--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd rather believe in reincarnation than…" description: "\"I'd rather believe in reincarnation than hell. The idea of an afterlife is much so more tolerable when returning is an option.\" — Deborah Feldman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/deborah-feldman-37812_afterlife_i-d-rather-believe-in-reincarnation-than_978046.jpg" --- # I'd rather believe in reincarnation than hell. The idea of… ![“I'd rather believe in reincarnation than hell. The idea of an afterlife is much so more tolerable when returning is an option.” quote by Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/deborah-feldman-37812_afterlife_i-d-rather-believe-in-reincarnation-than_978046.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/deborah-feldman-37812_afterlife_i-d-rather-believe-in-reincarnation-than_978046.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/deborah-feldman-37812_afterlife_i-d-rather-believe-in-reincarnation-than_978046.jpg) > “I'd rather believe in reincarnation than hell. The idea of an afterlife is much so more tolerable when returning is an option.” [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing reincarnation over hell offers a more hopeful afterlife, as the possibility of return feels less terrifying than eternal punishment. **In simple terms:** Reincarnation seems more comforting than hell. Key Takeaway Seek belief systems that empower rather than frighten. Themes afterlife hope belief Mood introspective optimistic Type spiritual psychological When to use this quote - spiritual exploration - ethical living - personal growth Key Concepts reincarnation existential comfort Questions to Reflect On - How does belief in reincarnation affect your daily choices? - What comforts you about the idea of returning? A Different Perspective Even hopeful afterlife concepts can be limiting if they avoid confronting mortality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afterlife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Reincarnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reincarnation/) ## Related quotes > [Inequalities of Fate very curious. Should like, on this account, to believe in Reincarnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-delafield/inequalities-of-fate-very-curious-should-like-on-this-account-to/) [E. M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield/) > [Do people who believe in reincarnation ever say, Darn, I'm still writing the year 1612 on my checks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-regan/do-people-who-believe-in-reincarnation-ever-say-darn-i-m-still/) [Brian Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-regan/) > [Life is an endless cycle for those who believe in reincarnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-baggio/life-is-an-endless-cycle-for-those-who-believe-in-reincarnation/) [Roberto Baggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-baggio/) > [I started out really young, when I was four, five, six, writing poems, before I could play an instrument. I was writing about things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/i-started-out-really-young-when-i-was-four-five-six-writing-poems/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [I believe in reincarnation, and I believe I've lived quite a few lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-dre/i-believe-in-reincarnation-and-i-believe-i-ve-lived-quite-a-few-lives/) [Dr. Dre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-dre/) > [I don't believe in reincarnation. I feel like we're here for such an appallingly brief period of time. I believe we each get this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-don-t-believe-in-reincarnation-i-feel-like-we-re-here-for-such-an/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [But Buddy was an upper. He was happy. He loved music, and he was really happy. I don't know... I don't believe in reincarnation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waylon-jennings/but-buddy-was-an-upper-he-was-happy-he-loved-music-and-he-was-really/) [Waylon Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waylon-jennings/) > [My mother made me believe in reincarnation, in karma. If I live a good life, I believe I will be reincarnated as a higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/my-mother-made-me-believe-in-reincarnation-in-karma-if-i-live-a-good/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [ I believe in reincarnation,” \[Bjorn\] said. I KNOW. “I tried to live a good life. Does that help?” THAT’S NOT UP TO ME. Death… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-believe-in-reincarnation-bjorn-said-i-know-i-tried-to-live-a-good/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I don't believe in reincarnation because there's an expert on this question, and he's Jesus of Nazareth. He's the only person in history who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/i-don-t-believe-in-reincarnation-because-there-s-an-expert-on-this/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [I believe in reincarnation of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-vodianova/i-believe-in-reincarnation-of-the-soul/) [Natalia Vodianova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-vodianova/) > [“If you do not believe in reincarnation then the word “prarabdh” (karma effect) should not be present in your vocabulary. Christian, Muslim, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/if-you-do-not-believe-in-reincarnation-then-the-word-prarabdh-karma/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Unless you believe in reincarnation, this is your one shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/unless-you-believe-in-reincarnation-this-is-your-one-shot/) [Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/) > [I don't believe in reincarnation. That's a cop-out, I know. I don't really want to be reincarnated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-believe-in-reincarnation-that-s-a-cop-out-i-know-i-don-t/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [Obviously I believe in reincarnation and all that kind of stuff - I don't think anyone's going to be surprised to hear that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-weir/obviously-i-believe-in-reincarnation-and-all-that-kind-of-stuff-i-don/) [Bob Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-weir/) ## More by Deborah Feldman > [If my mind cannot be tied down, if my dreams cannot be diminished, then no amount of restraints can really guarantee my quiet submission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/if-my-mind-cannot-be-tied-down-if-my-dreams-cannot-be-diminished-then/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [I resolve to venture into the city on my own. I look at maps in the library—subway maps, bus maps, and regular maps—and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/i-resolve-to-venture-into-the-city-on-my-own-i-look-at-maps-in-the/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [I am hungry for power, but not to lord over others; only to own myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/i-am-hungry-for-power-but-not-to-lord-over-others-only-to-own-myself/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [“I am not aware at this moment that I have lost my innocence. I will realize it many years later. One day I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/i-am-not-aware-at-this-moment-that-i-have-lost-my-innocence-i-will/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [Some people simply use their faith as a lexicon of behavioral reasoning; without that they would be forced to face their own moral and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/some-people-simply-use-their-faith-as-a-lexicon-of-behavioral/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [“Later, in my adulthood, I will read the book again, even watch the movie, and understand that I wasn’t equipped, as a child, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/later-in-my-adulthood-i-will-read-the-book-again-even-watch-the-movie/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [As far as I can remember, I have always wanted everything from life, everything it can possibly give me. This desire separates me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/as-far-as-i-can-remember-i-have-always-wanted-everything-from-life/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [“Bubby scoffs at my question. A Jew can never be a goy, she says, even if they try their hardest to become one. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/bubby-scoffs-at-my-question-a-jew-can-never-be-a-goy-she-says-even-if/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [I can't bear the thought of living an entire lifetime on this planet and not getting to do all the things I dream of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/i-can-t-bear-the-thought-of-living-an-entire-lifetime-on-this-planet/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [If you are forced to confront your fears on a daily basis, they disintegrate, like illusions when viewed up close. Maybe being always protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/if-you-are-forced-to-confront-your-fears-on-a-daily-basis-they/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) > [“For a while I thought I could un-Jew myself. Then I realized that being Jewish is not in the ritual or the action. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-feldman/for-a-while-i-thought-i-could-un-jew-myself-then-i-realized-that/) [Deborah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) [Explore all 12 Deborah Feldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-feldman/) ## More Afterlife quotes > [I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't believe in a single or multiple godhead. I respect people who do, but I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-don-t-believe-in-an-afterlife-i-don-t-believe-in-a-single-or/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because-people-were-generally/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I guess on one hand I believe it doesn't matter if there is life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-guess-on-one-hand-i-believe-it-doesn-t-matter-if-there-is-life/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The obsession with the afterlife is born of a panic at not having memories of a before-life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-obsession-with-the-afterlife-is-born-of-a-panic-at-not-having/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [If critics and fanboys weren't suckers for simplistic nihilism and high-pressure marketing, Afterlife would be universally acclaimed as a visionary feat, superior to Inception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armond-white/if-critics-and-fanboys-weren-t-suckers-for-simplistic-nihilism-and/) [Armond White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armond-white/) > [“People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn’t bare the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn’t bear the thought of their loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/people-i-thought-wanted-security-they-couldn-t-bare-the-idea-of-death/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Sometimes I think the resurrection of the body, unless much improved in construction, a mistake!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/sometimes-i-think-the-resurrection-of-the-body-unless-much-improved/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [It's my firm conclusion that human meaning comes from humans, not from a supernatural source. After we die, our hopes for an afterlife reside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/it-s-my-firm-conclusion-that-human-meaning-comes-from-humans-not-from/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [“One's past can't be erased, it can only be learned from, the child taught her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-balcomb/one-s-past-can-t-be-erased-it-can-only-be-learned-from-the-child/) [H. L. Balcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-balcomb/) > [It was like I’d stepped out into an afterlife. Only there were no angels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-christopher/it-was-like-i-d-stepped-out-into-an-afterlife-only-there-were-no/) [Lucy Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-christopher/) > [“death is predestined for all mortals. Souls live forever, but the body does not. Unless you are immortal, both the soul and body are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yelle-hughes/death-is-predestined-for-all-mortals-souls-live-forever-but-the-body/) [Yelle Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yelle-hughes/) [Browse all 844 Afterlife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd rather believe in reincarnation than hell. 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