--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Belief is a powerful thing. It shapes the…" description: "\"“Belief is a powerful thing. It shapes the past as well as the future. Once a thing is done and thousands of years have passed, who is to say the manne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/edward-lee-37001_different-types_belief-is-a-powerful-thing-it-shapes-the_1684482.jpg" --- # Belief is a powerful thing. It shapes the past as well as… ![“Belief is a powerful thing. It shapes the past as well as the future. Once a thing is done and thousands of years have passed, who is to say the manner in which it came to pass? History is what we believe it to be just as God and heaven are what you believe them to be, well, to a point. God does…” quote by Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/edward-lee-37001_different-types_belief-is-a-powerful-thing-it-shapes-the_1684482.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/edward-lee-37001_different-types_belief-is-a-powerful-thing-it-shapes-the_1684482.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/edward-lee-37001_different-types_belief-is-a-powerful-thing-it-shapes-the_1684482.jpg) > ““Belief is a powerful thing. It shapes the past as well as the future. Once a thing is done and thousands of years have passed, who is to say the manner in which it came to pass? History is what we believe it to be just as God and heaven are what you believe them to be, well, to a point. God does have a definite nature. It's his appearance that changes. Your faith shapes it. There are many different heavens just as there are many different hells and many different types of angels.”” [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Belief shapes both our understanding of history and our expectations for the future, suggesting that perception constructs reality as much as facts do. **In simple terms:** Our beliefs influence how we view past and future events. Key Takeaway Recognize how personal beliefs color your view of history. Themes belief history perception faith reality Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - religious discourse - historical analysis - personal development Key Concepts epistemology psychology theology cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between belief and evidence? - Can changing beliefs alter collective memory? A Different Perspective Beliefs can be subjective, and differing perspectives may clash over what is considered factual. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-powerful-353165/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Different types](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-types/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [History Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-believe-989656/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/history-i-believe-furnishes-no-example-of-a-priest-ridden-people/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/history-i-believe-furnishes-no-example-of-a-priest-ridden-people-4/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“hypocrisy, fraud, idleness—their worn-out relics, their threadbare worship, and their lack of invention. When did anything good last come from a monastery? They do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/hypocrisy-fraud-idleness-their-worn-out-relics-their-threadbare/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Maybe that's what history is, you go from one I can't believe it the next. And sometimes the I can't believe its are good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-that-s-what-history-is-you-go-from-one-i-can-t-believe-it-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“What we believe affects our choices, our actions, and subsequently, our lives. The Greeks believed in thier gods, and this belief affected everything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/what-we-believe-affects-our-choices-our-actions-and-subsequently-our/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [“History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/history-i-believe-furnishes-no-example-of-a-priest-ridden-people-3/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Believe you can, and you can. Belief is one of the most powerful of all problem dissolvers. When you believe that a difficulty can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/believe-you-can-and-you-can-belief-is-one-of-the-most-powerful-of-all/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I feel that belief is such a powerful force that it can spread the light even in the most hopeless situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherlyn-chopra/i-feel-that-belief-is-such-a-powerful-force-that-it-can-spread-the/) [Sherlyn Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherlyn-chopra/) > [“Belief is the most powerful magic there is. Believing is the only magic that makes the utterly impossible completely possible, and the undoubtedly undoable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fletcher/belief-is-the-most-powerful-magic-there-is-believing-is-the-only/) [Tom Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fletcher/) > [Belief is a powerful thing. If you believe you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/belief-is-a-powerful-thing-if-you-believe-you-can/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [Belief is such a powerful thing - but because it is, it can also be very destructive and it's very easily manipulated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jena-malone/belief-is-such-a-powerful-thing-but-because-it-is-it-can-also-be-very/) [Jena Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jena-malone/) > [“It helps to ask ourselves why we choose to play so small when we don’t have to. Belief is powerful, and whatever we believe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/it-helps-to-ask-ourselves-why-we-choose-to-play-so-small-when-we-don/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“We can't trust the evening news. We can't trust our politicians. Our universities, the gateway to a better life, are rigged against us. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/we-can-t-trust-the-evening-news-we-can-t-trust-our-politicians-our/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Some sort of belief in all-powerful supernatural beings is common, if not universal. A tendency to obey authority, perhaps especially in children, a tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/some-sort-of-belief-in-all-powerful-supernatural-beings-is-common-if/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I do believe that belief is the most powerful thing we have in this world. So, if we believe in something enough. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-feldman/i-do-believe-that-belief-is-the-most-powerful-thing-we-have-in-this/) [Corey Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-feldman/) ## More by Edward Lee > [“he looked like something more than human, or something less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/he-looked-like-something-more-than-human-or-something-less/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“God’s already pissed off. He has been for five thousand years, and He’s sick to the nucleus of His soul. He’s not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/god-s-already-pissed-off-he-has-been-for-five-thousand-years-and-he-s/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“Morris chopped off the girl's hand with a hatchet then guttered laughter. The poor mulato wailed, her stump pumping. "What'choo do that for!" Cutton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/morris-chopped-off-the-girl-s-hand-with-a-hatchet-then-guttered/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“Think of these as wedding bands, my love," the Grand Duke amusedly remarked. "By the powers invested in me, I now pronounce us husband…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/think-of-these-as-wedding-bands-my-love-the-grand-duke-amusedly/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“Perversity, sadism, sexual aberration, etc., are parts of the nomenclature of the human spirit—just like altruism, fellowship, love, and all that. No, I’m not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/perversity-sadism-sexual-aberration-etc-are-parts-of-the-nomenclature/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“It was hard to believe that in a society of computer chips, banana chips, and anti-lock brakes, of sitcoms, Home Shopping Clubs, and pay-per-view,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/it-was-hard-to-believe-that-in-a-society-of-computer-chips-banana/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“Boy, are you fuckin' those worms again?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/boy-are-you-fuckin-those-worms-again/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“Whoever said life has anything to do with what we want or don’t want? Life’s a gift, Cassie. Sometimes we have to give something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/whoever-said-life-has-anything-to-do-with-what-we-want-or-don-t-want/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“Sartre, Kierkegaard, Heidegger: cool guys, smart, lotta meat between the ears on those fellas, and certainly trying to define who we are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/sartre-kierkegaard-heidegger-cool-guys-smart-lotta-meat-between-the/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“When we take life for granted, we’re assholes. Every day we wake up and the world’s still turning- that’s a great day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/when-we-take-life-for-granted-we-re-assholes-every-day-we-wake-up-and/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“On the coldest day of winter, I wouldn't give you the steam off my shit”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/on-the-coldest-day-of-winter-i-wouldn-t-give-you-the-steam-off-my-shit/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) [Explore all 12 Edward Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [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/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [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/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Belief is a powerful thing. It shapes the past as well as the future. Once a thing is done and thousands of years have passed, who is to say the manner in which it came to pass? History is what we believe it to be just as God and heaven are what you believe them to be, well, to a point. 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