---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great books are written for Christianity…"
description: "\"Great books are written for Christianity much oftener than great deeds are done for it. City libraries tell us of the reign of Jesus Christ but city st..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/horace-mann-2022_book_great-books-are-written-for-christianity_1433148.png"
---

#  Great books are written for Christianity much oftener than…

![“Great books are written for Christianity much oftener than great deeds are done for it. City libraries tell us of the reign of Jesus Christ but city streets tell us of the reign of Satan.” quote by Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/horace-mann-2022_book_great-books-are-written-for-christianity_1433148.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/horace-mann-2022_book_great-books-are-written-for-christianity_1433148.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/horace-mann-2022_book_great-books-are-written-for-christianity_1433148.png)

> “Great books are written for Christianity much oftener than great deeds are done for it. City libraries tell us of the reign of Jesus Christ but city streets tell us of the reign of Satan.”

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote contrasts the abundance of religious literature with the scarcity of virtuous actions, suggesting society values doctrine over deeds.

**In simple terms:** Books about faith outnumber faithful deeds.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize actions that reflect beliefs.

Themes

religion hypocrisy culture

Mood

critical reflective

Type

observational analytical

When to use this quote

- church programs
- public policy
- personal conduct

Key Concepts

faith vs. social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we align teachings with actions?
- What role should institutions play in modeling virtue?

A Different Perspective

The statement may overgeneralize religious impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christianity Oftener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity-oftener-5107307/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-streets/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Great book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-book/) [Great deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-deeds/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-christ/) [Libraries Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries-tell-5107309/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Reign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reign/) [Satan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satan/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [Written Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-christianity-5107308/)

## Related quotes

> [Many books have been written to show that Christianity has emasculated the world, that it shoved aside the enlightenment and wisdom of Hellas for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/many-books-have-been-written-to-show-that-christianity-has/)

[Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/)

> [Authentic values are those by which a life can be lived, which can form a people that produces great deeds and thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/authentic-values-are-those-by-which-a-life-can-be-lived-which-can/)

[Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/)

> [All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/all-great-deeds-and-all-great-thoughts-have-a-ridiculous-beginning/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“In great deeds, something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate the ground for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-chamberlain/in-great-deeds-something-abides-on-great-fields-something-stays-forms/)

[Joshua Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-chamberlain/)

> [Great deeds give choice of many tales. Choose a slight tale, enrich it large, and then let wise men listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pindar/great-deeds-give-choice-of-many-tales-choose-a-slight-tale-enrich-it/)

[Pindar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pindar/)

> [That was the miracle of Abraham Lincoln, politician. He pursued the high purpose of moving justice forward via the low arts of patronage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-klein/that-was-the-miracle-of-abraham-lincoln-politician-he-pursued-the/)

[Joe Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-klein/)

> [In great deeds something abides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chamberlain/in-great-deeds-something-abides/)

[Joseph Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chamberlain/)

> [Love and desire are the spirits wings to great deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-and-desire-are-the-spirits-wings-to-great-deeds/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Small deeds done are better than great deeds plannd..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/small-deeds-done-are-better-than-great-deeds-plannd/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Content is not the pathway to great deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/content-is-not-the-pathway-to-great-deeds/)

[Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/)

> [Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marshall/small-deeds-done-are-better-than-great-deeds-planned/)

[Peter Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marshall/)

> [Love and desire are the spirit's wings to great deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/love-and-desire-are-the-spirit-s-wings-to-great-deeds/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Big occasions and races which have been eagerly anticipated almost to the point of dread, are where great deeds can be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lovelock/big-occasions-and-races-which-have-been-eagerly-anticipated-almost-to/)

[Jack Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lovelock/)

> [“For there are many great deeds done in the small struggles of life. There is a determined though unseen bravery that defends itself foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/for-there-are-many-great-deeds-done-in-the-small-struggles-of-life/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/all-great-deeds-and-all-great-thoughts-have-a-ridiculous-beginning-2/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

## More by Horace Mann

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [The earth endured Christ's ministry only three years;--not three weeks after his real character and purposes were generally known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-earth-endured-christ-s-ministry-only-three-years-not-three-weeks/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [If evil is inevitable, how are the wicked accountable? Nay, why do we call men wicked at all? Evil is inevitable, but is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/if-evil-is-inevitable-how-are-the-wicked-accountable-nay-why-do-we/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [The soul of the truly benevolent man does not seem to reside much in his own body. Its life, to a great extent, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-soul-of-the-truly-benevolent-man-does-not-seem-to-reside-much-in/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [The pulpit only "teaches" to be honest; the market-place "trains" to overreaching and fraud; and teaching has not a tithe of the efficiency of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-pulpit-only-teaches-to-be-honest-the-market-place-trains-to/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [On entering this world our starting-point is ignorance. None, however, but idiots remain there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/on-entering-this-world-our-starting-point-is-ignorance-none-however/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [So, in the infinitely nobler battle in which you are engaged against error and wrong, if ever repulsed or stricken down, may you always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/so-in-the-infinitely-nobler-battle-in-which-you-are-engaged-against/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [We conceive of immortality as having a beginning, but no end; but we conceive of eternity as having neither beginning nor end. Hence it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/we-conceive-of-immortality-as-having-a-beginning-but-no-end-but-we/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [In our country and in our times no man is worthy the honored name of statesman who does not include the highest practicable education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/in-our-country-and-in-our-times-no-man-is-worthy-the-honored-name-of/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [Genius may conceive but patient labor must consummate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/genius-may-conceive-but-patient-labor-must-consummate/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [Even the choicest literature should be taken as the condiment, and not as the sustenance of life. It should be neither the warp nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/even-the-choicest-literature-should-be-taken-as-the-condiment-and-not/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [Of all "rights" which command attention at the present time among us, woman's rights seem to take precedence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/of-all-rights-which-command-attention-at-the-present-time-among-us/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [After a child has arrived at the legal age for attending school,-whether he be the child of noble or of peasant,-the only two absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/after-a-child-has-arrived-at-the-legal-age-for-attending-school/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [Let the Common School be expanded to its capabilities, let it be worked with the efficiency of which it is susceptible, and nine tenths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/let-the-common-school-be-expanded-to-its-capabilities-let-it-be/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [Resistance to improvement contradicts the noblest instincts of the race. It begets its opposite. The fanaticism of reform is only the raging of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/resistance-to-improvement-contradicts-the-noblest-instincts-of-the/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Explore all 191 Horace Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Great books are written for Christianity much oftener than great deeds are done for it. City libraries tell us of the reign of Jesus Christ but city streets tell us of the reign of Satan.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Horace Mann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/great-books-are-written-for-christianity-much-oftener-than-great/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/great-books-are-written-for-christianity-much-oftener-than-great/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/horace-mann-2022_book_great-books-are-written-for-christianity_1433148.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/horace-mann-2022_book_great-books-are-written-for-christianity_1433148.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/horace-mann-2022_book_great-books-are-written-for-christianity_1433148.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Great books are written for Christianity much oftener than great deeds are done for it. City libraries tell…” — Horace Mann",
                "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": "Horace Mann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Great books are written for Christianity...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/great-books-are-written-for-christianity-much-oftener-than-great/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/great-books-are-written-for-christianity-much-oftener-than-great/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
