--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The conservatism of a religion - it's…" description: "\"“The conservatism of a religion - it's orthodoxy - is the inert coagulum of a once highly reactive sap.”\" — Eric Hoffer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/eric-hoffer-343_conservatism_the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orth_1121676.jpg" --- # The conservatism of a religion - it's orthodoxy - is the… ![“The conservatism of a religion - it's orthodoxy - is the inert coagulum of a once highly reactive sap.” quote by Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/eric-hoffer-343_conservatism_the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orth_1121676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/eric-hoffer-343_conservatism_the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orth_1121676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/eric-hoffer-343_conservatism_the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orth_1121676.jpg) > ““The conservatism of a religion - it's orthodoxy - is the inert coagulum of a once highly reactive sap.”” [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religious orthodoxy becomes stagnant, losing its original dynamic energy. **In simple terms:** Religion can become rigid and inert. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge stagnant beliefs. Themes religion orthodoxy stagnation reactivity change Mood critical reflective analytical Type philosophical commentary When to use this quote - political reform - faith communities - personal belief systems Key Concepts institutional inertia dogma social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does rigidity affect faith communities? - What can revive dynamic belief? A Different Perspective Stagnant beliefs can resist necessary evolution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Orthodoxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodoxy/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not poor now, but unlike some of my friends who are now rich, I haven't embraced conservatism and religion. I'm not opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-m-not-poor-now-but-unlike-some-of-my-friends-who-are-now-rich-i/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [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/) > [Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the patient can neither eliminate an old idea nor absorb a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where-the-patient-can-neither/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [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/) > [A heresy can spring only from a system that is in full vigor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-heresy-can-spring-only-from-a-system-that-is-in-full-vigor/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [It is the fate of every great achievement to be pounced upon by pedants and imitators who drain it of life and turn it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-the-fate-of-every-great-achievement-to-be-pounced-upon-by/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Conservatism is sometimes a symptom of sterility. Those who have nothing in them that can grow and develop must cling to what they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/conservatism-is-sometimes-a-symptom-of-sterility-those-who-have/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [What does the good ship bear so well? The cocoa-nut with its stony shell, And the milky sap of its inner cell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/what-does-the-good-ship-bear-so-well-the-cocoa-nut-with-its-stony/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [I miss good old-fashioned honorable people just trying to make something of life. Simply, without hurting anyone else. I know that makes me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-miss-good-old-fashioned-honorable-people-just-trying-to-make/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [Each and every incomplete thing in your life or work exerts a draining force on you, sucking the energy of accomplishment and success out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-olson/each-and-every-incomplete-thing-in-your-life-or-work-exerts-a/) [Jeff Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-olson/) > [Energy in a nation is like sap in a tree; it rises from bottom up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/energy-in-a-nation-is-like-sap-in-a-tree-it-rises-from-bottom-up/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [I love these pet names," she said, gazing soulfully up into his eyes, "Nitwit. Sap skull. Termagant. How they make my heart flutter!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/i-love-these-pet-names-she-said-gazing-soulfully-up-into-his-eyes/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) > [So there you have it: Nature is a rotten mess. But that's only the beginning. If you take your eyes off it for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-goldberg/so-there-you-have-it-nature-is-a-rotten-mess-but-that-s-only-the/) [Lee Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-goldberg/) > [What is undeniable is that when comforts and convenience sap our energies and idealism, inactivity secretes sloth in to our minds like a poison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/what-is-undeniable-is-that-when-comforts-and-convenience-sap-our/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [The genius of capitalism consists precisely in its lack of morality. Unless he is rich enough to hire his own choir, a capitalist is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-genius-of-capitalism-consists-precisely-in-its-lack-of-morality/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) ## More by Eric Hoffer > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-lie-the-loudest-when-we-lie-to-ourselves/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Our originality shows itself most strikingly not in what we wholly originate but in what we do with that which we borrow from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/our-originality-shows-itself-most-strikingly-not-in-what-we-wholly/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The creative mind is the playful mind. Philosophy is the play and dance of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-creative-mind-is-the-playful-mind-philosophy-is-the-play-and/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-best-part-of-the-art-of-living-is-to-know-how-to-grow-old/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes--courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, etc.--can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-the-alchemy-of-man-s-soul-almost-all-noble-attributes-courage/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-act-of-self-denial-seems-to-confer-on-us-the-right-to-be-harsh/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [A nation without dregs and malcontents, is orderly, decent, peaceful and pleasant, but perhaps without the seed of things to come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-nation-without-dregs-and-malcontents-is-orderly-decent-peaceful-and/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/compassion-alone-stands-apart-from-the-continuous-traffic-between/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement. For an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/there-are-many-who-find-a-good-alibi-far-more-attractive-than-an/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-war-is-not-won-if-the-defeated-enemy-has-not-been-turned-into-a/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Man is the only creature that strives to surpass himself, and yearns for the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/man-is-the-only-creature-that-strives-to-surpass-himself-and-yearns/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [This food-and-shelter theory concerning man's efforts is without insight. The desire for praise is more imperative than the desire for food and shelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/this-food-and-shelter-theory-concerning-man-s-efforts-is-without/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) [Explore all 658 Eric Hoffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## More Conservatism quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“Conservatism aims to maintain in working order the loyalties of the community to perceived truths and also to those truths which in their judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr-2/conservatism-aims-to-maintain-in-working-order-the-loyalties-of-the/) [William F. Buckley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr-2/) > [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/) > [Conservatism is affecting the way women perceive who they are in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/conservatism-is-affecting-the-way-women-perceive-who-they-are-in-the/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Admirers can be a tremendous force for conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/admirers-can-be-a-tremendous-force-for-conservatism/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Conservatism defends those coercive arrangements which a still-lingering savageness makes requisite. Radicalism endeavours to realize a state more in harmony with the character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/conservatism-defends-those-coercive-arrangements-which-a-still/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Conservatism is about the basic rights of individuals. God created us. As far as the government goes, the Founding Fathers based the Constitution off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/conservatism-is-about-the-basic-rights-of-individuals-god-created-us/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [A liberal is only a bundle of prejudices until he has mastered, has understood, experienced the philosophy of Conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/a-liberal-is-only-a-bundle-of-prejudices-until-he-has-mastered-has/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [“At the time, he told his children to watch themselves, to understand that the tides of conservatism came and went and if they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/at-the-time-he-told-his-children-to-watch-themselves-to-understand/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Conservatism is the worship of dead revolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-rossiter/conservatism-is-the-worship-of-dead-revolutions/) [Clinton Rossiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-rossiter/) > [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Social and cultural change, however desirable, should not be effected by the engines of national power. Let us, through persuasion and education, seek to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/social-and-cultural-change-however-desirable-should-not-be-effected/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [If Theresa May is big enough to admit her mistakes and put a kinder Conservatism into the heart of her government, she may survive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/if-theresa-may-is-big-enough-to-admit-her-mistakes-and-put-a-kinder/) [Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/) [Browse all 522 Conservatism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The conservatism of a religion - it's orthodoxy - is the inert coagulum of a once highly reactive sap.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Hoffer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orthodoxy-is-the-inert-coagulum/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conservatism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orthodoxy-is-the-inert-coagulum/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/eric-hoffer-343_conservatism_the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orth_1121676.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/eric-hoffer-343_conservatism_the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orth_1121676.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/eric-hoffer-343_conservatism_the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orth_1121676.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The conservatism of a religion - it's orthodoxy - is the inert coagulum of a once highly reactive sap.” — Eric Hoffer", "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 Hoffer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The conservatism of a religion -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orthodoxy-is-the-inert-coagulum/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-conservatism-of-a-religion-it-s-orthodoxy-is-the-inert-coagulum/#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 } } ] } ```