--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I distrust pious phrases, especially when…" description: "\"I distrust pious phrases, especially when they issue from my mouth. I try militantly never to be affected by the pious language of the faithful but it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/flannery-o-connor-639_coming-out_i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when_1415630.png" --- # I distrust pious phrases, especially when they issue from… ![“I distrust pious phrases, especially when they issue from my mouth. I try militantly never to be affected by the pious language of the faithful but it is always coming out when you least expect it. In contrast to the pious language of the faithful, the liturgy is beautifully flat.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/flannery-o-connor-639_coming-out_i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when_1415630.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/flannery-o-connor-639_coming-out_i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when_1415630.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/flannery-o-connor-639_coming-out_i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when_1415630.png) > “I distrust pious phrases, especially when they issue from my mouth. I try militantly never to be affected by the pious language of the faithful but it is always coming out when you least expect it. In contrast to the pious language of the faithful, the liturgy is beautifully flat.” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author distrusts religious language, yet it unintentionally emerges, contrasting with flat liturgy **In simple terms:** Religious phrasing slips in despite effort to avoid it Key Takeaway Be aware of subconscious language patterns Themes self‑reflection religion language Mood reflective critical Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - writing - public speaking - personal ethics Key Concepts unconscious bias liturgical flatness Questions to Reflect On - How does unconscious language shape belief? - Can we truly control our speech? A Different Perspective Self‑censorship may be impossible and lead to hypocrisy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithful/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Liturgy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liturgy/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) ## Related quotes > [“It is easy to prime the pump and have the words gush forth in a torrent of pious phrases but the proof of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-templeton/it-is-easy-to-prime-the-pump-and-have-the-words-gush-forth-in-a/) [Charles Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-templeton/) > [Consumerism is the worship of the god of quantity; advertising is its liturgy. Advertising is schooling in false longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/consumerism-is-the-worship-of-the-god-of-quantity-advertising-is-its/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Ancient worship . . . does truth. All one has to do is to study the ancient liturgies to see that liturgies clearly do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-webber/ancient-worship-does-truth-all-one-has-to-do-is-to-study-the-ancient/) [Robert E. Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-webber/) > [The real 'action' in the liturgy in which we are all supposed to participate is the action of God himself. This is what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-real-action-in-the-liturgy-in-which-we-are-all-supposed-to/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [The gospel has but a forced alliance with war. Its doctrine of human brotherhood would ring strangely between the opposed ranks. The bellowing speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/the-gospel-has-but-a-forced-alliance-with-war-its-doctrine-of-human/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Give me bitter years of sickness, Suffocation, insomnia, fever, Take my child and my lover, And my mysterious gift of song This I pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/give-me-bitter-years-of-sickness-suffocation-insomnia-fever-take-my/) [Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/) > [“Worship, then, needs to be characterized by hospitality; it needs to be inviting. But at the same time, it should be inviting seekers into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/worship-then-needs-to-be-characterized-by-hospitality-it-needs-to-be/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [“We have everyday habits—formative practices—that constitute daily liturgies. By reaching for my smartphone every morning, I had developed a ritual that trained me toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tish-harrison-warren/we-have-everyday-habits-formative-practices-that-constitute-daily/) [Tish Harrison Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tish-harrison-warren/) > [“Over the years, my church gave me passage into a menagerie of exotic words unknown in the South: "introit," "offertory," "liturgy," "movable feast," "the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/over-the-years-my-church-gave-me-passage-into-a-menagerie-of-exotic/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“There is however, one reason why the arts so rarely accept a mission that IS within the power of the Church to alter. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-nichols-o-p/there-is-however-one-reason-why-the-arts-so-rarely-accept-a-mission/) Aidan Nichols O.P > [“I often think of the set pieces of liturgy as certain words which people have successfully addressed to God without their getting killed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-often-think-of-the-set-pieces-of-liturgy-as-certain-words-which/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [ \[John Calvin's\] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-s-treatment-of-the-person-and-work-of-christ-of-the-holy/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [“Liturgy puts us to work along with all the others who have been and are being put to work in the world by and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/liturgy-puts-us-to-work-along-with-all-the-others-who-have-been-and/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [“Liturgy gathers the holy community as it reads the Holy Scriptures into the sweeping tidal rhythms of the church year in which the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/liturgy-gathers-the-holy-community-as-it-reads-the-holy-scriptures/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [The most powerful movement of feeling with a liturgy is the prayer which seeks for nothing special, but is a yearning to escape from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-most-powerful-movement-of-feeling-with-a-liturgy-is-the-prayer/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) ## More by Flannery O'Connor > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis-except-to-tell-you-that-i/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/everything-that-gave-her-pleasure-was-small-and-depressed-him/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-the-hard-of-hearing-you-shout-and-for-the-almost-blind-you-draw/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“He felt his hunger no longer as a pain but as a tide. He felt it rising in himself through time and darkness, rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/he-felt-his-hunger-no-longer-as-a-pain-but-as-a-tide-he-felt-it/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/where-you-come-from-is-gone-where-you-thought-you-were-going-to-never/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/technique-in-the-minds-of-many-is-something-rigid-something-like-a/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“There are all kinds of truth ... but behind all of them there is only one truth and that is that there's no truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/there-are-all-kinds-of-truth-but-behind-all-of-them-there-is-only-one/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Mrs. May winced. She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. Their father had gone to a one-room schoolhouse through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/she-had-observed-that-the-more-education-they-got-the-less-they-could/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [One of the awful things about writing when you are a Christian is that for you the ultimate reality is the Incarnation, the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/one-of-the-awful-things-about-writing-when-you-are-a-christian-is/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Hazel Motes sat at a forward angel on the green plush train seat, looking one minute at the window as if he might want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/hazel-motes-sat-at-a-forward-angel-on-the-green-plush-train-seat/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) [Explore all 432 Flannery O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## More Coming out quotes > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I am glad The Worst Journey is coming out in Penguins: after all it is largely about penguins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apsley-cherry-garrard/i-am-glad-the-worst-journey-is-coming-out-in-penguins-after-all-it-is/) [Apsley Cherry-Garrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apsley-cherry-garrard/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [“There comes a time in a girl’s life where she finds her heart broken, what matters is not the boy who broke it but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-hunter/there-comes-a-time-in-a-girl-s-life-where-she-finds-her-heart-broken/) Kara Lee Hunter > [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/) Billy Taylor > [I feel pain everyday of my life. When you see me perform, it's that pain you're seeing coming out. I put all my emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-pain-everyday-of-my-life-when-you-see-me-perform-it-s-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [So the first thing I learned about how to get superior performance is not to buy stocks that are near their lows, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-neil/so-the-first-thing-i-learned-about-how-to-get-superior-performance-is/) [William O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-neil/) > [...Individualistic material progress and the desire to gain prestige by coming out on top have taken over from the sense of fellowship, compassion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/individualistic-material-progress-and-the-desire-to-gain-prestige-by/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [ Basically I made her \[ Sara Pocock\] listen to funk music for a good month, a nonstop stream of George Clinton. I was talking… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/basically-i-made-her-sara-pocock-listen-to-funk-music-for-a-good/) [Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/) > [The most you can do is stand up for what you believe in. I'm much happier since coming out to my friends and family.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/the-most-you-can-do-is-stand-up-for-what-you-believe-in-i-m-much/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [According to a new book coming out by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, apparently when he was in high school, President Obama smoked large amounts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/according-to-a-new-book-coming-out-by-a-pulitzer-prize-winning-author/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [My black friends in America don't believe me. I said, 'Dude, I'm Nigerian American.' 'Word? We thought you were, like, regular black.' What the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godfrey/my-black-friends-in-america-don-t-believe-me-i-said-dude-i-m-nigerian/) [Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godfrey/) > [I think it's the source material. 27 Dresses was a famous book, and Devil Wears Prada was also a wonderful book, so it's coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bruckheimer/i-think-it-s-the-source-material-27-dresses-was-a-famous-book-and/) [Jerry Bruckheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bruckheimer/) [Browse all 771 Coming out quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I distrust pious phrases, especially when they issue from my mouth. I try militantly never to be affected by the pious language of the faithful but it is always coming out when you least expect it. In contrast to the pious language of the faithful, the liturgy is beautifully flat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Flannery O'Connor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when-they-issue-from-my-mouth-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coming out" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when-they-issue-from-my-mouth-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/flannery-o-connor-639_coming-out_i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when_1415630.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/flannery-o-connor-639_coming-out_i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when_1415630.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/flannery-o-connor-639_coming-out_i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when_1415630.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I distrust pious phrases, especially when they issue from my mouth. I try militantly never to be affected by…” — Flannery O'Connor", "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": "Flannery O'Connor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I distrust pious phrases, especially when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when-they-issue-from-my-mouth-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-distrust-pious-phrases-especially-when-they-issue-from-my-mouth-i/#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 } } ] } ```