--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Neuropsychology and religion are not the…" description: "\"“Neuropsychology and religion are not the point. The point is that Genie walks into a clean house, and there are flowers. And that is in spite of the f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/frank-schaeffer-8107_better-man_neuropsychology-and-religion-are-not-the_1915983.png" --- # Neuropsychology and religion are not the point. The point… ![“Neuropsychology and religion are not the point. The point is that Genie walks into a clean house, and there are flowers. And that is in spite of the fact I have sometimes treated her horribly. I say the words “I love you.” I know I mean them though because I take half a day to clean, to shop for…” quote by Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/frank-schaeffer-8107_better-man_neuropsychology-and-religion-are-not-the_1915983.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/frank-schaeffer-8107_better-man_neuropsychology-and-religion-are-not-the_1915983.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/frank-schaeffer-8107_better-man_neuropsychology-and-religion-are-not-the_1915983.png) > ““Neuropsychology and religion are not the point. The point is that Genie walks into a clean house, and there are flowers. And that is in spite of the fact I have sometimes treated her horribly. I say the words “I love you.” I know I mean them though because I take half a day to clean, to shop for flowers, to think about taking Genie to bed, to experience a flutter of anticipation as she walks out of the airport concourse and I see her again. Yet while waiting for her there I’ve been casually watching a flight attendant’s ass. I’ve been a saint and sinner, a jerk and a better man than I once was, loved by my wife, children and grandchildren, yet sometimes still a tyrant.”” [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator wrestles with love, guilt, and moral inconsistency, showing how affection can coexist with flawed behavior and self‑judgment. **In simple terms:** Love and flaws coexist. Key Takeaway Strive for consistent kindness. Themes love guilt contradiction redemption Mood conflicted hopeful Type reflective personal ethical When to use this quote - family life - personal change - ethical reflection Key Concepts morality humanity self‑compassion Questions to Reflect On - How can you reconcile love with past harm? - What steps foster genuine transformation? A Different Perspective Self‑justification may obscure accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-man/) [Clean house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-house/) [Flowers Spite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers-spite-2913334/) [Flowers Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers-think-343238/) [Genie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genie/) [Genie Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genie-walks-2913332/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Taking Genie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-genie-2913331/) ## Related quotes > [“(I have to say that everything seems to be unraveling lately. Or maybe it seems as though I am a flower myself, opening up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-have-to-say-that-everything-seems-to-be-unraveling-lately-or-maybe/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [What good is it if you talk in flowers, and they think in pastry?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/what-good-is-it-if-you-talk-in-flowers-and-they-think-in-pastry/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/people-from-a-planet-without-flowers-would-think-we-must-be-mad-with/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [My mother always had flowers at home, they were always there. In the garden, on the table, fresh flowers. I think I relate flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/my-mother-always-had-flowers-at-home-they-were-always-there-in-the/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) > [It is ironic how we kill flowers because we think they are beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-ironic-how-we-kill-flowers-because-we-think-they-are-beautiful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why a flower had become that, I had no idea. Something about flowers always made me think about the reproductive system.The scent of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amalie-silver/why-a-flower-had-become-that-i-had-no-idea-something-about-flowers/) [Amalie Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amalie-silver/) > [To have ideas is to gather flowers; to think is to weave them into garlands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/to-have-ideas-is-to-gather-flowers-to-think-is-to-weave-them-into/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [A passion for flowers, is, I think, the only one which long sickness leaves untouched with its chilling influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicia-hemans/a-passion-for-flowers-is-i-think-the-only-one-which-long-sickness/) [Felicia Hemans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicia-hemans/) > [We cut and kill flowers because we think they're beautiful, we cut and kill ourselves because we think we are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayy-von-monroe/we-cut-and-kill-flowers-because-we-think-they-re-beautiful-we-cut-and/) [Jayy Von Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayy-von-monroe/) > [I remember seeing Aladdin when I was five or six and loving it. I looked at the big screen and said to my mum,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-criss/i-remember-seeing-aladdin-when-i-was-five-or-six-and-loving-it-i/) [Darren Criss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-criss/) > [I don't have any illusions that what we are doing is sticking the the bottle. I don't think that's what we are doing. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rosen/i-don-t-have-any-illusions-that-what-we-are-doing-is-sticking-the-the/) [Hilary Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rosen/) > [“Some men may be unready for the coming of the genie who grants three wishes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/some-men-may-be-unready-for-the-coming-of-the-genie-who-grants-three/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I want to find a genie in a bottle that can grant me three wishes. I want to be able to speak, read, write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-want-to-find-a-genie-in-a-bottle-that-can-grant-me-three-wishes-i/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [I recommend that everyone have a Diaper Genie. Who can live without it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/i-recommend-that-everyone-have-a-diaper-genie-who-can-live-without-it/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Frank Schaeffer > [We don't just change our minds, we change the way we see things. That's one reason I'm a better grandfather than I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/we-don-t-just-change-our-minds-we-change-the-way-we-see-things-that-s/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [“The last thing I crave is to be exposed to the sort of grandstanding preachers that so many evangelical churches seem to breed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/the-last-thing-i-crave-is-to-be-exposed-to-the-sort-of-grandstanding/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [The secular humanist, although he would never dream of committing the social faux pas of calling a black man a negro, feels perfectly free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/the-secular-humanist-although-he-would-never-dream-of-committing-the/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [Donald Trump is not a very bright or nice man. 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We lived lives informed by beliefs that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/some-people-who-helped-lead-that-movement-including-me-were-very-much/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [I think that unlike W Bush who was an actual evangelical and sincerely so (my family knew the Bush family), of course Trump will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/i-think-that-unlike-w-bush-who-was-an-actual-evangelical-and/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [“who is actually delusional? Who is actually following Jesus: fundamentalist Christians rejecting gay men and lesbians’ right to marry, or atheist humanists treating men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/who-is-actually-delusional-who-is-actually-following-jesus/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [“Labels don’t mean anything. Who cares about labels when someone is slapping you in the face? Who cares about labels when someone is saving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/labels-don-t-mean-anything-who-cares-about-labels-when-someone-is/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [We are not evolved but evolving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/we-are-not-evolved-but-evolving/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [“Luckily for the people she helped, my mother was gloriously inconsistent. She lived according to the more enlightened parts of the Bible and ignored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/luckily-for-the-people-she-helped-my-mother-was-gloriously/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [“education and money. I go to church with the kids for the same reason Genie and I play our grandchildren classical music and litter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/education-and-money-i-go-to-church-with-the-kids-for-the-same-reason/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [“If we wait for correct ideas to save us—theological or otherwise—we’ll never be saved, even from ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/if-we-wait-for-correct-ideas-to-save-us-theological-or-otherwise-we/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [Of course as soon as I say something or write it that sounds like I believe it, and really I'm never entirely sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/of-course-as-soon-as-i-say-something-or-write-it-that-sounds-like-i/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) [Explore all 84 Frank Schaeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) ## More Better man quotes > [If I were a boy, I think I could understand how it feels to love a girl..I swear I'll be a better man :-/](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-were-a-boy-i-think-i-could-understand-how-it-feels-to-love-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-do-not-think-it-is-permitted-that-a-better-man-be-harmed-by-a-worse/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [I should've been a better man instead of wasting my time spending my life searching for the finer things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/i-should-ve-been-a-better-man-instead-of-wasting-my-time-spending-my/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [“I think so. You’re saying that God’s putting me through this fire so He can make me a better man.” “Yes. The problem is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-h-westall/i-think-so-you-re-saying-that-god-s-putting-me-through-this-fire-so/) [Jennifer H. Westall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-h-westall/) > [“The knuckles of his hand that had Shaw's name inked across them caught my eye. I pointed to them. "You have her with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/the-knuckles-of-his-hand-that-had-shaw-s-name-inked-across-them/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [It is a great mistake to think that the extremist is a better man than the moderate. Usually the difference is not that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-is-a-great-mistake-to-think-that-the-extremist-is-a-better-man/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“I've had recurring nightmares that I was loved for who I am...and missed the opportunity to be a better man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muse/i-ve-had-recurring-nightmares-that-i-was-loved-for-who-i-am-and/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muse/) > [I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-shall-state-silences-more-competently-than-ever-a-better-man/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“That morning, lying with the woman I loved, a silent promise was formed in my head. I was going to be a better man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/that-morning-lying-with-the-woman-i-loved-a-silent-promise-was-formed/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [I'm better than your next man and if you're swingin' like you're dumber than the next man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-better-than-your-next-man-and-if-you-re-swingin-like-you-re/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) > [He’s playing every bit as hard as I am, only he knows what he’s doing and I don’t. 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The point is that Genie walks into a clean house, and there are flowers. And that is in spite of the fact I have sometimes treated her horribly. I say the words “I love you.” I know I mean them though because I take half a day to clean, to shop for flowers, to think about taking Genie to bed, to experience a flutter of anticipation as she walks out of the airport concourse and I see her again. Yet while waiting for her there I’ve been casually watching a flight attendant’s ass. 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