--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She believed in nothing. Only her…" description: "\"“She believed in nothing. Only her scepticism kept her from being an atheist.”\" — Jean-Paul Sartre" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/jean-paul-sartre-220_atheism_she-believed-in-nothing-only-her-sceptic_2681251.png" --- # She believed in nothing. Only her scepticism kept her from… ![“She believed in nothing. Only her scepticism kept her from being an atheist.” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/jean-paul-sartre-220_atheism_she-believed-in-nothing-only-her-sceptic_2681251.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/jean-paul-sartre-220_atheism_she-believed-in-nothing-only-her-sceptic_2681251.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/jean-paul-sartre-220_atheism_she-believed-in-nothing-only-her-sceptic_2681251.png) > ““She believed in nothing. Only her scepticism kept her from being an atheist.”” [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A paradoxical view that skepticism serves as a barrier against atheism, suggesting belief in nothing yet not fully embracing atheism. **In simple terms:** Skepticism prevents full atheism. Key Takeaway Recognize how doubt shapes belief. Themes philosophy belief skepticism Mood thoughtful introspective philosophical Type philosophical quote When to use this quote - religious discourse - personal reflection - academic debate Key Concepts existentialism paradox identity Questions to Reflect On - What role does doubt play in your worldview? - Can skepticism coexist with belief? A Different Perspective Skepticism may not lead to clear conclusions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Believed Scepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-scepticism-2582134/) [Kept Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-atheist-2582132/) [Scepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scepticism/) [Scepticism Kept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scepticism-kept-2582133/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) ## Related quotes > [She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-believed-in-nothing-only-her-skepticism-kept-her-from-being-an-2/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“. . . I don’t believe that celebrity spokeswomen get their hair colour from a box.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberta-pearce/i-don-t-believe-that-celebrity-spokeswomen-get-their-hair-colour-from/) [Roberta Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberta-pearce/) > [It seems certain, that though a man, in a flush of humour, after intense reflection on the many contradictions and imperfections of human reason,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/it-seems-certain-that-though-a-man-in-a-flush-of-humour-after-intense/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“The major religions on the Earth contradict each other left and right. You can't all be correct. And what if all of you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-major-religions-on-the-earth-contradict-each-other-left-and-right-2/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“The Greeks made Space the subject-matter of a science of supreme simplicity and certainty. Out of it grew, in the mind of classical antiquity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-greeks-made-space-the-subject-matter-of-a-science-of-supreme/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [Scepticism is always a back road leading to some credo or other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/scepticism-is-always-a-back-road-leading-to-some-credo-or-other/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Scepticism is an ability, or mental attitude, which opposes appearances to judgments in any way whatsoever, with the result that,owing to the equipollence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sextus-empiricus/scepticism-is-an-ability-or-mental-attitude-which-opposes-appearances/) [Sextus Empiricus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sextus-empiricus/) > [The idea that the State is capable of solving social problems is now viewed with great scepticism – which foretells a coming change. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/the-idea-that-the-state-is-capable-of-solving-social-problems-is-now/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [“The deepest, the only theme of human history, compared to which all others are of subordinate importance, is the conflict of scepticism with faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-deepest-the-only-theme-of-human-history-compared-to-which-all/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/if-you-are-only-skeptical-then-no-new-ideas-make-it-through-to-you/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“ Johnson is a radical skeptic, insisting, in the best Socratic tradition, that everything be put on the table for examination. By contrast, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/johnson-is-a-radical-skeptic-insisting-in-the-best-socratic-tradition/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [Latter-day scepticism is fond of calling itself progressive; but scepticism is really reactionary. Scepticism goes back; it attempts to unsettle what has already been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/latter-day-scepticism-is-fond-of-calling-itself-progressive-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is, indeed a more mitigated scepticism or academical philosophy, which may be both durable and useful, and which may, in part, be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/there-is-indeed-a-more-mitigated-scepticism-or-academical-philosophy/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Scepticism, ironically, draws its life's blood from claims to have a good deal of knowledge. For example, your friends claim to know, 'Since every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/scepticism-ironically-draws-its-life-s-blood-from-claims-to-have-a/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [“Scepticism is as much the result of knowledge, as knowledge is of scepticism. To be content with what we at present know, is, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/scepticism-is-as-much-the-result-of-knowledge-as-knowledge-is-of/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) ## More by Jean-Paul Sartre > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“she has suddenly emptied herself of me, and all other consciousness in the world has also emptied itself of me. It seems funny. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-has-suddenly-emptied-herself-of-me-and-all-other-consciousness-in/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [ \[Stéphane Mallarmé\] theory of the hermetic is a mistake, but he can be only difficult to read when he has difficult things to say. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/st-phane-mallarm-theory-of-the-hermetic-is-a-mistake-but-he-can-be/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I can always choose, but I ought to know that if I do not choose, I am still choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-can-always-choose-but-i-ought-to-know-that-if-i-do-not-choose-i-am/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/when-the-rich-wage-war-it-s-the-poor-who-die/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“She smiled. First I lost the memory of her eyes, then the memory of her long body. I kept her smile as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-smiled-first-i-lost-the-memory-of-her-eyes-then-the-memory-of-her/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Life is a useless passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/life-is-a-useless-passion/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The more one is absorbed in fighting evil, the less one is tempted to place the good in question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-more-one-is-absorbed-in-fighting-evil-the-less-one-is-tempted-to/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [This is what I thought: for the most banal even to become an adventure, you must (and this is enough) begin to recount it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/this-is-what-i-thought-for-the-most-banal-even-to-become-an-adventure/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“I am free: there is absolutely no more reason for living, all the ones I have tried have given way and I can’t imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-am-free-there-is-absolutely-no-more-reason-for-living-all-the-ones/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“If I am not mistaken, if all the signs which have been amassed are precursors of a new overthrow in my life, well then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/if-i-am-not-mistaken-if-all-the-signs-which-have-been-amassed-are/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“I want to leave, go to some place where I will be really in my own niche, where I will fit in. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-want-to-leave-go-to-some-place-where-i-will-be-really-in-my-own/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-best-work-is-not-what-is-most-difficult-for-you-it-is-what-you-do/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) [Explore all 728 Jean-Paul Sartre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## 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. 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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? 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