--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Belief demands that you dispense with…" description: "\"Belief demands that you dispense with illusion after illusion, while contemporary common sense requires continual, fluffy pretending - pretending that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/francis-spufford-12650_belief_belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-il_2588207.png" --- # Belief demands that you dispense with illusion after… ![“Belief demands that you dispense with illusion after illusion, while contemporary common sense requires continual, fluffy pretending - pretending that might as well be systematic, it's so thoroughly incentivised by our culture.” quote by Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/francis-spufford-12650_belief_belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-il_2588207.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/francis-spufford-12650_belief_belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-il_2588207.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/francis-spufford-12650_belief_belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-il_2588207.png) > “Belief demands that you dispense with illusion after illusion, while contemporary common sense requires continual, fluffy pretending - pretending that might as well be systematic, it's so thoroughly incentivised by our culture.” [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Culture pushes us to replace one illusion with another, making systematic pretending common. **In simple terms:** Culture encourages continual illusion. Key Takeaway Question cultural pretenses. Themes culture illusion society Mood critical reflective Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - media consumption - political discourse - personal belief systems Key Concepts sociology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What illusion do you cling to? - How can you discern useful from harmful pretenses? A Different Perspective Some illusions provide comfort and stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Demands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-demands-1837842/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Fluffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fluffy/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Illusion Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion-contemporary-1837843/) [Incentivised Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentivised-culture-1837844/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Pretending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretending/) [Systematic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/systematic/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > ["Biblical theology" refers to something more precise than theology that is faithful to the Bible. It might be helpful to draw a contrast: at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/biblical-theology-refers-to-something-more-precise-than-theology-that/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [You don’t create a diamond by rubbing it with fluffy bunny slippers. You need to apply pressure and heat. There are enough air-headed cheerleaders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-ann-dawson/you-don-t-create-a-diamond-by-rubbing-it-with-fluffy-bunny-slippers/) [Julie Ann Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-ann-dawson/) > [The older I get, the more determined I feel to do whatever I can to help release that human potential somehow. Not in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/the-older-i-get-the-more-determined-i-feel-to-do-whatever-i-can-to/) [Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/) > [I used to breed poodles. I liked them because they were fluffy and so cute - and honestly, they make a lot of money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raven-symone/i-used-to-breed-poodles-i-liked-them-because-they-were-fluffy-and-so/) [Raven-Symone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raven-symone/) > [One of my first role models was Eugene Lang, a wealthy businessman who went back to his elementary school in East Harlem and addressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/one-of-my-first-role-models-was-eugene-lang-a-wealthy-businessman-who/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [I can't say I'm not guilty of age discrimination when it comes to animals. Like most people I've walked into a shelter more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/i-can-t-say-i-m-not-guilty-of-age-discrimination-when-it-comes-to/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [The culture used to move relatively slowly, so you could take aim. Now it moves so fast, and is so fluffy and meaningless, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-faludi/the-culture-used-to-move-relatively-slowly-so-you-could-take-aim-now/) [Susan Faludi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-faludi/) > [I think zombies are kind of cute.” “Seriously?” “I may be thinking about bunnies. Which one has the fluffy little tail, zombies or bunnies?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/i-think-zombies-are-kind-of-cute-seriously-i-may-be-thinking-about/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [“Also cute and FLUFFY!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilo-and-stitch/also-cute-and-fluffy/) [Lilo and Stitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilo-and-stitch/) > [Well, I always say that the two things I was most disastrous at in my life, being a teenager and being a wife, were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/well-i-always-say-that-the-two-things-i-was-most-disastrous-at-in-my/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [Languages are fluffy big pillows stuffed between nations - what others say is muffled and nearly lost in them, and when we speak their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/languages-are-fluffy-big-pillows-stuffed-between-nations-what-others/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [I'm staying in a lovely hotel, dressing robe behind the door, lovely fluffy sheets - took me a half an hour getting my suitcase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-carson/i-m-staying-in-a-lovely-hotel-dressing-robe-behind-the-door-lovely/) [Frank Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-carson/) > [I would never describe a cloud as 'fluffy'—in Chinese or in English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-would-never-describe-a-cloud-as-fluffy-in-chinese-or-in-english/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [He liked to think that Heaven was what each person wanted it to be. He could see no future in lying around on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmer-kelton/he-liked-to-think-that-heaven-was-what-each-person-wanted-it-to-be-he/) [Elmer Kelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmer-kelton/) > [I love a bathroom and fluffy bathrobe. Bear Grylls and camping... that's not me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-donnelly/i-love-a-bathroom-and-fluffy-bathrobe-bear-grylls-and-camping-that-s/) [Declan Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-donnelly/) ## More by Francis Spufford > [If your memory was OK you could descend upon on a bookshop – a big enough one so that the staff wouldn’t hassle a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-your-memory-was-ok-you-could-descend-upon-on-a-bookshop-a-big/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [There have been low moments before, but Christianity is an incredibly adaptable organism, using different parts of its repertoire to mutate into new ecological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/there-have-been-low-moments-before-but-christianity-is-an-incredibly/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [“Beyond the breakwater you can no longer touch bottom, but you are not afraid, for in this sea the harder you swim the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/beyond-the-breakwater-you-can-no-longer-touch-bottom-but-you-are-not/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Self-awareness is not the same thing as self-approval, any more than imagination is the same thing as day-dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/self-awareness-is-not-the-same-thing-as-self-approval-any-more-than/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [What follows is more about books than it is about me, but nonetheless it is my inward autobiography, for the words we take into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/what-follows-is-more-about-books-than-it-is-about-me-but-nonetheless/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Despite the best efforts of apologists like William Lane Craig, the 'evidence' for Christianity's truth is, in truth, not the kind that science will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/despite-the-best-efforts-of-apologists-like-william-lane-craig-the/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [“You do not chuse where You bestow your Heart. Your Heart bestows Itself, will-you-nill-you, in the Midst of other Business. —”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-do-not-chuse-where-you-bestow-your-heart-your-heart-bestows/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Anyone can be self-educated if they find the loose end of something to care about passionately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/anyone-can-be-self-educated-if-they-find-the-loose-end-of-something/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [You never came out the way you came in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-never-came-out-the-way-you-came-in/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [For a believer, Christian faith is true to the human heart, not in the sense that any old thing we fancy believing in will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/for-a-believer-christian-faith-is-true-to-the-human-heart-not-in-the/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [When I'm tired and therefore indecisive, it can take half an hour to choose the book I am going to have with me while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/when-i-m-tired-and-therefore-indecisive-it-can-take-half-an-hour-to/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [“...what goes on inside believers is mysterious. So far as it can be guessed at - if for some reason you wanted to guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/what-goes-on-inside-believers-is-mysterious-so-far-as-it-can-be/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [I can always tell when you're reading somewhere in the house,' my mother used to say. 'There's a special silence, a reading silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/i-can-always-tell-when-you-re-reading-somewhere-in-the-house-my/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [I think I have made allowances for the kind of despair which would test my faith, but you cannot know in advance what disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/i-think-i-have-made-allowances-for-the-kind-of-despair-which-would/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [You don't have to become an investment banker as a way of demonstrating that education has worked for you. But librarians have to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-don-t-have-to-become-an-investment-banker-as-a-way-of/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) [Explore all 54 Francis Spufford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) ## 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 demands that you dispense with illusion after illusion, while contemporary common sense requires continual, fluffy pretending - pretending that might as well be systematic, it's so thoroughly incentivised by our culture.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis Spufford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-illusion-after-illusion-while/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-illusion-after-illusion-while/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/francis-spufford-12650_belief_belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-il_2588207.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/francis-spufford-12650_belief_belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-il_2588207.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/francis-spufford-12650_belief_belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-il_2588207.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Belief demands that you dispense with illusion after illusion, while contemporary common sense requires…” — Francis Spufford", "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": "Francis Spufford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Belief demands that you dispense with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-illusion-after-illusion-while/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/belief-demands-that-you-dispense-with-illusion-after-illusion-while/#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 } } ] } ```