--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm as religious as the next man - which…" description: "\"I'm as religious as the next man - which is to say I'll keep in with the local parson for form's sake and read the lessons on feast-days because my ten..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/george-macdonald-fraser-29418_belief_i-m-as-religious-as-the-next-man-which-i_1360771.jpg" --- # I'm as religious as the next man - which is to say I'll… ![“I'm as religious as the next man - which is to say I'll keep in with the local parson for form's sake and read the lessons on feast-days because my tenants expect it, but I've never been fool enough to confuse religion with belief in God. That's where so many clergymen... go wrong” quote by George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/george-macdonald-fraser-29418_belief_i-m-as-religious-as-the-next-man-which-i_1360771.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/george-macdonald-fraser-29418_belief_i-m-as-religious-as-the-next-man-which-i_1360771.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/george-macdonald-fraser-29418_belief_i-m-as-religious-as-the-next-man-which-i_1360771.jpg) > “I'm as religious as the next man - which is to say I'll keep in with the local parson for form's sake and read the lessons on feast-days because my tenants expect it, but I've never been fool enough to confuse religion with belief in God. That's where so many clergymen... go wrong” [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He separates religious practice from personal belief, criticizing clergy who conflate the two. **In simple terms:** Religion ≠ belief in God; clergy often confuse them. Key Takeaway Distinguish ritual from genuine faith. Themes religion skepticism culture Mood critical thought‑provoking Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - church attendance - family traditions - public discourse Key Concepts theology institutional critique Questions to Reflect On - Do rituals have value without belief? - How should clergy address this gap? A Different Perspective Some may view this as disrespectful to faith. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-in-god/) [Clergymen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clergymen/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) ## Related quotes > [Don't confuse religion & culture. They are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-confuse-religion-culture-they-are-two-different-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many people confuse religion with God and walk away from them both. The point isn't Christianity, the point is being a Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/many-people-confuse-religion-with-god-and-walk-away-from-them-both/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“I was not a religious man, but if I were, the woods would be my church, the mountaintops my altar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ryan/i-was-not-a-religious-man-but-if-i-were-the-woods-would-be-my-church/) [Tom Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ryan/) > [“Like many men addicted to sports, Clive Sr. was also a religious man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/like-many-men-addicted-to-sports-clive-sr-was-also-a-religious-man/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [I am not a religious man. I have not attended a service for many years. But I do believe in God. My own practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-am-not-a-religious-man-i-have-not-attended-a-service-for-many-years/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [If you come to a really religious man you will feel a grace around him, effortless. He has not done anything to himself, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-come-to-a-really-religious-man-you-will-feel-a-grace-around/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A religious man is a person... whose greatest passion is compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/a-religious-man-is-a-person-whose-greatest-passion-is-compassion/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [“I'm not a religious man, but I do worship your ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randi-black/i-m-not-a-religious-man-but-i-do-worship-your-ass/) Randi Black > [Jackson was not a religious man when he came to Lexington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jackson-was-not-a-religious-man-when-he-came-to-lexington/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A truly religious man does not embrace a religion; and he who embraces one has no religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-truly-religious-man-does-not-embrace-a-religion-and-he-who-embraces/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a religious man. I believe in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-baldwin/i-m-a-religious-man-i-believe-in-god/) [Doug Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-baldwin/) > [“But a man of awareness, an authentically religious man only responds. He is not in your hands; you cannot pull him down, you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/but-a-man-of-awareness-an-authentically-religious-man-only-responds/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Posterity for the philosopher is what the other world is for the religious man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/posterity-for-the-philosopher-is-what-the-other-world-is-for-the/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [If you call 'religious' a man who believes in what I call a Supermeaning, a meaning so comprehensive that you can no longer grasp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/if-you-call-religious-a-man-who-believes-in-what-i-call-a/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“He wasn’t a religious man but a vision of what Paradise might be came to him, a windowed room afloat on an endless sea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crummey/he-wasn-t-a-religious-man-but-a-vision-of-what-paradise-might-be-came/) [Michael Crummey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crummey/) ## More by George MacDonald Fraser > [“In her, ignorance and stupidity formed a perfect shield against the world: this, I suppose, is innocence. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/in-her-ignorance-and-stupidity-formed-a-perfect-shield-against-the/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“You never know what to expect on encountering royalty. I've seen 'em stark naked except for wings of peacock feathers (Empress of China), giggling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/you-never-know-what-to-expect-on-encountering-royalty-i-ve-seen-em/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“I think little of people who will deny their history because it doesn't present the picture they would like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/i-think-little-of-people-who-will-deny-their-history-because-it-doesn/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“The advantage to being a wicked bastard is that everyone pesters the Lord on your behalf; if volume of prayers from my saintly enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/the-advantage-to-being-a-wicked-bastard-is-that-everyone-pesters-the/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“...and suddenly, without the slightest volition on my part, there was the most crashing discharge of wind, like the report of a mortar. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/and-suddenly-without-the-slightest-volition-on-my-part-there-was-the/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“Walking the plank is a Victorian fiction, and I will not have it on my ship!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/walking-the-plank-is-a-victorian-fiction-and-i-will-not-have-it-on-my/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“I was sufficiently recovered from my nervous condition – or else the booze was beginning to work – to be able to discuss with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/i-was-sufficiently-recovered-from-my-nervous-condition-or-else-the/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [There's a point, you know, where treachery is so complete and unashamed that it becomes statesmanship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/there-s-a-point-you-know-where-treachery-is-so-complete-and-unashamed/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“We stood there for a full half hour, like so many scarecrows, while they jeered at us from a distance, and one or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/we-stood-there-for-a-full-half-hour-like-so-many-scarecrows-while/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [I've been a Danish prince, a Texas slave-dealer, an Arab sheik, a Cheyenne Dog Soldier, and a Yankee navy lieutenant in my time, among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/i-ve-been-a-danish-prince-a-texas-slave-dealer-an-arab-sheik-a/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“Thats what you young chaps have to remember. When u run, RUN! Full speed. Don't dither or dally even for an instant. let terror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/thats-what-you-young-chaps-have-to-remember-when-u-run-run-full-speed/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [Looking back over sixty-odd years, life is like a piece of string with knots in it, the knots being those moments that live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/looking-back-over-sixty-odd-years-life-is-like-a-piece-of-string-with/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“I recognized the handwriting, and my heart gave a skip; when I opened it I got a turn, for it began, 'To my beloved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/i-recognized-the-handwriting-and-my-heart-gave-a-skip-when-i-opened/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [“Now, look you here, Sekundar," says I, but he came up straight like a little bantam and cut me off. "Sir Alexander. if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/now-look-you-here-sekundar-says-i-but-he-came-up-straight-like-a/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) > [If anything she was a shade too plump, but she knew the ninety-seven ways of making love that the Hindus are supposed to set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald-fraser/if-anything-she-was-a-shade-too-plump-but-she-knew-the-ninety-seven/) [George MacDonald Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) [Explore all 18 George MacDonald Fraser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald-fraser/) ## 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": "I'm as religious as the next man - which is to say I'll keep in with the local parson for form's sake and read the lessons on feast-days because my tenants expect it, but I've never been fool enough to confuse religion with belief in God. 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