--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Understanding the need for religion is a…" description: "\"Understanding the need for religion is a far superior goal to bashing it.\" — Frans de Waal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/frans-de-waal-2997_bashing_understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a_1158583.png" --- # Understanding the need for religion is a far superior goal… ![“Understanding the need for religion is a far superior goal to bashing it.” quote by Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/frans-de-waal-2997_bashing_understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a_1158583.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/frans-de-waal-2997_bashing_understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a_1158583.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/frans-de-waal-2997_bashing_understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a_1158583.png) > “Understanding the need for religion is a far superior goal to bashing it.” [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying why people need religion offers deeper insight than merely criticizing it. **In simple terms:** Learn why religion matters before judging. Key Takeaway Explore religious motivations. Themes religion psychology empathy criticism Mood thoughtful empathetic Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - interfaith dialogue - education - policy making Key Concepts cognitive anthropology social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - What benefits does religion provide societies? - How can criticism be constructive? A Different Perspective Criticism can overlook benefits of belief systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [I'm personally a nonbeliever, so I'm struggling with if we really need religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-m-personally-a-nonbeliever-so-i-m-struggling-with-if-we-really-need/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“Without imagination we should be lost; for only with its help can we interpret our experience, turn it into experience of an outer world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-warnock/without-imagination-we-should-be-lost-for-only-with-its-help-can-we/) Mary Warnock > [“When there is a total understanding of need, the outward and the inner, then desire is not a torture. Then it has a quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-w-anderson/when-there-is-a-total-understanding-of-need-the-outward-and-the-inner/) Allan W. Anderson > [The people of the Third World need our sympathetic understanding and, much more than that, they need our help. We can provide them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-people-of-the-third-world-need-our-sympathetic-understanding-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [As an artist, it took me some time to understand and appreciate that Oh, there are certain things that are really important. It makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/as-an-artist-it-took-me-some-time-to-understand-and-appreciate-that/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [“Not having any drink about ain’t the same as not understanding the need for one. Times like these change a body’s perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-snoek-brown/not-having-any-drink-about-ain-t-the-same-as-not-understanding-the/) [Samuel Snoek-Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-snoek-brown/) > [I think, when you are working in a public space, there needs to be a certain level of understanding that you need to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-think-when-you-are-working-in-a-public-space-there-needs-to-be-a/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [Verily a man cannot serve two masters. And I consider the foundation or destruction of a religion far greater than the foundation or destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/verily-a-man-cannot-serve-two-masters-and-i-consider-the-foundation/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/religion-is-far-more-of-a-choice-than-homosexuality/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Just the little bit that I've learned about Judaism, I didn't realize how, dare I say, intense that religion is as far as all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ato-essandoh/just-the-little-bit-that-i-ve-learned-about-judaism-i-didn-t-realize/) [Ato Essandoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ato-essandoh/) > [“Religion can take you only so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-waldherr/religion-can-take-you-only-so-far/) [Kris Waldherr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-waldherr/) > [“Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of created personalities to the Creating Personality, God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/religion-so-far-as-it-is-genuine-is-in-essence-the-response-of/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [How we live our religion is far more important than what we may say about our religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/how-we-live-our-religion-is-far-more-important-than-what-we-may-say/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [Perhaps, if science is clever enough to see, it will realize that religion may not be too far off with its concrete imagery; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/perhaps-if-science-is-clever-enough-to-see-it-will-realize-that/) [Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More by Frans de Waal > [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [If both parties have a stake in the other, the chances of them killing each other are going to be reduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-both-parties-have-a-stake-in-the-other-the-chances-of-them-killing/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-we-d-known-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Unlike the primate hand, the elephant's grasping organ is also its nose. Elephants use their trunks not only to reach food but also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/unlike-the-primate-hand-the-elephant-s-grasping-organ-is-also-its/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Science is not inherently good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/science-is-not-inherently-good/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [The possibility that empathy resides in parts of the brain so ancient that we share them with rats should give pause to anyone comparing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/the-possibility-that-empathy-resides-in-parts-of-the-brain-so-ancient/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“on August 16, 1996, when an eight-year-old female gorilla named Binti Jua helped a three-year-old boy who had fallen eighteen feet into the primate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/on-august-16-1996-when-an-eight-year-old-female-gorilla-named-binti/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [We start out postulating sharp boundaries, such as between humans and apes, or between apes and monkeys, but are in fact dealing with sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/we-start-out-postulating-sharp-boundaries-such-as-between-humans-and/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-any-persons-whose-belief-system/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/personally-i-think-it-is-possible-to-build-a-society-that-is-moral-on/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“humans are a strange lot. We have the power to analyze and explore the world around us, yet panic as soon as the evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/humans-are-a-strange-lot-we-have-the-power-to-analyze-and-explore-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/armies-are-a-purely-human-invention-most-soldiers-who-go-to-war/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [There's actually a lot of evidence in primates and other animals that they return favors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/there-s-actually-a-lot-of-evidence-in-primates-and-other-animals-that/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“In a world divided by chimpophiles and bonobophiles, we all had a good laugh when Stephen peeled his banana. (62)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-a-world-divided-by-chimpophiles-and-bonobophiles-we-all-had-a-good/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [In Africa, we have the bush meat trade, which means that, on a very large scale, animals are being killed in the forests and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-africa-we-have-the-bush-meat-trade-which-means-that-on-a-very/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) [Explore all 143 Frans de Waal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) ## More Bashing quotes > [They've been bashing me since I started making films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/til-schweiger/they-ve-been-bashing-me-since-i-started-making-films/) [Til Schweiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/til-schweiger/) > [Uriah Hall, you ever play that game Tekken where you just button bash? I always think that's what he looks like. He's just button…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-adesanya/uriah-hall-you-ever-play-that-game-tekken-where-you-just-button-bash/) [Israel Adesanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-adesanya/) > [We're in a time when bashing is the norm - especially on social media, where everybody's online and no one interacts face-to-face. There's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chantelle-brown-young/we-re-in-a-time-when-bashing-is-the-norm-especially-on-social-media/) [Chantelle Brown-Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chantelle-brown-young/) > [The world is going to keep bashing me for whatever I do, and I'm going to keep not caring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-smith/the-world-is-going-to-keep-bashing-me-for-whatever-i-do-and-i-m-going/) [Jaden Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-smith/) > [I am not in a position to play in action films bashing hundreds of goons with one hand. I feel I am not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nani/i-am-not-in-a-position-to-play-in-action-films-bashing-hundreds-of/) [Nani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nani/) > [Male bashing is everywhere. It would be a mistake to view the current situation as another skirmish in the war between the sexes. Women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/male-bashing-is-everywhere-it-would-be-a-mistake-to-view-the-current/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [“You are far from bloodless,” he said into her ear. “On the contrary. You stick your chin out and practically invite people to bash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/you-are-far-from-bloodless-he-said-into-her-ear-on-the-contrary-you/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Fat-bashing in all its varied forms–criticism, exclusion, shaming, fat talk, self-deprecation, jokes, gossip, bullying–is one of the last acceptable forms of prejudice. From a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-silverman/fat-bashing-in-all-its-varied-forms-criticism-exclusion-shaming-fat/) Robyn Silverman > [If u wanna join us weirdos, just lettin u know, bashing doesnt work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca/if-u-wanna-join-us-weirdos-just-lettin-u-know-bashing-doesnt-work/) [Becca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca/) > [I don't have any interest whatsoever in getting back out there and bashing Hillary Clinton,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennifer-flowers/i-don-t-have-any-interest-whatsoever-in-getting-back-out-there-and/) [Gennifer Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennifer-flowers/) > [I would never sign on to a project that was male-bashing, because first and foremost I'm a man... what guy would sign on for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ealy/i-would-never-sign-on-to-a-project-that-was-male-bashing-because/) [Michael Ealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ealy/) > [“I thought he was kind of a dick too, but I didn't say so. You're not supposed to join in when someone is bashing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/i-thought-he-was-kind-of-a-dick-too-but-i-didn-t-say-so-you-re-not/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [Paki- bashing was kind of this term that was used in general to beat up anyone that was from the Indian subcontinent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aasif-mandvi/paki-bashing-was-kind-of-this-term-that-was-used-in-general-to-beat/) [Aasif Mandvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aasif-mandvi/) > [“If you wouldn’t want to hang out with someone who was constantly bashing you with a barrage of belittling insults, why would you allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/if-you-wouldn-t-want-to-hang-out-with-someone-who-was-constantly/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [The majority of the time... the people that are critiquing and bashing me, they're making me more relevant, I would think. If you didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-reigns/the-majority-of-the-time-the-people-that-are-critiquing-and-bashing/) [Roman Reigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-reigns/) Browse all 48 Bashing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Understanding the need for religion is a far superior goal to bashing it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frans de Waal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a-far-superior-goal-to-bashing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bashing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a-far-superior-goal-to-bashing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/frans-de-waal-2997_bashing_understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a_1158583.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/frans-de-waal-2997_bashing_understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a_1158583.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/frans-de-waal-2997_bashing_understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a_1158583.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Understanding the need for religion is a far superior goal to bashing it.” — Frans de Waal", "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": "Frans de Waal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Understanding the need for religion is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a-far-superior-goal-to-bashing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/understanding-the-need-for-religion-is-a-far-superior-goal-to-bashing/#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 } } ] } ```