--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So, according to the religious, you can…" description: "\"So, according to the religious, you can only be good if you're scared of the consequences of being bad? Strange, I thought people were good because the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/david-alan-harvey-35109_be-good_so-according-to-the-religious-you-can-on_1888252.jpg" --- # So, according to the religious, you can only be good if… ![“So, according to the religious, you can only be good if you're scared of the consequences of being bad? Strange, I thought people were good because they care about each other?” quote by David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/david-alan-harvey-35109_be-good_so-according-to-the-religious-you-can-on_1888252.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/david-alan-harvey-35109_be-good_so-according-to-the-religious-you-can-on_1888252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/david-alan-harvey-35109_be-good_so-according-to-the-religious-you-can-on_1888252.jpg) > “So, according to the religious, you can only be good if you're scared of the consequences of being bad? Strange, I thought people were good because they care about each other?” [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It suggests moral behavior may stem from fear of punishment rather than genuine empathy, questioning the basis of goodness. **In simple terms:** Goodness may be driven by fear, not care. Key Takeaway Reflect on your true motivations for doing good. Themes morality motivation ethics Mood thoughtful critical Type analysis philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - social interactions - policy making - education Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Do you act out of fear or care? - How does fear influence ethical decisions? A Different Perspective Fear can coexist with compassion, complicating moral judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) ## Related quotes > [I think it's good that I get scared because, if you never get scared, you don't have any need for guts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-think-it-s-good-that-i-get-scared-because-if-you-never-get-scared/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [Between the combination of Judeo-Christian religious 'be good be good be good' and Capitalist 'something's wrong with you, buy this' and the parental upbringing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/between-the-combination-of-judeo-christian-religious-be-good-be-good/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [My dear, be a good man be virtuous be religious be a good man. Nothing else will give you any comfort when you come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/my-dear-be-a-good-man-be-virtuous-be-religious-be-a-good-man-nothing/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [I dont want to always wonder if we missed out on something really good because we were too scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-dont-want-to-always-wonder-if-we-missed-out-on-something-really/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I am afraid that I do not believe that any body of men can have enough knowledge of the past, the present and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-cowperthwaite/i-am-afraid-that-i-do-not-believe-that-any-body-of-men-can-have/) [John James Cowperthwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-cowperthwaite/) > [ They \[Mc Donalds\] take people and give them a first job, which enables them to get a second job. They do a very good… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/they-mc-donalds-take-people-and-give-them-a-first-job-which-enables/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I am a person who believes in the good of people and who may have had things influence them to a certain degree, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-north/i-am-a-person-who-believes-in-the-good-of-people-and-who-may-have-had/) [Nolan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-north/) > [Yes the truth will set us free, but for some people thee truth will make them mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seiki-rowins-bie/yes-the-truth-will-set-us-free-but-for-some-people-thee-truth-will/) [Seiki Rowins Bie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seiki-rowins-bie/) > [It isn't the thrill of knowing I can get away with it. its the look on your face that says I wish I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hill/it-isn-t-the-thrill-of-knowing-i-can-get-away-with-it-its-the-look-on/) [Nicole Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hill/) > [When I'm good, you love me, but when I'm bad, you will love me more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/when-i-m-good-you-love-me-but-when-i-m-bad-you-will-love-me-more/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [Always Be Good With The Good But Never Be Bad With The Bad Because You Can't Wash Mud With Mud...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/always-be-good-with-the-good-but-never-be-bad-with-the-bad-because/) Pacifiersucker > [Person that never do anything in life to success,getting bad!person that never listen ,doing bad!person that never think at all that is so bad!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/axll-sblns/person-that-never-do-anything-in-life-to-success-getting-bad-person/) AXLL\_SBLNS > [Yell at your child and you prevent him from being bad for a day. Teach him morals & manners and he will be good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yell-at-your-child-and-you-prevent-him-from-being-bad-for-a-day-teach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was so afraid of being bad and being caught at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/i-was-so-afraid-of-being-bad-and-being-caught-at-it/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [Revenge is a dish better severed cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushan/revenge-is-a-dish-better-severed-cold/) [Sushan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushan/) ## More by David Alan Harvey > [It's a lot of work living the life that you want to live, but that's what I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-harvey/it-s-a-lot-of-work-living-the-life-that-you-want-to-live-but-that-s/) [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) > [Science teaches you to open your eyes and appreciate the reality around you. Religion teaches you to close your eyes and cling to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-harvey/science-teaches-you-to-open-your-eyes-and-appreciate-the-reality/) [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) > [The most important questions a human can ever ask must surely deserve the most convincing answers, not simply the most comforting?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-harvey/the-most-important-questions-a-human-can-ever-ask-must-surely-deserve/) [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) > [In the spirit of Vivian Maier, who worked unaided by any publication or commercial shooting, I set up the Emerging Photographer Fund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-harvey/in-the-spirit-of-vivian-maier-who-worked-unaided-by-any-publication/) [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) > [Don't shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-harvey/don-t-shoot-what-it-looks-like-shoot-what-it-feels-like/) [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) > [The whole thrust in my life right now is spinning my assignments around and making them work in a more personal way (...) I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-harvey/the-whole-thrust-in-my-life-right-now-is-spinning-my-assignments/) [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) > [Only religion could justify killing an adult with a family because he carried out abortions of unwanted or unhealthy fetuses that don't even have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-harvey/only-religion-could-justify-killing-an-adult-with-a-family-because-he/) [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) > [Most of the photographs I make are personal pictures and never end up in print. 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Science: A lot of logical ideas based on the best evidence available. Which should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-harvey/religion-a-lot-of-fanciful-ideas-inspired-by-wishful-thinking-science/) [David Alan Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) [Explore all 13 David Alan Harvey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-harvey/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The difference in being good at some thing and being great at something is usually found in the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-anderson/the-difference-in-being-good-at-some-thing-and-being-great-at/) Randy Anderson > [It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character-is-good-or-bad-he-just-has/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So, according to the religious, you can only be good if you're scared of the consequences of being bad? 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