--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where…" description: "\"Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the patient can neither eliminate an old idea nor absorb a new one.\" — Elbert Hubbard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/elbert-hubbard-510_atheism_orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where_2049317.png" --- # Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the patient can… ![“Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the patient can neither eliminate an old idea nor absorb a new one.” quote by Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/elbert-hubbard-510_atheism_orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where_2049317.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/elbert-hubbard-510_atheism_orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where_2049317.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/elbert-hubbard-510_atheism_orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where_2049317.png) > “Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the patient can neither eliminate an old idea nor absorb a new one.” [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being stuck between clinging to outdated ideas and refusing new ones creates stagnation. **In simple terms:** Can't let go nor accept change. Key Takeaway Embrace new ideas, release old ones. Themes change stagnation open‑mindedness Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - career transitions - learning new skills - cultural shifts Key Concepts philosophy psychology growth Questions to Reflect On - What old belief holds you back? - How can you test new ideas safely? A Different Perspective Fear of loss can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Old ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-ideas/) [Orthodoxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodoxy/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) ## Related quotes > [“If I were a doctor, I would diagnose his condition thus: "The patient is suffering from nostalgic insufficiency.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/if-i-were-a-doctor-i-would-diagnose-his-condition-thus-the-patient-is/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [If I didn't have this affliction, I would be the first. As a rule the if-clause contains an unfulfillable condition, or the patient's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/if-i-didn-t-have-this-affliction-i-would-be-the-first-as-a-rule-the/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [Remember. You are a physician. You are not a policeman nor are you a minister of religion. You must take people as they come.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/remember-you-are-a-physician-you-are-not-a-policeman-nor-are-you-a/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [Why is it that, as we grow older, we are so reluctant to change? It is not so much that new ideas are painful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-e-turner-2/why-is-it-that-as-we-grow-older-we-are-so-reluctant-to-change-it-is/) Dale E Turner > [The word conservative is used by the BBC as a portmanteau word of abuse for anyone whose views differ from the insufferable, smug, sanctimonious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-tebbit/the-word-conservative-is-used-by-the-bbc-as-a-portmanteau-word-of/) [Norman Tebbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-tebbit/) > [Do not bury our glorious orthodoxy in the treacherous pit of a spurious conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/do-not-bury-our-glorious-orthodoxy-in-the-treacherous-pit-of-a/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [“The conservatism of a religion - it's orthodoxy - is the inert coagulum of a once highly reactive sap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orthodoxy-is-the-inert-coagulum/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Orthodoxy is a corpse that doesn't know it's dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/orthodoxy-is-a-corpse-that-doesn-t-know-it-s-dead/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [“The history of education is a seemingly endless parade of “new ideas” that are actually old ideas renamed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ravitch/the-history-of-education-is-a-seemingly-endless-parade-of-new-ideas/) [Diane Ravitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ravitch/) > [Sometimes an old idea gets relegated to the back of the line in the mad delight of a new idea, one you've never had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/sometimes-an-old-idea-gets-relegated-to-the-back-of-the-line-in-the/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Just as the line of astronomical thinkers from Copernicus to Newton had destroyed the old astronomy, in which the earth was the center, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/just-as-the-line-of-astronomical-thinkers-from-copernicus-to-newton/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [On tight money: It reflects a reversion to the old idea that the tree can be fertilized at the top instead of at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/on-tight-money-it-reflects-a-reversion-to-the-old-idea-that-the-tree/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them… for really new ideas of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/cities-need-old-buildings-so-badly-it-is-probably-impossible-for/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-outside-the-proverbial-box-we/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) ## More by Elbert Hubbard > [The teacher is one who makes two ideas grow where only one grew before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-teacher-is-one-who-makes-two-ideas-grow-where-only-one-grew-before/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The highest reward that God gives us for good work is the ability to do better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-highest-reward-that-god-gives-us-for-good-work-is-the-ability-to/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Art is nothing; it's a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/art-is-nothing-it-s-a-way/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Library: A place where the dead lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/library-a-place-where-the-dead-lie/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The poor and ignorant will continue to lie and steal as long as the rich and educated show them how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-poor-and-ignorant-will-continue-to-lie-and-steal-as-long-as-the/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [So long as governments set the example of killing their enemies, private individuals will occasionally kill theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/so-long-as-governments-set-the-example-of-killing-their-enemies/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [If I supply you with a thought, you may remember it and you may not. But if I can make you think a thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-i-supply-you-with-a-thought-you-may-remember-it-and-you-may-not/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 A conservative is a man who is too cowardly to fight and too fat to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/1-2-3-4-5-a-conservative-is-a-man-who-is-too-cowardly-to-fight-and/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The great man is not so great as folks think, and the dull man is not quite so stupid as he seems. The difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-great-man-is-not-so-great-as-folks-think-and-the-dull-man-is-not/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Every knock is a boost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/every-knock-is-a-boost/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [What boy well raised can compare with your street gamin who has the knowledge and the shrewdness of a grown-up broker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/what-boy-well-raised-can-compare-with-your-street-gamin-who-has-the/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Don't make excuses, make good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/don-t-make-excuses-make-good/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [What people need and what they want may be very different… Teachers are those who educate the people to appreciate the things they need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/what-people-need-and-what-they-want-may-be-very-different-teachers/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Men who sit back and pride themselves on their culture haven't any to speak of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/men-who-sit-back-and-pride-themselves-on-their-culture-haven-t-any-to/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) [Explore all 506 Elbert Hubbard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) ## 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": "Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the patient can neither eliminate an old idea nor absorb a new one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elbert Hubbard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where-the-patient-can-neither/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where-the-patient-can-neither/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/elbert-hubbard-510_atheism_orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where_2049317.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/elbert-hubbard-510_atheism_orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where_2049317.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/elbert-hubbard-510_atheism_orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where_2049317.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the patient can neither eliminate an old idea nor absorb a new one.” — Elbert Hubbard", "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": "Elbert Hubbard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where-the-patient-can-neither/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where-the-patient-can-neither/#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 } } ] } ```