--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a time he read his Neil Diamond bible…" description: "\"“For a time he read his Neil Diamond bible by the firelight. He paused, twisting nervously at his goatee, considering the law in Deuteronomy that forba..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/joe-hill-1162_bible_for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bibl_2497946.png" --- # For a time he read his Neil Diamond bible by the… ![“For a time he read his Neil Diamond bible by the firelight. He paused, twisting nervously at his goatee, considering the law in Deuteronomy that forbade clothes with mixed fibers. A problematic bit of Scripture. A matter that required thought. "Only the devil wants man to have a wide range of…” quote by Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/joe-hill-1162_bible_for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bibl_2497946.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/joe-hill-1162_bible_for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bibl_2497946.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/joe-hill-1162_bible_for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bibl_2497946.png) > ““For a time he read his Neil Diamond bible by the firelight. He paused, twisting nervously at his goatee, considering the law in Deuteronomy that forbade clothes with mixed fibers. A problematic bit of Scripture. A matter that required thought. "Only the devil wants man to have a wide range of lightweight and comfortable styles to choose from," he murmured at last, trying out a new proverb. "Although there may be no forgiveness for polyester. On this matter, Satan and the Lord are in agreement.”” [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The character debates fashion rules, linking them to moral and spiritual authority, suggesting even divine law can be interpreted against modern comforts. **In simple terms:** Even sacred texts can be used to justify personal preferences. Key Takeaway Question authority. Themes fashion religion authority comfort Mood ironic critical Type satire philosophical When to use this quote - designer choices - personal style - religious study - ethical debate Key Concepts interpretation symbolism Questions to Reflect On - Is it valid to invoke sacred law for fashion? - What does this say about personal liberty? A Different Perspective Using scripture for trivial matters can be seen as frivolous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Satan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satan/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [He paused, twisting his goatee, considering the law in Deuteronomy that forbade clothes with mixed fibers. A problematic bit of Scripture. A matter that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-paused-twisting-his-goatee-considering-the-law-in-deuteronomy-that/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“Only the devil wants man to have a wide range of lightweight and comfortable styles to choose from,” he murmured at last, trying out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-the-devil-wants-man-to-have-a-wide-range-of-lightweight-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Look at Neil Diamond. Was he the cool guy? No, he was the housewives' guy. He didn't try to be what he wasn't. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buble/look-at-neil-diamond-was-he-the-cool-guy-no-he-was-the-housewives-guy/) [Michael Buble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buble/) > [Mozart and Neil Diamond may have begun with the same idea, but that a work of art is more than an idea is confirmed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/mozart-and-neil-diamond-may-have-begun-with-the-same-idea-but-that-a/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [At 10, I heard Neil Diamond's 'Solitary Man' and it moved me so deeply I stood, frozen in place during school recess, feeling such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/at-10-i-heard-neil-diamond-s-solitary-man-and-it-moved-me-so-deeply-i/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [“One year later, I got beat up at a Neil Diamond concert by a guy named Scrunchie!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/one-year-later-i-got-beat-up-at-a-neil-diamond-concert-by-a-guy-named/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I'm not a professional entertainer. I'm not Neil Diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/i-m-not-a-professional-entertainer-i-m-not-neil-diamond/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [There was always music in my house when I was a kid. On Saturday mornings, my mother would clean house to 45s blaring out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kazee/there-was-always-music-in-my-house-when-i-was-a-kid-on-saturday/) [Steve Kazee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kazee/) > [I'm not full of malice, but I do dislike Neil Diamond a lot, and I'm sorry that I've done a Neil Diamond song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wyatt/i-m-not-full-of-malice-but-i-do-dislike-neil-diamond-a-lot-and-i-m/) [Robert Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wyatt/) > [“Performing is the easiest part of what I do, and songwriting is the hardest.” —Neil Diamond”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-oliver/performing-is-the-easiest-part-of-what-i-do-and-songwriting-is-the-2/) Brian Oliver > [Maybe people would be surprised to know that I listen to old Neil Diamond albums from time to time. The man rocks. I defy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/maybe-people-would-be-surprised-to-know-that-i-listen-to-old-neil/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [While the House of Blues slogan has been 'In blues we trust,' its stages are usually filled with more reliable moneymakers - Neil Diamond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/while-the-house-of-blues-slogan-has-been-in-blues-we-trust-its-stages/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [If I had a ringtone, it would probably be Neil Diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-spiegel/if-i-had-a-ringtone-it-would-probably-be-neil-diamond/) [Evan Spiegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-spiegel/) > [Growing up, I didn't come from a musical family. Neither of my parents played an instrument, sang out loud, or listened to the radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/growing-up-i-didn-t-come-from-a-musical-family-neither-of-my-parents/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [Now one thing I think is really lame, is if you're an artist and you go to a karaoke bar and sing your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-aldean/now-one-thing-i-think-is-really-lame-is-if-you-re-an-artist-and-you/) [Jason Aldean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-aldean/) ## More by Joe Hill > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He had despised that Mary with her idiot smile, symbol of a story that meant nothing, servant of a God who no good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-had-despised-that-mary-with-her-idiot-smile-symbol-of-a-story-that/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. Jude wondered why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-d-possessed-all-the-key-elements-of-a-school-shooter-hormones/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [I have nothing to say for myself, only that I have always tried to make this earth a little bit better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/i-have-nothing-to-say-for-myself-only-that-i-have-always-tried-to/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [Work and pray, live on hay, youll get pie in the sky when you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/work-and-pray-live-on-hay-youll-get-pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“If hell was anything, it was talk radio — and family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/if-hell-was-anything-it-was-talk-radio-and-family/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“Vic’s father was badass. Other dads built things. Hers blew shit up and rode away on a Harley, smoking the cigarette he used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/vic-s-father-was-badass-other-dads-built-things-hers-blew-shit-up-and/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [It's like in the Bible.You can't always get what you want, but if you really need something, you usually find it." "What part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/it-s-like-in-the-bible-you-can-t-always-get-what-you-want-but-if-you/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“The air was rank, and on my left, in a broad green meadow, arranged neatly in pairs, were dead lions and dead walruses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/the-air-was-rank-and-on-my-left-in-a-broad-green-meadow-arranged/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“Secrets are the prisons we make for ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/secrets-are-the-prisons-we-make-for-ourselves/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“a room full of books smelled like dessert: a sweet snack made of figs, vanilla, glue, and cleverness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/a-room-full-of-books-smelled-like-dessert-a-sweet-snack-made-of-figs/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“When you were a Goth, it was important to at least imply the possibility you might burst into flames in direct sunlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/when-you-were-a-goth-it-was-important-to-at-least-imply-the/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“At the end, I get to be the person I always wanted to be," she thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/at-the-end-i-get-to-be-the-person-i-always-wanted-to-be-she-thought/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“They came to believe their doctors were holding back limited quantities of a cure, and attempted to take them hostage. They formed armies, congresses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/they-came-to-believe-their-doctors-were-holding-back-limited/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He had his flaws - he'd voted for Reagan, he believed that Carl Weathers was a GREAT thespian, and he grew emotional listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-had-his-flaws-he-d-voted-for-reagan-he-believed-that-carl-weathers/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) [Explore all 278 Joe Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) ## More Bible 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/) > [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/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) Michael Arnold > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) Robert A. Peterson > [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/) Stephen Taylor > [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/) Walsham How > [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/) [Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/) > [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/) [Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/) > [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [“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/) > [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) [Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For a time he read his Neil Diamond bible by the firelight. He paused, twisting nervously at his goatee, considering the law in Deuteronomy that forbade clothes with mixed fibers. A problematic bit of Scripture. A matter that required thought. \"Only the devil wants man to have a wide range of lightweight and comfortable styles to choose from,\" he murmured at last, trying out a new proverb. \"Although there may be no forgiveness for polyester. On this matter, Satan and the Lord are in agreement.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Hill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bible-by-the-firelight-he-paused/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bible" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bible-by-the-firelight-he-paused/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/joe-hill-1162_bible_for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bibl_2497946.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/joe-hill-1162_bible_for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bibl_2497946.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/joe-hill-1162_bible_for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bibl_2497946.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For a time he read his Neil Diamond bible by the firelight. He paused, twisting nervously at his goatee…” — Joe Hill", "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": "Joe Hill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For a time he read his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bible-by-the-firelight-he-paused/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/for-a-time-he-read-his-neil-diamond-bible-by-the-firelight-he-paused/#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 } } ] } ```