Atheism Quote by John Stuart Mill
“Belief, thus, in the supernatural, great as are the services which it rendered in the early stages of human development, cannot be considered to be any longer required, either for enabling us to know what is right and wrong in social morality, or for supplying us with motives to do right and to abstain from wrong.”
About This Quote
Source Book: On Liberty by John Stuart Mill, 1859
Supernatural belief once guided early human morality but is no longer needed for ethical understanding or motivation.
In simple terms: Old religious morals are now unnecessary for right‑and‑wrong.
Key Takeaway
Seek moral guidance from reason and empathy.
Themes
ethics
secularism
human progress
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- education curricula
- public policy debates
- personal ethical decisions
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
social contract
rationalism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies replace religious moral authority?
- What secular sources can inspire moral behavior?
A Different Perspective
Religious frameworks still influence many societies.
![“[For people] to refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility.” quote by John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c53/john-stuart-mill-477_doubt_for-people-to-refuse-a-hearing-to-an-opi_63929.jpg)
