--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: … They both professed to be atheists…" description: "\"“… They both professed to be atheists, but, judging by their conduct, they exhibited in their daily lives all those attributes which are fundamental to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/e-r-braithwaite-29883_christianity_they-both-professed-to-be-atheists-but-j_2156800.jpg" --- # … They both professed to be atheists, but, judging by… ![“… They both professed to be atheists, but, judging by their conduct, they exhibited in their daily lives all those attributes which are fundamental to real, active Christianity. They were thoughtful for my comfort in every way, and shared many of my interests and pursuits with a zest which might…” quote by E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/e-r-braithwaite-29883_christianity_they-both-professed-to-be-atheists-but-j_2156800.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/e-r-braithwaite-29883_christianity_they-both-professed-to-be-atheists-but-j_2156800.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/e-r-braithwaite-29883_christianity_they-both-professed-to-be-atheists-but-j_2156800.jpg) > ““… They both professed to be atheists, but, judging by their conduct, they exhibited in their daily lives all those attributes which are fundamental to real, active Christianity. They were thoughtful for my comfort in every way, and shared many of my interests and pursuits with a zest which might well have been envied by much younger people. Together we went down to Torquay for a two-week holiday and returned to Brentwood completely refreshed.”” [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even self‑identified atheists can embody Christian virtues through actions. **In simple terms:** Actions can reflect Christianity without belief. Key Takeaway Judge people by deeds, not labels. Themes morality humility friendship Mood contemplative warm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace collaboration - community service - interfaith dialogue - personal relationships Key Concepts ethical behavior secular spirituality Questions to Reflect On - What virtues do you value most? - How can you foster them regardless of belief? A Different Perspective Not all virtuous actions stem from religious belief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheists/) [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) ## Related quotes > [God's trustiest lieutenants often lack official credentials. They may be professed atheists who are also men of honour and high public spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/god-s-trustiest-lieutenants-often-lack-official-credentials-they-may/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I don't trust Catholics," I said, "because they take advantage of you." "And Protestants?" he asked with a laugh. "I loathe the way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/i-don-t-trust-catholics-i-said-because-they-take-advantage-of-you-and/) [Heinrich Böll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) > [“They hate us because we are atheists and we feel sorry for them because they are religious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/they-hate-us-because-we-are-atheists-and-we-feel-sorry-for-them/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“the plain fact of the matter was that the Disc was manifestly traversing space on the back of a giant turtle and the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-plain-fact-of-the-matter-was-that-the-disc-was-manifestly/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The two most evangelical groups in the world are atheists and vegetarians, especially the least knowledgeable and least intelligent individuals within those groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-coleman/the-two-most-evangelical-groups-in-the-world-are-atheists-and/) Clark Coleman > [ Again, I hear almost everyday from atheists who write off religion as primitive, premodern nonsense. I summon Aquinas, Augustine, Paul \[of Tarsus\], Teresa of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/again-i-hear-almost-everyday-from-atheists-who-write-off-religion-as/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [We're not mad at God, just like atheists don't hate Santa or Unicorns, they're just not there!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemant-mehta/we-re-not-mad-at-god-just-like-atheists-don-t-hate-santa-or-unicorns/) [Hemant Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemant-mehta/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by E.R. Braithwaite > [“The smells arose from everything, everywhere, flowing together and remaining as a sickening, tantalizing discomfort. They flowed from the delicatessen shop with its uncovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/the-smells-arose-from-everything-everywhere-flowing-together-and/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“There's no corporal punishment here, or any other form of punishment for that matter, and the children are encouraged to speak up for themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/there-s-no-corporal-punishment-here-or-any-other-form-of-punishment/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“So long as we learn it doesn’t matter who teaches us, does it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/so-long-as-we-learn-it-doesn-t-matter-who-teaches-us-does-it/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“On my way home that evening I felt an effervescence of spirit which built up inside me until I felt like shouting out loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/on-my-way-home-that-evening-i-felt-an-effervescence-of-spirit-which/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“It’s no one’s fault really,” he continued. “A big city cannot afford to have its attention distracted from the important job of being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/it-s-no-one-s-fault-really-he-continued-a-big-city-cannot-afford-to/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“It is said that here we practise free discipline. That's wrong, quite wrong. It would be more correct to say that we are seeking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/it-is-said-that-here-we-practise-free-discipline-that-s-wrong-quite/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“In Britain I found things to be very different. I have yet to meet a single English person who has actually admitted to anti-negro…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/in-britain-i-found-things-to-be-very-different-i-have-yet-to-meet-a/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“The betrayal I now felt was greater because it had been perpetrated with the greatest of charm and courtesy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/the-betrayal-i-now-felt-was-greater-because-it-had-been-perpetrated/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“They knew that Jamaica produced sugar, rum and bananas, that Nigeria produced cocoa, and that British Guiana had large natural resources; but these names,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/they-knew-that-jamaica-produced-sugar-rum-and-bananas-that-nigeria/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“Oh God, forgive me for the hateful thoughts, because I love them, these brutal, disarming bastards, I love them …”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/oh-god-forgive-me-for-the-hateful-thoughts-because-i-love-them-these/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“Don't fall into the habit of bringing work home, Rick. It indicates a lack of planning, and you would eventually find yourself stuck indoors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/don-t-fall-into-the-habit-of-bringing-work-home-rick-it-indicates-a/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“Teaching is like having a bank account. You can happily draw on it while it is well supplied with new funds; otherwise you're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/teaching-is-like-having-a-bank-account-you-can-happily-draw-on-it/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“Instead, we try to give them affection, confidence and guidance, more or less in that order, because experience has shown us that those are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/instead-we-try-to-give-them-affection-confidence-and-guidance-more-or/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“It was like a disease, and these children whom I loved without caring about their skins or their backgrounds, they were tainted with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/it-was-like-a-disease-and-these-children-whom-i-loved-without-caring/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [“Their silence was not the result of boredom or apathy, nor were they quiet because it was expected of them or through fear of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/their-silence-was-not-the-result-of-boredom-or-apathy-nor-were-they/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) [Explore all 18 E.R. Braithwaite quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) ## More Atheists quotes > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) > [We're not mad at God, just like atheists don't hate Santa or Unicorns, they're just not there!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemant-mehta/we-re-not-mad-at-god-just-like-atheists-don-t-hate-santa-or-unicorns/) [Hemant Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemant-mehta/) > [“Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ Again, I hear almost everyday from atheists who write off religion as primitive, premodern nonsense. I summon Aquinas, Augustine, Paul \[of Tarsus\], Teresa of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/again-i-hear-almost-everyday-from-atheists-who-write-off-religion-as/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [The two most evangelical groups in the world are atheists and vegetarians, especially the least knowledgeable and least intelligent individuals within those groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-coleman/the-two-most-evangelical-groups-in-the-world-are-atheists-and/) Clark Coleman > [“the plain fact of the matter was that the Disc was manifestly traversing space on the back of a giant turtle and the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-plain-fact-of-the-matter-was-that-the-disc-was-manifestly/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“They hate us because we are atheists and we feel sorry for them because they are religious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/they-hate-us-because-we-are-atheists-and-we-feel-sorry-for-them/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-are-all-atheists-about-most-of-the-gods-that-humanity-has-ever/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [After a few days in hospital, I was thinking, Oh, gee - I raised in a church, Protestant upbringing which I'd rejected as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/after-a-few-days-in-hospital-i-was-thinking-oh-gee-i-raised-in-a/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) [Browse all 400 Atheists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheists/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“… They both professed to be atheists, but, judging by their conduct, they exhibited in their daily lives all those attributes which are fundamental to real, active Christianity. 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