--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who fights with priests may make up…" description: "\"He who fights with priests may make up his mind to have his poor good name torn and befouled by the most infamous lies and the most cutting slanders.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/heinrich-heine-1170_atheism_he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-h_2639899.jpg" --- # He who fights with priests may make up his mind to have… ![“He who fights with priests may make up his mind to have his poor good name torn and befouled by the most infamous lies and the most cutting slanders.” quote by Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/heinrich-heine-1170_atheism_he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-h_2639899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/heinrich-heine-1170_atheism_he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-h_2639899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/heinrich-heine-1170_atheism_he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-h_2639899.jpg) > “He who fights with priests may make up his mind to have his poor good name torn and befouled by the most infamous lies and the most cutting slanders.” [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Opposing powerful religious figures can lead to personal reputation being damaged by false accusations and slander. **In simple terms:** Fighting priests can ruin your good name with lies. Key Takeaway Beware of confronting authority without proof. Themes authority reputation conflict truth justice Mood skeptical defensive Type advice literary When to use this quote - political activism - legal disputes - public criticism - media statements Key Concepts slander defamation power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Is it worth risking reputation for a cause? - How can you protect yourself from false claims? A Different Perspective Accusations may be exaggerated; not all attacks are unjust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Good Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-name/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Priests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priests/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Slander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slander/) ## Related quotes > [On Rumor's tongue continual slanders ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/on-rumor-s-tongue-continual-slanders-ride/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The slanders of the pen pierce to the heart; they rankle longest in the noblest spirits; they dwell ever present in the mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/the-slanders-of-the-pen-pierce-to-the-heart-they-rankle-longest-in/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [“Everything bad that they (the ungodly) can seize hold of in our life is twisted maliciously against Christ and His teaching. The result is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/everything-bad-that-they-the-ungodly-can-seize-hold-of-in-our-life-is/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [RUMOUR: "Upon my tongues continual slanders ride, The which in every language I pronounce, Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rumour-upon-my-tongues-continual-slanders-ride-the-which-in-every/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Quick-circulating slanders mirth afford; and reputation bleeds in every word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/quick-circulating-slanders-mirth-afford-and-reputation-bleeds-in/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Pardons and pleasantnesse are great revenges of slanders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/pardons-and-pleasantnesse-are-great-revenges-of-slanders/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [The criminal is quite frequently not equal to his deed: he belittles and slanders it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-criminal-is-quite-frequently-not-equal-to-his-deed-he-belittles/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The more closely we see ourselves being watched by our enemies, the more time intent we should be to avoid their slanders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-more-closely-we-see-ourselves-being-watched-by-our-enemies-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“Upon my tongues continual slanders ride, The which in every language I pronounce, Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/upon-my-tongues-continual-slanders-ride-the-which-in-every-language-i/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [ “This is all so silly,' said Diko. 'Who cares about what's real and what isn't real? \[...\] And as for our own history, the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/this-is-all-so-silly-said-diko-who-cares-about-what-s-real-and-what/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Officers, what offence have these men done? DOGBERRY Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/officers-what-offence-have-these-men-done-dogberry-marry-sir-they/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [We will rise above the lies, the smears, the ludicrous slanders from ludicrous and very, very dishonest reporters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-rise-above-the-lies-the-smears-the-ludicrous-slanders-from/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Slanders, sir, for the satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging think amber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/slanders-sir-for-the-satirical-rogue-says-here-that-old-men-have-grey/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Antipater, now undisputed heir, had called down on his head the utter loathing of the nation, for everyone knew that all the slanders directed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephus/antipater-now-undisputed-heir-had-called-down-on-his-head-the-utter/) [Josephus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephus/) > [The slanders poured down like Niagara. If you take into consideration the setting - the war and the revolution - and the character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-slanders-poured-down-like-niagara-if-you-take-into-consideration/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) ## More by Heinrich Heine > [Great genius takes shape by contact with another great genius, but, less by assimilation than by friction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/great-genius-takes-shape-by-contact-with-another-great-genius-but/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Lo, sleep is good, better is death--in sooth The best of all were never to be born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/lo-sleep-is-good-better-is-death-in-sooth-the-best-of-all-were-never/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/ordinarily-he-was-insane-but-he-had-lucid-moments-when-he-was-merely/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Human misery is too great for men to do without faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/human-misery-is-too-great-for-men-to-do-without-faith/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Every age has its problem, by solving which humanity is helped forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/every-age-has-its-problem-by-solving-which-humanity-is-helped-forward/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [The beauteous dragonfly's dancing By the waves of the rivulet glancing; She dances here and she dances there, The glimmering, glittering flutterer fair. Full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-beauteous-dragonfly-s-dancing-by-the-waves-of-the-rivulet/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [I am no longer a divine biped. I am no longer the freest German after Goethe, as Ruge named me in healthier days. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/i-am-no-longer-a-divine-biped-i-am-no-longer-the-freest-german-after/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [First, I thought, almost despairing, This must crush my spirit now; Yet I bore it, and am bearing- Only do not ask me how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/first-i-thought-almost-despairing-this-must-crush-my-spirit-now-yet-i/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Nothing is more futile than theorizing about music. No doubt there are laws, mathematically strict laws, but these laws are not music; they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/nothing-is-more-futile-than-theorizing-about-music-no-doubt-there-are/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [A lonely fir-tree is standing On a northern barren height; It sleeps, and the ice and snow-drift Cast round it a garment of white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/a-lonely-fir-tree-is-standing-on-a-northern-barren-height-it-sleeps/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Thought is invisible nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/thought-is-invisible-nature/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [“Still is the night, it quiets the streets down, In that window my love would appear; She's long since gone away from this town,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/still-is-the-night-it-quiets-the-streets-down-in-that-window-my-love/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [The dragon-fly is dancing,— Is on the water glancing, She flits about with nimble wing, The flickering, fluttering, restless thing. Besotted chafers all admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-dragon-fly-is-dancing-is-on-the-water-glancing-she-flits-about/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [There is one thing on earth more terrible than English music, and that is English painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/there-is-one-thing-on-earth-more-terrible-than-english-music-and-that/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [He is noble who both feels and acts nobly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/he-is-noble-who-both-feels-and-acts-nobly/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) [Explore all 262 Heinrich Heine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) ## More Atheism 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/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [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/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [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/) > [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/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He who fights with priests may make up his mind to have his poor good name torn and befouled by the most infamous lies and the most cutting slanders.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heinrich Heine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-his-mind-to-have-his-poor-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-his-mind-to-have-his-poor-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/heinrich-heine-1170_atheism_he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-h_2639899.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/heinrich-heine-1170_atheism_he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-h_2639899.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/heinrich-heine-1170_atheism_he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-h_2639899.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who fights with priests may make up his mind to have his poor good name torn and befouled by the most…” — Heinrich Heine", "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": "Heinrich Heine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He who fights with priests may...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-his-mind-to-have-his-poor-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/he-who-fights-with-priests-may-make-up-his-mind-to-have-his-poor-good/#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 } } ] } ```