---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The left and right are not religious…"
description: "\"The left and right are not religious categories. They're often not even value categories.\" — Jim Wallis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/jim-wallis-11027_categories_the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-cat_1798987.png"
---

#  The left and right are not religious categories. They're…

![“The left and right are not religious categories. They're often not even value categories.” quote by Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/jim-wallis-11027_categories_the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-cat_1798987.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/jim-wallis-11027_categories_the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-cat_1798987.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/jim-wallis-11027_categories_the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-cat_1798987.png)

> “The left and right are not religious categories. They're often not even value categories.”

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

## About This Quote

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

People often label ideas as left or right, but those labels rarely reflect true moral or value differences.

**In simple terms:** Political labels can be misleading about values.

Key Takeaway

Look beyond labels to understand core values.

Themes

politics values labeling

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- political debate
- media analysis
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

ideology categorization

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate values from political labels?
- When have labels misled you?

A Different Perspective

Labels can oversimplify complex beliefs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Categories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left and right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-and-right/) [Left Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-right/) [Often](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/often/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious Categories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-categories-2014467/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Right Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-religious-554335/) [Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value/)

## Related quotes

> [We're going to move left and right at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/we-re-going-to-move-left-and-right-at-the-same-time/)

[Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/)

> [Yesh Atid is a Jewish, religious-secular party. Our DNA is center - both Left and Right. The difference between center-left and center-right is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-lapid/yesh-atid-is-a-jewish-religious-secular-party-our-dna-is-center-both/)

[Yair Lapid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-lapid/)

> [Since the end of the Cold War, America has been grasping left and right for an identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/since-the-end-of-the-cold-war-america-has-been-grasping-left-and/)

[Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/)

> [Read your contracts. Up and down, left and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-jauregui/read-your-contracts-up-and-down-left-and-right/)

[Lauren Jauregui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-jauregui/)

> [Both Left and Right take pleasure in mildly persecuting those who fail to meet their civic ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/both-left-and-right-take-pleasure-in-mildly-persecuting-those-who/)

[Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/)

> [There is no Left and Right any more. Left and Right is irrelevant... We need big change. We've got to get back control of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/there-is-no-left-and-right-any-more-left-and-right-is-irrelevant-we/)

[Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/)

> [I was taught, growing up, that there are two ends of the political spectrum: left and right. But there's so much more than that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/i-was-taught-growing-up-that-there-are-two-ends-of-the-political/)

[Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/)

> [There is probably no oral society that fails to mark the spatial distinction of left and right, peculiar as this distinction may be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-antin/there-is-probably-no-oral-society-that-fails-to-mark-the-spatial/)

[David Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-antin/)

> [Comedy should be fluid. It should be both Left and Right wing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/comedy-should-be-fluid-it-should-be-both-left-and-right-wing/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [“The forces that govern our experience, electromagnetism and gravity, are blind to the distinction between left and right. No process moderated by either force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/the-forces-that-govern-our-experience-electromagnetism-and-gravity/)

[Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/)

> [It can be tough to find areas where Left and Right can agree. Consider the well-being of children: Americans often disagree about how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foster-friess/it-can-be-tough-to-find-areas-where-left-and-right-can-agree-consider/)

[Foster Friess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foster-friess/)

> [The right to religious freedom is not a gift of the state or a gift of a group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suharto/the-right-to-religious-freedom-is-not-a-gift-of-the-state-or-a-gift/)

[Suharto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suharto/)

> [Civil liberty can be established on no foundation of human reason which will not at the same time demonstrate the right of religious freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/civil-liberty-can-be-established-on-no-foundation-of-human-reason/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [“Your right of religious freedom ends where my right of religious abstinence begins...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-rafael-cimino/your-right-of-religious-freedom-ends-where-my-right-of-religious/)

[T. Rafael Cimino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-rafael-cimino/)

> [A man should have a right to be religious if he wants to. The government should not be involved in those decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-garcia/a-man-should-have-a-right-to-be-religious-if-he-wants-to-the/)

[Andy Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-garcia/)

## More by Jim Wallis

> [If you are asking the wrong question, it doesn't matter how good the answer is, you aren't going to get where you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/if-you-are-asking-the-wrong-question-it-doesn-t-matter-how-good-the/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [The failure of political leaders to help uplift the poor will be judged a moral failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/the-failure-of-political-leaders-to-help-uplift-the-poor-will-be/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Spirituality becomes a commodity to be bought and sold. So spirituality has to be disciplined by social justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/spirituality-becomes-a-commodity-to-be-bought-and-sold-so/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Faith can cut in so many ways. If you're penitent and not triumphal, it can move us to repentance and accountability and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/faith-can-cut-in-so-many-ways-if-you-re-penitent-and-not-triumphal-it/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Why?' is the prophetic question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/why-is-the-prophetic-question/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Healthcare should be a human right and not a commodity for sale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/healthcare-should-be-a-human-right-and-not-a-commodity-for-sale/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [More than just a moral issue, hope is a spiritual and even religious choice. Hope is not a feeling; it is a decision. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/more-than-just-a-moral-issue-hope-is-a-spiritual-and-even-religious/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Our choice is between cynicism and hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/our-choice-is-between-cynicism-and-hope/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Pat Robertson is an embarrassment to the church and a danger to American politics, .. It's time for Christian leaders of all stripes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/pat-robertson-is-an-embarrassment-to-the-church-and-a-danger-to/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/sometimes-it-takes-a-natural-disaster-to-reveal-a-social-disaster/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [To dig our heels in and say no to a present madness is a good thing, but to walk a new path and say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/to-dig-our-heels-in-and-say-no-to-a-present-madness-is-a-good-thing/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [“Religion is often used as a sword to divide, rather than as a balm to heal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/religion-is-often-used-as-a-sword-to-divide-rather-than-as-a-balm-to/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [The kingdom of God, which Jesus came to inaugurate, is meant to create an alternate reality in this world, and ultimately to transform the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/the-kingdom-of-god-which-jesus-came-to-inaugurate-is-meant-to-create/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Faith reminds us that change is always possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/faith-reminds-us-that-change-is-always-possible/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

> [Jesus proclaimed, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. .. He is saying that a whole new order is about to enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/jesus-proclaimed-repent-for-the-kingdom-of-heaven-is-at-hand-he-is/)

[Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

[Explore all 62 Jim Wallis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/)

## More Categories quotes

> [...the number of saintly men has not yet risen to the level where the census makes them a separate statistical category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/the-number-of-saintly-men-has-not-yet-risen-to-the-level-where-the/)

[George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/)

> [As a politician - particularly as a politician in a coalition - you quickly realise that compromise is a part of the game. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-davey/as-a-politician-particularly-as-a-politician-in-a-coalition-you/)

[Edward Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-davey/)

> [I've worked with jazz artists, country artists, classical artists, pop artists. I never wanted there to be categories, because when I was a kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcknight/i-ve-worked-with-jazz-artists-country-artists-classical-artists-pop/)

[Brian McKnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcknight/)

> [ I don't think in national categories. For me it \[policy\] is about concepts and substance. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/i-don-t-think-in-national-categories-for-me-it-policy-is-about/)

[Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/)

> [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/)

[Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/)

> [We don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-don-t-need-to-complicate-all-the-reasons-behind-our-emotions-it-s/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [I put the truth out there, I put the historical facts into Hip Hop to show us how much history repeats itself and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immortal-technique/i-put-the-truth-out-there-i-put-the-historical-facts-into-hip-hop-to/)

[Immortal Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immortal-technique/)

> [I am devoting my lecture in this seminar to a discussion of the possibility that we are now entering a Jewish century, a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-a-siegel/i-am-devoting-my-lecture-in-this-seminar-to-a-discussion-of-the/)

[Martin A. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-a-siegel/)

> [A top World War II ace once said that fighter pilots fall into two broad categories: those who go out to kill and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-top-world-war-ii-ace-once-said-that-fighter-pilots-fall-into-two/)

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

> [No, I don't like legend. I mean, I don't like the category. And to begin with, to me, a legend is something that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/no-i-don-t-like-legend-i-mean-i-don-t-like-the-category-and-to-begin/)

[Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/)

> [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [... the notions category and functor were not formulated or put in print until the idea of a natural transformation was also at hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saunders-mac-lane/the-notions-category-and-functor-were-not-formulated-or-put-in-print/)

[Saunders Mac Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saunders-mac-lane/)

> [Last guy I was interested in turned out to be an incestuous necrophiliac," she said. "So no, not currently dating, and definitely not doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/last-guy-i-was-interested-in-turned-out-to-be-an-incestuous/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Culture exists and evolves to relegate to habit categories of interactions the constant conscious reference to which would make human interaction impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/culture-exists-and-evolves-to-relegate-to-habit-categories-of/)

[David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/)

> [I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-am-disappointed-by-this-controversy-surrounding-a-million-little/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

[Browse all 927 Categories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The left and right are not religious categories. They're often not even value categories.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jim Wallis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-categories-they-re-often-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Categories"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-categories-they-re-often-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/jim-wallis-11027_categories_the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-cat_1798987.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/jim-wallis-11027_categories_the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-cat_1798987.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/jim-wallis-11027_categories_the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-cat_1798987.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The left and right are not religious categories. They're often not even value categories.” — Jim Wallis",
                "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": "Jim Wallis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The left and right are not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-categories-they-re-often-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/the-left-and-right-are-not-religious-categories-they-re-often-not/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
