--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You don't get to advertise all the good…" description: "\"You don't get to advertise all the good that your religion does without first scrupulously subtracting all the harm it does and considering seriously t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/daniel-dennett-3895_atheism_you-don-t-get-to-advertise-all-the-good_2969675.png" --- # You don't get to advertise all the good that your religion… ![“You don't get to advertise all the good that your religion does without first scrupulously subtracting all the harm it does and considering seriously the question of whether some other religion, or no religion at all, does better.” quote by Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/daniel-dennett-3895_atheism_you-don-t-get-to-advertise-all-the-good_2969675.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/daniel-dennett-3895_atheism_you-don-t-get-to-advertise-all-the-good_2969675.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/daniel-dennett-3895_atheism_you-don-t-get-to-advertise-all-the-good_2969675.png) > “You don't get to advertise all the good that your religion does without first scrupulously subtracting all the harm it does and considering seriously the question of whether some other religion, or no religion at all, does better.” [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that praising a religion must involve subtracting its harms and comparing it fairly to alternatives. **In simple terms:** Religion's merits must be weighed against its harms. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate religious claims alongside alternatives. Themes critical thinking religion ethics Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - policy analysis - interfaith dialogue - education - public discourse Key Concepts philosophy comparative religion Questions to Reflect On - How to objectively assess religious impact? - What criteria ensure fair comparison? A Different Perspective Complexity of measuring intangible harms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [My four sons all knew I was a Jew, but they were allowed to be whatever they wanted to be. The only thing important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-douglas/my-four-sons-all-knew-i-was-a-jew-but-they-were-allowed-to-be/) [Kirk Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-douglas/) > [It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-is-the-test-of-a-good-religion-whether-you-can-joke-about-it/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [People are either good or they're not. Religion doesn't make anybody good, I don't think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/people-are-either-good-or-they-re-not-religion-doesn-t-make-anybody/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Every religion is good—every religion is true to him who in his good caution and conscience believes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/every-religion-is-good-every-religion-is-true-to-him-who-in-his-good/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all—and more amusing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-moderated-religion-is-as-good-for-us-as-no-religion-at-all-and-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think it's been hard for people to understand how Islam can be a good religion, and yet the Islamists are evil. Those of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-think-it-s-been-hard-for-people-to-understand-how-islam-can-be-a/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Good religion teaches us about a good God and encourages us to be like Him to the people of the world. Bad religion teaches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-j-duarte-bernhardt/good-religion-teaches-us-about-a-good-god-and-encourages-us-to-be/) [Harold J Duarte-Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-j-duarte-bernhardt/) > [ There is not a greater paradox in nature,--than that so good a religion \[as Christianity\] should be no better recommended by its professors. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/there-is-not-a-greater-paradox-in-nature-than-that-so-good-a-religion/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [“If God does exist - He is not very good at religion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-whitefield/if-god-does-exist-he-is-not-very-good-at-religion/) [Jim Whitefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-whitefield/) > [If our love of God does not directly influence, and even change, how we engage in the issues of our time on this earth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/if-our-love-of-god-does-not-directly-influence-and-even-change-how-we/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [Whatever good religion has done, it has come at a terrible price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/whatever-good-religion-has-done-it-has-come-at-a-terrible-price/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [It would be good for religion if many books that seem useful were destroyed. When there were not so many books and not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girolamo-savonarola/it-would-be-good-for-religion-if-many-books-that-seem-useful-were/) [Girolamo Savonarola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girolamo-savonarola/) > [To be good and to do good-that is the whole of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/to-be-good-and-to-do-good-that-is-the-whole-of-religion/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [What good is religion if it collapses under calamity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/what-good-is-religion-if-it-collapses-under-calamity/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [“There is probably something good in every religion, the important thing is how you practice it. And this is when I found out that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/there-is-probably-something-good-in-every-religion-the-important/) [Lars Von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) ## More by Daniel Dennett > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Churches have given us great treasures such as music and architecture. Whether that pays for the harm they have done is another matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/churches-have-given-us-great-treasures-such-as-music-and-architecture/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [The secret of happiness is: Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/the-secret-of-happiness-is-find-something-more-important-than-you-are/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Whereas religions may serve a benign purpose by letting many people feel comfortable with the level of morality they themselves can attain, no religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/whereas-religions-may-serve-a-benign-purpose-by-letting-many-people/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [There's no polite way to say to somebody (religious followers) 'Do you realize you've wasted your life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/there-s-no-polite-way-to-say-to-somebody-religious-followers-do-you/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Wherever there is a design that is highly successful in a broad range of similar environments, it is apt to emerge again and again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/wherever-there-is-a-design-that-is-highly-successful-in-a-broad-range/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [The haven all memes depend on reaching is the human mind, but a human mind is itself an artifact created when memes restructure a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/the-haven-all-memes-depend-on-reaching-is-the-human-mind-but-a-human/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Cost is always an object - the second law of thermodynamics sees to that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/cost-is-always-an-object-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics-sees-to-that/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [In the beginning, there were no reasons; there were only causes. Nothing had a purpose, nothing has so much as a function; there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/in-the-beginning-there-were-no-reasons-there-were-only-causes-nothing/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [I look around the world and see so many wonderful things that I love and enjoy and benefit from, whether it's art or music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/i-look-around-the-world-and-see-so-many-wonderful-things-that-i-love/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [In all mammalian species that have so far been carefully studied, the rate at which their members engage in the killing of conspecifics is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/in-all-mammalian-species-that-have-so-far-been-carefully-studied-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Cults and prophets proclaiming the imminent end of the world have been with us for several millennia, and it has been another sour sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/cults-and-prophets-proclaiming-the-imminent-end-of-the-world-have/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Consciousness is cerebral celebrity--nothing more and nothing less. Those contents are conscious that persevere, that monopolize resources long enough to achieve certain typical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/consciousness-is-cerebral-celebrity-nothing-more-and-nothing-less/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [People ache to believe that we human beings are vastly different from all other species - and they are right! We are different. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/people-ache-to-believe-that-we-human-beings-are-vastly-different-from/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Minds are in limited supply, and each mind has a limited capacity for memes, and hence there is considerable competition among memes for entry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/minds-are-in-limited-supply-and-each-mind-has-a-limited-capacity-for/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) [Explore all 120 Daniel Dennett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“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/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? 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