the-church-means-that-life-as-well-as-truth-marks/) [Edmund Clowney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clowney/) > [If we are to define science, ... it does not consist so much in knowing, nor even in "organized knowledge," as it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/if-we-are-to-define-science-it-does-not-consist-so-much-in-knowing/) [Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [ “See that the mind is honest, first; the rest may follow or not as God wills. \[That\] the fundamental treason to the mind ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/see-that-the-mind-is-honest-first-the-rest-may-follow-or-not-as-god/) [Dorothy L. 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It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/) [Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > ['Sex and The City' was made to correct the myth that if you were single at a certain age, you were a leper. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-patrick-king/sex-and-the-city-was-made-to-correct-the-myth-that-if-you-were-single/) [Michael Patrick King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-patrick-king/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) ## More by Daniel C. Dennett > [“It is not “scientism” to concede the objectivity and precision of good science, any more than it is history worship to concede that Napoleon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/it-is-not-scientism-to-concede-the-objectivity-and-precision-of-good/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“Some years ago, there was a lovely philosopher of science and journalist in Italy named Giulio Giorello, and he did an interview with me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/some-years-ago-there-was-a-lovely-philosopher-of-science-and/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [ “I think we should stop treating \["God works in mysterious ways"\] as any kind of wisdom and recognize it as the transparently defensive propaganda… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/i-think-we-should-stop-treating-god-works-in-mysterious-ways-as-any/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“Nobody ever became a famous philosopher by being a champion of ecumenical hybridism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/nobody-ever-became-a-famous-philosopher-by-being-a-champion-of/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“human beings are actually more closely related to the two species of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, the familiar chimp, and Pan paniscus, the rare, smaller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/human-beings-are-actually-more-closely-related-to-the-two-species-of/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“Is this Tree of Life a God one could worship? Pray to? Fear? Probably not. But it did make the ivy twine and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/is-this-tree-of-life-a-god-one-could-worship-pray-to-fear-probably/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“But if it is true that human minds are themselves to a very great degree the creations of memes, then we cannot sustain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/but-if-it-is-true-that-human-minds-are-themselves-to-a-very-great/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“prosaic, pedestrian example, but everything”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/prosaic-pedestrian-example-but-everything/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“This 'web of discourses' as Robyn called it...is as much a biological product as any of the other constructions to be found in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/this-web-of-discourses-as-robyn-called-it-is-as-much-a-biological/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“We can now expose perhaps the most common misunderstanding of Darwinism: the idea that Darwin showed that evolution by natural selection is a procedure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/we-can-now-expose-perhaps-the-most-common-misunderstanding-of/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“Carpenters don’t make their saws and hammers, tailors don’t make their scissors and needles, and plumbers don’t make their wrenches, but blacksmiths can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/carpenters-don-t-make-their-saws-and-hammers-tailors-don-t-make-their/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“As I have often noted, a wagon with spoked wheels doesn’t just carry grain or freight from place to place; it carries the brilliant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/as-i-have-often-noted-a-wagon-with-spoked-wheels-doesn-t-just-carry/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“Our fundamental tactic of self-protection, self-control, and self-definition is not spinning webs or building dams, but telling stories, and more particularly connecting and controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/our-fundamental-tactic-of-self-protection-self-control-and-self/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“There is a species of primate in South America more gregarious than most other mammals, with a curious behavior.The members of this species often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/there-is-a-species-of-primate-in-south-america-more-gregarious-than/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“atheists and agnostics can have sacred values, values that are simply not up for re-evaluation at all. I have sacred”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/atheists-and-agnostics-can-have-sacred-values-values-that-are-simply/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) [Explore all 36 Daniel C. Dennett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) ## More Curiosity quotes > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Metal makes everything magical. Just ask a unicorn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/metal-makes-everything-magical-just-ask-a-unicorn/) [Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Curiosity Can Kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anison/curiosity-can-kill/) [Anison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anison/) > [“So curious you must be. Like little calves poking their heads through the fence with big eyes and a headful of curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carew-papritz/so-curious-you-must-be-like-little-calves-poking-their-heads-through/) [Carew Papritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carew-papritz/) > [ “\[T\]he question "What is everything?" has no meaning, even though it seems to be profound. \[...\] The point is, perhaps, that I am not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/t-he-question-what-is-everything-has-no-meaning-even-though-it-seems/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [How do we know that we have a right to kill creatures that we are so little above, as dogs, for our curiosity or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/how-do-we-know-that-we-have-a-right-to-kill-creatures-that-we-are-so/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Be curious not judge mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/be-curious-not-judge-mental/) [Unknow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknow/) > [There is nothing so carking as the pangs of unsatisfied curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/there-is-nothing-so-carking-as-the-pangs-of-unsatisfied-curiosity/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes curiosity is a poison, not only for those who drink it but for everyone around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-norman-lippert/sometimes-curiosity-is-a-poison-not-only-for-those-who-drink-it-but/) [G. Norman Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-norman-lippert/) > [As long as your curiosity is greater than your fear, you will move forward!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-long-as-your-curiosity-is-greater-than-your-fear-you-will-move/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it sure has earned a lot of people graduate degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-irving/curiosity-may-have-killed-the-cat-but-it-sure-has-earned-a-lot-of/) [Robyn Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-irving/) [Browse all 2,721 Curiosity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is no future in a sacred myth. Why not? Because of our curiosity. (...) 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