--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A \"communist/socialist/progressive\" is an…" description: "\"A \"communist/socialist/progressive\" is an oxymoron, like an \"atheist/evangelical Christian/Muslim.\"\" — Hendrik Hertzberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/hendrik-hertzberg-35818_atheist_a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an_2829803.png" --- # A "communist/socialist/progressive" is an oxymoron, like… ![“A "communist/socialist/progressive" is an oxymoron, like an "atheist/evangelical Christian/Muslim."” quote by Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/hendrik-hertzberg-35818_atheist_a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an_2829803.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/hendrik-hertzberg-35818_atheist_a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an_2829803.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/hendrik-hertzberg-35818_atheist_a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an_2829803.png) > “A "communist/socialist/progressive" is an oxymoron, like an "atheist/evangelical Christian/Muslim."” [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The phrase combines contradictory political and religious identities, highlighting perceived incompatibility. **In simple terms:** Contradictory labels clash. Key Takeaway Recognize nuance beyond labels. Themes politics religion identity contradiction stereotype Mood skeptical critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - debates - political commentary - social media - public discourse - identity politics Key Concepts oxymoron ideological conflict Questions to Reflect On - How do you define your own political/religious identity? - Can seemingly opposite labels coexist? A Different Perspective Labels can oversimplify complex beliefs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Atheist Evangelical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist-evangelical-3649477/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Evangelical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelical/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Like Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-atheist-601121/) [Oxymoron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxymoron/) [Progressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progressive/) [Progressive Oxymoron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progressive-oxymoron-3649476/) [Socialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialist/) ## Related quotes > [He that puts on a religious habit abroad to gain himself a great name among men, and at the same time lives like an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/he-that-puts-on-a-religious-habit-abroad-to-gain-himself-a-great-name/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [“The experience was disagreeable. I began to feel like an atheist praying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-experience-was-disagreeable-i-began-to-feel-like-an-atheist/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I am against the word 'anti' because it's a little bit like 'atheist,' as compared to 'believer.' And an atheist is just as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/i-am-against-the-word-anti-because-it-s-a-little-bit-like-atheist-as/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [There is no bigot like the atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-bigot-like-the-atheist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“They should be bundled like an atheist software package to reprogram minds into employing reason instead of faith, science instead of superstition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-boghossian/they-should-be-bundled-like-an-atheist-software-package-to-reprogram/) [Peter Boghossian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-boghossian/) > [No one knows loneliness like an atheist. When an average person feels isolated, he can call through the depths of his soul to One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-lang/no-one-knows-loneliness-like-an-atheist-when-an-average-person-feels/) [Jeffrey Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-lang/) > [I am a Catholic not like someone else would be a Baptist or a Methodist, but like someone else would be an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-am-a-catholic-not-like-someone-else-would-be-a-baptist-or-a/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Some days I feel like I'm an atheist. Most days, I feel like an agnostic. On a very rare day, I feel like I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/some-days-i-feel-like-i-m-an-atheist-most-days-i-feel-like-an/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [He says gods like to see an atheist around. Gives them something to aim at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-says-gods-like-to-see-an-atheist-around-gives-them-something-to/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Nobody believes in God like an atheist: 'There is no God, and I am His prophet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/nobody-believes-in-god-like-an-atheist-there-is-no-god-and-i-am-his/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [Worry is really just a form of atheism. Every time you worry, you're acting like an atheist. You're saying, "It all depends on me."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/worry-is-really-just-a-form-of-atheism-every-time-you-worry-you-re/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Virtually every agnostic lives like an atheist, living completely irreligious lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/virtually-every-agnostic-lives-like-an-atheist-living-completely/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [I'm still agnostic. But in the words of Elton Richards, I'm now a reverant agnostic. Which isn't an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-still-agnostic-but-in-the-words-of-elton-richards-i-m-now-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You're lying through your fangs," Iggy accused. Fang tried to play innocent--but "innocent Fang" is an oxymoron, so it didn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/you-re-lying-through-your-fangs-iggy-accused-fang-tried-to-play/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [Oxymoron: She's Smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/oxymoron-she-s-smart/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) ## More by Hendrik Hertzberg > [Where is it written that if you don't like religion you are somehow disqualified from being a legitimate American? What was Mark Twain, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/where-is-it-written-that-if-you-don-t-like-religion-you-are-somehow/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [The filibuster is an affront to commonly understood democratic norms, but then so is the Senate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/the-filibuster-is-an-affront-to-commonly-understood-democratic-norms/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [I can't agree that what we're seeing is a matter of the American bourgeoisie confronting workers everywhere. It's more like the international plutocracy eliminating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/i-can-t-agree-that-what-we-re-seeing-is-a-matter-of-the-american/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [Marriage should be between a spouse and a spouse, not a gender and a gender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/marriage-should-be-between-a-spouse-and-a-spouse-not-a-gender-and-a/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [I don't think that the "freedom movement" is a racist movement as such. But it's a virulent example of identity politics. "Whiteness" is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/i-don-t-think-that-the-freedom-movement-is-a-racist-movement-as-such/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [Unfair in practice is not the same thing as wrong in principle, but sometimes it has to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/unfair-in-practice-is-not-the-same-thing-as-wrong-in-principle-but/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [ \[If the Democratic nominee turns out to be\] Walter Mondale, I hope he picks Representative Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. It would be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/if-the-democratic-nominee-turns-out-to-be-walter-mondale-i-hope-he/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [The dismaying truth is that birtherism is part of a larger pattern of rejection of reality that has taken hold of intimidating segments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/the-dismaying-truth-is-that-birtherism-is-part-of-a-larger-pattern-of/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [A political ideology is a very handy thing to have. It's a real time-saver, because it tells you what you think about things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/a-political-ideology-is-a-very-handy-thing-to-have-it-s-a-real-time/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as God,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/i-m-pretty-sure-there-is-no-such-thing-as-god/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [It's a strange sort of attack, to be sure: a wonderfully pacific attack, a supportive attack, an attack without the slightest intention or capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/it-s-a-strange-sort-of-attack-to-be-sure-a-wonderfully-pacific-attack/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [A person's character is what it is. It's a little like a marriage - only without the option of divorce. You can work on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/a-person-s-character-is-what-it-is-it-s-a-little-like-a-marriage-only/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) [Explore all 13 Hendrik Hertzberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) ## 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 \"communist/socialist/progressive\" is an oxymoron, like an \"atheist/evangelical Christian/Muslim.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hendrik Hertzberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an-oxymoron-like-an-atheist/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an-oxymoron-like-an-atheist/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/hendrik-hertzberg-35818_atheist_a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an_2829803.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/hendrik-hertzberg-35818_atheist_a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an_2829803.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/hendrik-hertzberg-35818_atheist_a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an_2829803.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A \"communist/socialist/progressive\" is an oxymoron, like an \"atheist/evangelical Christian/Muslim.\"” — Hendrik Hertzberg", "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": "Hendrik Hertzberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A \"communist/socialist/progressive\" is an oxymoron, like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an-oxymoron-like-an-atheist/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/a-communist-socialist-progressive-is-an-oxymoron-like-an-atheist/#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 } } ] } ```