--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A wise man once told me- he’s a muslim by…" description: "\"A wise man once told me- he’s a muslim by the way- that he has more in common with a jew than he does a fanatic of his own religion. He has more in com..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/gregory-david-roberts-1039_atheist_a-wise-man-once-told-me-he-s-a-muslim-by_941871.png" --- # A wise man once told me- he’s a muslim by the way- that he… ![“A wise man once told me- he’s a muslim by the way- that he has more in common with a jew than he does a fanatic of his own religion. He has more in common with a rational, reasonable-minded Christian or a Buddhist or Hindu than he does with a fanatic of his own religion. In fact, he has more in…” quote by Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/gregory-david-roberts-1039_atheist_a-wise-man-once-told-me-he-s-a-muslim-by_941871.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/gregory-david-roberts-1039_atheist_a-wise-man-once-told-me-he-s-a-muslim-by_941871.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/gregory-david-roberts-1039_atheist_a-wise-man-once-told-me-he-s-a-muslim-by_941871.png) > “A wise man once told me- he’s a muslim by the way- that he has more in common with a jew than he does a fanatic of his own religion. He has more in common with a rational, reasonable-minded Christian or a Buddhist or Hindu than he does with a fanatic of his own religion. In fact, he has more in common with a ration, reasonable-minded atheist than he does with a fanatic of his own religion” [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A wise man suggests that rational, moderate believers share more common ground with each other than with fanatics of any single faith. **In simple terms:** Reasonable believers are more alike than fanatics. Key Takeaway Seek common sense over dogma. Themes religion moderation commonality Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - interfaith discussions - conflict resolution Key Concepts interfaith dialogue humanism rationalism Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify rational believers in your life? - What common values bridge different faiths? A Different Perspective Fanaticism can still dominate personal identity despite shared values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Buddhist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Muslim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-man/) ## Related quotes > [“Fanaticism is the opposite of love,’ I said, recalling one of Khaderbhai’s lectures. 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There's kind of a competition out there, you might have noticed, of who can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-am-being-very-humble-about-the-arab-spring-there-s-kind-of-a/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [“Real atheist is not the one that does not believe in an imaginary big monkey, but the one that gives the imagination more importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/real-atheist-is-not-the-one-that-does-not-believe-in-an-imaginary-big/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Practical atheism is when you act the same way as an atheist does even when you believe in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/practical-atheism-is-when-you-act-the-same-way-as-an-atheist-does/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [If I convert it's because it's better that a believer dies than that an atheist does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/if-i-convert-it-s-because-it-s-better-that-a-believer-dies-than-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“No one can be an atheist who does not know all things. Only God is an atheist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/no-one-can-be-an-atheist-who-does-not-know-all-things-only-god-is-an-2/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [If there is a god, the only genuine friend he has is an atheist. He does not blame him for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chapman-cohen/if-there-is-a-god-the-only-genuine-friend-he-has-is-an-atheist-he/) [Chapman Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chapman-cohen/) > [What is an atheist, but one who does not, or will not, see in the universe a ruling principle of love; and what a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/what-is-an-atheist-but-one-who-does-not-or-will-not-see-in-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“no one can be an atheist who does not know all things. Only God is an atheist. The devil is the greatest believer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/no-one-can-be-an-atheist-who-does-not-know-all-things-only-god-is-an/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Richard Dawkins may have phrased it most pungently when he argued that everybody is an atheist in saying that there is a god—from Ra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/richard-dawkins-may-have-phrased-it-most-pungently-when-he-argued/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Everybody is an atheist in saying that there is a god - from Ra to Shiva - in which he does not believe. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/everybody-is-an-atheist-in-saying-that-there-is-a-god-from-ra-to/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“He was an embittered atheist (the sort of atheist who does not so much disbelieve in God as personally dislike Him), and took a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/he-was-an-embittered-atheist-the-sort-of-atheist-who-does-not-so-much/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The existence of a single atheist does not disprove the existence of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-devault/the-existence-of-a-single-atheist-does-not-disprove-the-existence-of/) William F. DeVault > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) ## More by Gregory David Roberts > [The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [I think the novel form chose me. I was a writer before I became a criminal... my first instinct was to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-think-the-novel-form-chose-me-i-was-a-writer-before-i-became-a/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [I look back, now, and I know that the naming moment, which seemed so insignificant then, which seemed to demand no more than an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-look-back-now-and-i-know-that-the-naming-moment-which-seemed-so/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“Men are just men - it is what they do, or refuse to do, that links them to good and evil. The truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/men-are-just-men-it-is-what-they-do-or-refuse-to-do-that-links-them/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Indians are the Italians of Asia and vice versa. Every man in both countries is a singer when he is happy, and every woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/indians-are-the-italians-of-asia-and-vice-versa-every-man-in-both/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [A lot of bad stuff in the world wasn’t really that bad until someone tried to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/a-lot-of-bad-stuff-in-the-world-wasn-t-really-that-bad-until-someone/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Of course I wanted to know. I was a writer. I wanted to know everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/of-course-i-wanted-to-know-i-was-a-writer-i-wanted-to-know-everything/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/sometimes-we-love-with-nothing-more-than-hope-sometimes-we-cry-with/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Love is the passionate search for a truth other than your own; and once you feel it, honestly and completely, love is forever..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/love-is-the-passionate-search-for-a-truth-other-than-your-own-and/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“I know now that it's the sweet, sweating smell of hope, which is opposite of hate; and it's the sour, stifled smell of greed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-know-now-that-it-s-the-sweet-sweating-smell-of-hope-which-is/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [I don't know what frightens me more](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-don-t-know-what-frightens-me-more/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“I hesitated. Karla once said that men reveal what they think when they look away, and what they feel when they hesitate. With women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-hesitated-karla-once-said-that-men-reveal-what-they-think-when-they/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [you can't kill love. you can't even kill it with hate. you can kill in-love, and loving, and even loveliness. you can kill them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/you-can-t-kill-love-you-can-t-even-kill-it-with-hate-you-can-kill-in/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Some loves are like that. Your heart starts to feel like an overcrowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, &…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/some-loves-are-like-that-your-heart-starts-to-feel-like-an/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [I sometimes think that the size of our happiness is inversely proportional to the size of our house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-sometimes-think-that-the-size-of-our-happiness-is-inversely/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) [Explore all 276 Gregory David Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) ## More Atheist quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [“The atheist joined his hands. It wasn't against the Gods. He smiled, with his hands folded, saw his daughter's in-laws approaching near.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhavik-sarkhedi/the-atheist-joined-his-hands-it-wasn-t-against-the-gods-he-smiled/) [Bhavik Sarkhedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhavik-sarkhedi/) > [I am surprised that anyone can profess to be an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-am-surprised-that-anyone-can-profess-to-be-an-atheist/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [An Atheist wandering down a road where he meets up a four road junction , he asks a passer by hey !, where does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/an-atheist-wandering-down-a-road-where-he-meets-up-a-four-road/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [I am an atheist. I don't think there's anything divine. Beautiful, impressive, awe-inspiring - sure, but not divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-an-atheist-i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-divine-beautiful/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) [Browse all 2,434 Atheist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A wise man once told me- he’s a muslim by the way- that he has more in common with a jew than he does a fanatic of his own religion. He has more in common with a rational, reasonable-minded Christian or a Buddhist or Hindu than he does with a fanatic of his own religion. 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