--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always been resistant to doctrine…" description: "\"I have always been resistant to doctrine, and any spirituality I had experienced thus far in my life had been much more abstract and not aligned with a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/eric-clapton-3136_abstract_i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine_594576.jpg" --- # I have always been resistant to doctrine, and any… ![“I have always been resistant to doctrine, and any spirituality I had experienced thus far in my life had been much more abstract and not aligned with any recognized religion. For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality had always proven to be music. It cannot be manipulated, or…” quote by Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/eric-clapton-3136_abstract_i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine_594576.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/eric-clapton-3136_abstract_i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine_594576.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/eric-clapton-3136_abstract_i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine_594576.jpg) > “I have always been resistant to doctrine, and any spirituality I had experienced thus far in my life had been much more abstract and not aligned with any recognized religion. For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality had always proven to be music. It cannot be manipulated, or politicized, and when it is, that becomes immediately obvious.” [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music serves as an authentic, unmanipulable path to spirituality, contrasting with doctrine that can be politicized or distorted. **In simple terms:** Music is a pure spiritual guide. Key Takeaway Seek truth through music rather than rigid doctrine. Themes spirituality authenticity music trust resistance Mood reflective contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative practice - community gatherings Key Concepts Artistic expression personal truth cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - Can music remain untouched by politics? - What role does music play in your spiritual life? A Different Perspective Music can be commercialized, losing its purity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Doctrine Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine-spirituality-4859826/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Old soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-soul/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Trustworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-trustworthy-4859827/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Spirituality Experienced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality-experienced-4859828/) [Spirituality Proven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality-proven-3154817/) [Trustworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trustworthy/) [Vehicle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vehicle/) ## Related quotes > [For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality had always proven to be music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/for-me-the-most-trustworthy-vehicle-for-spirituality-had-always/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [I like listening to old soul music. I like Sam Cooke. When I was growing up, the first things I was listening to was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-ferguson/i-like-listening-to-old-soul-music-i-like-sam-cooke-when-i-was/) [Rebecca Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-ferguson/) > [“Sometimes a child with wise eyes is born. Then some people will call that child an old soul. That is enough to make God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/sometimes-a-child-with-wise-eyes-is-born-then-some-people-will-call/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“Old soul cries through the tears of a newborn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/old-soul-cries-through-the-tears-of-a-newborn/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [“She bleeds poetry. She is an old soul. She has already existed since the day the Earth gave birth to nature. She felt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verliza-gajeles/she-bleeds-poetry-she-is-an-old-soul-she-has-already-existed-since/) [Verliza Gajeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verliza-gajeles/) > [“She's an old soul with young eyes, a vintage heart, and a beautiful mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-lyons/she-s-an-old-soul-with-young-eyes-a-vintage-heart-and-a-beautiful-mind/) [Nicole Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-lyons/) > [“Perhaps she lived a thousand lifetimes before, a world that breathed on Love, a home that bloomed of togetherness, a wild crazy love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debatrayee-banerjee/perhaps-she-lived-a-thousand-lifetimes-before-a-world-that-breathed/) [Debatrayee Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debatrayee-banerjee/) > [Off-camera, Hrithik is very humble and extremely focused. He is an emotional person, and very old school as far as his emotions go. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esha-deol/off-camera-hrithik-is-very-humble-and-extremely-focused-he-is-an/) [Esha Deol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esha-deol/) > [“You can't break an old soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitta-xinindlu/you-can-t-break-an-old-soul/) [Mitta Xinindlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitta-xinindlu/) > [“Jonathan Edwards, the dear old soul, who, if his doctrine is true, is now in heaven rubbing his holy hands with glee, as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/jonathan-edwards-the-dear-old-soul-who-if-his-doctrine-is-true-is-now/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [I suppose I'm just an old soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeke-smith/i-suppose-i-m-just-an-old-soul/) [Zeke Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeke-smith/) > [The little babies are missing their families from their past lives. The babies have old souls and the old souls have to shrink to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akhil-sharma/the-little-babies-are-missing-their-families-from-their-past-lives/) [Akhil Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akhil-sharma/) > [“Wait, Alden. I really don't want to meet your friends dressed like this." "They're your friends too. And you look fantastic. I love the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lindsey/wait-alden-i-really-don-t-want-to-meet-your-friends-dressed-like-this/) [Mary Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lindsey/) > [Do not be afraid of your difficulties.Do not wish you could be in other circumstances than you are. For when you have made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-afraid-of-your-difficulties-do-not-wish-you-could-be-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) ## More by Eric Clapton > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [I did play a lot of fingerstyle when I first started playing. I could never really find the right combination of flatpick or fingerpick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-did-play-a-lot-of-fingerstyle-when-i-first-started-playing-i-could/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [I listened to King Oliver and I listened to Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp... I listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-listened-to-king-oliver-and-i-listened-to-louis-armstrong-jelly/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [Yeah, I wanted to know where they got it from, what it was all about, you know, and it seemed to strike something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/yeah-i-wanted-to-know-where-they-got-it-from-what-it-was-all-about/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [Oh yeah, I mean, it wasn't a very good guitar, most good guitars have got thrust rods in the necks that you can adjust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/oh-yeah-i-mean-it-wasn-t-a-very-good-guitar-most-good-guitars-have/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [The Yardbirds came in to the Crawdaddy Club a week after the Stones finished their Sunday night residency. They had done it for almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/the-yardbirds-came-in-to-the-crawdaddy-club-a-week-after-the-stones/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [I mean, it didn't matter to me that there were people, it didn't matter that I was shy Just the sound was so captivating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-mean-it-didn-t-matter-to-me-that-there-were-people-it-didn-t-matter/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [Let's make the best of the situation Before I finally go insane. Please don't say we'll never find a way And tell me all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/let-s-make-the-best-of-the-situation-before-i-finally-go-insane/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [All I am certain of right now is that I don't want to go anywhere, and that's not bad for someone who always used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/all-i-am-certain-of-right-now-is-that-i-don-t-want-to-go-anywhere-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [The first one was quite cheap, but that was expensive for us. For my folks to buy on the Never Never. It was quite,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/the-first-one-was-quite-cheap-but-that-was-expensive-for-us-for-my/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [It's taken me to be an older guy, an old man, to have an old man's voice. Because I only liked old men's voices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/it-s-taken-me-to-be-an-older-guy-an-old-man-to-have-an-old-man-s/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [I've always wanted the sound of Muddy Waters' early records - only louder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-ve-always-wanted-the-sound-of-muddy-waters-early-records-only-louder/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [You can't mastermind everything. You'll go crazy. Just show up and play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/you-can-t-mastermind-everything-you-ll-go-crazy-just-show-up-and-play/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [Risk is trying to control something you are powerless over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/risk-is-trying-to-control-something-you-are-powerless-over/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [I thought, 'My God, this is like Buddy Guy on acid.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-thought-my-god-this-is-like-buddy-guy-on-acid/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) [Explore all 137 Eric Clapton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) [Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/) > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always been resistant to doctrine, and any spirituality I had experienced thus far in my life had been much more abstract and not aligned with any recognized religion. For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality had always proven to be music. It cannot be manipulated, or politicized, and when it is, that becomes immediately obvious.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Clapton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine-and-any-spirituality-i-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstract" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine-and-any-spirituality-i-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/eric-clapton-3136_abstract_i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine_594576.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/eric-clapton-3136_abstract_i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine_594576.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a36/eric-clapton-3136_abstract_i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine_594576.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have always been resistant to doctrine, and any spirituality I had experienced thus far in my life had…” — Eric Clapton", "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": "Eric Clapton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have always been resistant to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine-and-any-spirituality-i-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-have-always-been-resistant-to-doctrine-and-any-spirituality-i-had/#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 } } ] } ```