---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religions often partake of the myth of…"
description: "\"Religions often partake of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future.\" — Frank Herbert"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frank-herbert-262_myth_religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-p_951960.jpg"
---

#  Religions often partake of the myth of progress that…

![“Religions often partake of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future.” quote by Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frank-herbert-262_myth_religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-p_951960.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frank-herbert-262_myth_religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-p_951960.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frank-herbert-262_myth_religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-p_951960.jpg)

> “Religions often partake of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future.”

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People use the idea of progress to comfort themselves against fear of the unknown future.

**In simple terms:** Progress myth eases fear of uncertainty.

Key Takeaway

Recognize comfort myths and confront uncertainty.

Themes

fear myth progress future comfort

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- personal decision
- political planning
- social movements
- career development

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology sociology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does progress myth affect your decisions?
- What alternatives replace fear‑based comfort?

A Different Perspective

The myth can also discourage critical analysis of actual conditions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Myth Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth-progress-1046018/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religions Partake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religions-partake-1703514/) [Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shields/) [Shields Terrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shields-terrors-1046020/) [Statistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistics/) [Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror/) [Terrors Uncertain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrors-uncertain-1046017/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Uncertain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertain/) [Uncertain future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertain-future/)

## Related quotes

> [Religion often partakes of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/religion-often-partakes-of-the-myth-of-progress-that-shields-us-from/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“Our practical faith in progress has ramified and hardened into an ideology -- a secular religion which, like the religions that progress has challenged,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/our-practical-faith-in-progress-has-ramified-and-hardened-into-an/)

[Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/)

> [The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-concept-of-progress-acts-as-a-protective-mechanism-to-shield-us/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“If there was one great benefit to the whole practice of art, it was to focus him in the “now,” where the ugly past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-mckenna/if-there-was-one-great-benefit-to-the-whole-practice-of-art-it-was-to/)

[Christina McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-mckenna/)

> [“Real Love for ourselves by definition includes every aspect of our lives—the good, the bad, the difficult, the challenging past, the uncertain future, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/real-love-for-ourselves-by-definition-includes-every-aspect-of-our/)

[Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/)

> [We live in changing times, and many people experience the challenges that come with it. In the face of uncertain futures, no one will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/we-live-in-changing-times-and-many-people-experience-the-challenges/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

> [I like to define biology as the history of the earth and all its life - past, present, and future. To understand biology is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/i-like-to-define-biology-as-the-history-of-the-earth-and-all-its-life-2/)

[Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/)

> [“What an irony it is that these living beings whose shade we sit in, whose fruit we eat, whose limbs we climb, whose roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-robbins/what-an-irony-it-is-that-these-living-beings-whose-shade-we-sit-in/)

[Jim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-robbins/)

> [The future is uncertain... but this uncertainty is at the very heart of human creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilya-prigogine/the-future-is-uncertain-but-this-uncertainty-is-at-the-very-heart-of/)

[Ilya Prigogine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilya-prigogine/)

> [“When one considers American history as a whole, it is hard to think of any very long period in which it could be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/when-one-considers-american-history-as-a-whole-it-is-hard-to-think-of/)

[Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/)

> [I like to define biology as the history of the earth and all its life - past, present, and future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/i-like-to-define-biology-as-the-history-of-the-earth-and-all-its-life/)

[Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/)

> [Everyone's future is uncertain life moves on very fast, girls come and go, while money is the same... Some people need and want loyalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/everyone-s-future-is-uncertain-life-moves-on-very-fast-girls-come-and/)

[Kevin Mccarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/)

> [Auto repair, piloting, skiing, perhaps even management: these are skills that yield to application, hard work, and native talent. But forecasting an uncertain future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/auto-repair-piloting-skiing-perhaps-even-management-these-are-skills/)

[James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/)

> [“It is always a starkly private moment when a governor first apprehends his subject as a man—perhaps not as an equal, but at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/it-is-always-a-starkly-private-moment-when-a-governor-first/)

[Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/)

> [When the uncertain future becomes the past, the past in turn becomes uncertain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/when-the-uncertain-future-becomes-the-past-the-past-in-turn-becomes/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

## More by Frank Herbert

> [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“A leader, you see, is one of the things that distinguishes a mob from a people. He maintains the level of individuals. Too few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-leader-you-see-is-one-of-the-things-that-distinguishes-a-mob-from-a/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“I will tell you this only once. Homosexuals have been among the best warriors in our history, the berserkers of last resort. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-will-tell-you-this-only-once-homosexuals-have-been-among-the-best/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/between-depriving-a-man-of-one-hour-from-his-life-and-depriving-him/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [The surest way to keep a secret is to make someone think they already know the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-surest-way-to-keep-a-secret-is-to-make-someone-think-they-already/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“how inevitable it was that the aristocrat would refuse his final duty—which was to step aside and vanish into history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/how-inevitable-it-was-that-the-aristocrat-would-refuse-his-final-duty/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“What we should have done was test the gift first. We should have probed for dangers. We were too bedazzled by it, though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/what-we-should-have-done-was-test-the-gift-first-we-should-have/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“Have you noticed, Stil, how beautiful the young women are this year?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/have-you-noticed-stil-how-beautiful-the-young-women-are-this-year/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“Humans are born with a susceptibility to that most persistent and debilitating disease of intellect: self-deception. The best of all possible worlds and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/humans-are-born-with-a-susceptibility-to-that-most-persistent-and/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Face your fears or they will climb over your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/face-your-fears-or-they-will-climb-over-your-back/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Many have marked the speed with which Muad'Dib learned the necessities of Arrakis. The Bene Gesserit, of course, know the basis of this speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/many-have-marked-the-speed-with-which-muad-dib-learned-the/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“The assumption that a whole system can be made to work better through an assault on its conscious elements betrays a dangerous ignorance. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-assumption-that-a-whole-system-can-be-made-to-work-better-through/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-power-to-destroy-a-thing-is-the-absolute-control-over-it/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Providence and Manifest Destiny are synonyms often invoked to support arguments based on wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/providence-and-manifest-destiny-are-synonyms-often-invoked-to-support/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [If you ask "Should we be in space?" you ask a nonsense question. We are in space. We will be in space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-ask-should-we-be-in-space-you-ask-a-nonsense-question-we-are/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

[Explore all 776 Frank Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

## More Myth quotes

> [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/)

[Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/)

> [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/)

[Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/)

> [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/)

[David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/)

> ['Sex and The City' was made to correct the myth that if you were single at a certain age, you were a leper. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-patrick-king/sex-and-the-city-was-made-to-correct-the-myth-that-if-you-were-single/)

[Michael Patrick King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-patrick-king/)

> [If it is written and read with serious attention, a novel, like a myth or any great work of art, can become an initiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-it-is-written-and-read-with-serious-attention-a-novel-like-a-myth/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [“Believe reality is what you were taught was myth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-a-mcgirr/believe-reality-is-what-you-were-taught-was-myth/)

[Nicholas A. McGirr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-a-mcgirr/)

> [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [“I argue that the Jesus of the Gospels is essentially a myth. The Gospels are largely fiction. They were created around the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-elleg-rd/i-argue-that-the-jesus-of-the-gospels-is-essentially-a-myth-the/)

[Alvar Ellegård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-elleg-rd/)

> [Those who claim absolutism is merely a myth are right that it has been misused simply as a byword for political centralisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wilson/those-who-claim-absolutism-is-merely-a-myth-are-right-that-it-has/)

[Peter Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wilson/)

> [I think the older you get, you start to break down the myth and you get to the dirt of it - and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jena-malone/i-think-the-older-you-get-you-start-to-break-down-the-myth-and-you/)

[Jena Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jena-malone/)

> [“And we cannot keep our balance. Myth gives way to Reason. Revelation to Orthodoxy. We must dance or go mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cheetham/and-we-cannot-keep-our-balance-myth-gives-way-to-reason-revelation-to/)

[Tom Cheetham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cheetham/)

> [Canada is a myth people made up to entertain children, like the Tooth Fairy. There’s no such place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/canada-is-a-myth-people-made-up-to-entertain-children-like-the-tooth/)

[Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/)

> [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The greatest reward of this constant interrogation, confrontation with the brutality of my country, is that it has freed me from hosts and myths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-greatest-reward-of-this-constant-interrogation-confrontation-with/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [Contrary to a common myth, while there are general guidelines, there is no exact 'right' way to run ... I am amazed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grete-waitz/contrary-to-a-common-myth-while-there-are-general-guidelines-there-is/)

[Grete Waitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grete-waitz/)

[Browse all 2,141 Myth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Religions often partake of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frank Herbert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-progress-that-shields-us-from/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Myth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-progress-that-shields-us-from/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frank-herbert-262_myth_religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-p_951960.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frank-herbert-262_myth_religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-p_951960.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frank-herbert-262_myth_religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-p_951960.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Religions often partake of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future.” — Frank Herbert",
                "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": "Frank Herbert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Religions often partake of the myth...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-progress-that-shields-us-from/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/religions-often-partake-of-the-myth-of-progress-that-shields-us-from/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
