--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the difference between an atheist and a…" description: "\"“the difference between an atheist and a highly religious person is that the former is an atheist about n Gods while the latter is an atheist about n-1..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/dawkins-richard-231660_atheism_the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a_772666.jpg" --- # the difference between an atheist and a highly religious… ![“the difference between an atheist and a highly religious person is that the former is an atheist about n Gods while the latter is an atheist about n-1 Gods.” quote by Dawkins Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/dawkins-richard-231660_atheism_the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a_772666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/dawkins-richard-231660_atheism_the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a_772666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/dawkins-richard-231660_atheism_the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a_772666.jpg) > ““the difference between an atheist and a highly religious person is that the former is an atheist about n Gods while the latter is an atheist about n-1 Gods.”” [Dawkins Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawkins-richard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He humorously contrasts atheism’s scope with religious belief, suggesting all belief systems exclude some gods. **In simple terms:** Atheism excludes some deities; religion excludes others. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of any belief system. Themes atheism religion philosophy belief logic Mood witty thoughtful Type philosophical humorous When to use this quote - debate - education - personal reflection Key Concepts skepticism theology cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - What does “n‑1 gods” imply? - How do we define belief boundaries? A Different Perspective Humor may obscure serious philosophical nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Atheist Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist-gods-5968705/) [Atheist Highly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist-highly-5968704/) [Difference Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-atheist-2931606/) [Gods Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-atheist-523374/) [Person Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-atheist-3097402/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-person/) ## Related quotes > [“If you ask the religious person "What do you believe in?" he will tell you about one thing. But if you ask him "What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/if-you-ask-the-religious-person-what-do-you-believe-in-he-will-tell/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [I’m not a religious person; I would call myself an atheist. I don’t have a good story behind it, I’m just reasonable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-m-not-a-religious-person-i-would-call-myself-an-atheist-i-don-t/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [If you look within the United States, religion seems to make you a better person. Yet atheist societies do very well - better, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/if-you-look-within-the-united-states-religion-seems-to-make-you-a/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [“That's the difference between a godly person and an atheist. Our stories are shorter and don't assume the protagonist is an idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pz-myers/that-s-the-difference-between-a-godly-person-and-an-atheist-our/) [PZ Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pz-myers/) > [“I talk about the gods, I am an atheist. But I am an artist too, and therefore a liar. Distrust everything I say. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-talk-about-the-gods-i-am-an-atheist-but-i-am-an-artist-too-and-2/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The superstitious man wishes he did not believe in gods, as the atheist does not, but fears to disbelieve in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-superstitious-man-wishes-he-did-not-believe-in-gods-as-the/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [I talk about the gods, I am an atheist. But I am an artist too, and therefore a liar. Distrust everything I say. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-talk-about-the-gods-i-am-an-atheist-but-i-am-an-artist-too-and/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Go into a dark bar for a bit and have a beer with Dionysios, every now and then. I talk about the gods; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/go-into-a-dark-bar-for-a-bit-and-have-a-beer-with-dionysios-every-now/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I think it's the responsibility of every human being, not just those who wear the identity of poet, activist, voter, religious person... it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trudell/i-think-it-s-the-responsibility-of-every-human-being-not-just-those/) [John Trudell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-trudell/) > [I am a religious person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-a-religious-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some days I am not sure if my faith is riddled with doubt, or whether, graciously, my doubt is riddled with faith. And yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-f-winner/some-days-i-am-not-sure-if-my-faith-is-riddled-with-doubt-or-whether/) [Lauren F. Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-f-winner/) > [You don't have to be a religious person to be affected by religion or a religious movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-starlin/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-religious-person-to-be-affected-by-religion-or/) [Jim Starlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-starlin/) > [I respect all religions, but I'm not a deeply religious person. But I try and live life in the right way, respecting other people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/i-respect-all-religions-but-i-m-not-a-deeply-religious-person-but-i/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [“When children are given spiritual guidance, they grow-up learning to know how to pray and praise God. Even though they might not be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-barrier/when-children-are-given-spiritual-guidance-they-grow-up-learning-to/) [Ellen J. Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-j-barrier/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) ## 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? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the difference between an atheist and a highly religious person is that the former is an atheist about n Gods while the latter is an atheist about n-1 Gods.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dawkins Richard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawkins-richard/the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a-highly-religious-person-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawkins-richard/the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a-highly-religious-person-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/dawkins-richard-231660_atheism_the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a_772666.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/dawkins-richard-231660_atheism_the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a_772666.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/dawkins-richard-231660_atheism_the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a_772666.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“the difference between an atheist and a highly religious person is that the former is an atheist about n…” — Dawkins Richard", "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": "Dawkins Richard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawkins-richard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“the difference between an atheist and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawkins-richard/the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a-highly-religious-person-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawkins-richard/the-difference-between-an-atheist-and-a-highly-religious-person-is/#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 } } ] } ```