--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Belief, like love, must be voluntary." description: "\"Belief, like love, must be voluntary.\" — John Updike" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/john-updike-396_belief_belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary-25734_2573466.png" --- # Belief, like love, must be voluntary. ![“Belief, like love, must be voluntary.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/john-updike-396_belief_belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary-25734_2573466.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/john-updike-396_belief_belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary-25734_2573466.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/john-updike-396_belief_belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary-25734_2573466.png) > “Belief, like love, must be voluntary.” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Belief and love require conscious choice, not mere circumstance. **In simple terms:** Belief and love are choices. Key Takeaway Choose belief and love deliberately. Themes philosophy emotion choice Mood reflective introspective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - spiritual practice - ethical decisions Key Concepts Voluntary belief affective commitment Questions to Reflect On - What makes belief voluntary? - How to foster voluntary love? A Different Perspective May ignore involuntary feelings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-like-1543686/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-does-231468/) [Love Voluntary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-voluntary-1714104/) [Must](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/must/) [Voluntary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voluntary/) ## Related quotes > [Love is voluntary. We love by choice, not demand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-voluntary-we-love-by-choice-not-demand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [An act of love, a voluntary taking on oneself of some of the pain of the world, increases the courage and love and hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/an-act-of-love-a-voluntary-taking-on-oneself-of-some-of-the-pain-of/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [“Belief is like that, a circle, and often I find that the seemingly simplistic explanations from childhood for the unexplainable have merit, maybe more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-a-washburn/belief-is-like-that-a-circle-and-often-i-find-that-the-seemingly/) [Frances A. Washburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-a-washburn/) > [The only way to store information is by agreement. The belief system is like a Book of Law that rules our mind. Our biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/the-only-way-to-store-information-is-by-agreement-the-belief-system/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [“A limiting belief is practically invisible to us – it hides in habit and custom and mores. It is the way we live. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-armstrong/a-limiting-belief-is-practically-invisible-to-us-it-hides-in-habit/) [Linda Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-armstrong/) > [Belief is like plastic flowers, which look like flowers from far away. Trust is real rose. It has roots, and roots go deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/belief-is-like-plastic-flowers-which-look-like-flowers-from-far-away/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Belief is a very peculiar thing: we tend to put more store in a belief we like than a fact we hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-tobolowsky/belief-is-a-very-peculiar-thing-we-tend-to-put-more-store-in-a-belief/) [Stephen Tobolowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-tobolowsky/) > [I think belief is like having the first Microsoft Windows - it's so rudimentary, in the human brainwork, it's so obviously a sham.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-everett/i-think-belief-is-like-having-the-first-microsoft-windows-it-s-so/) [Rupert Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-everett/) > [“Belief, like fear or love, is a force to be understood as we understand the theory of relativity and principals of uncertainty. Phenomena that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/belief-like-fear-or-love-is-a-force-to-be-understood-as-we-understand/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [An old belief is like an old shoe. We so value its comfort that we fail to notice the hole in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/an-old-belief-is-like-an-old-shoe-we-so-value-its-comfort-that-we/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Saying atheism is a belief system is like saying not going skiing is a hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/saying-atheism-is-a-belief-system-is-like-saying-not-going-skiing-is/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [A belief is like a guillotine, just as heavy, just as light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-belief-is-like-a-guillotine-just-as-heavy-just-as-light/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a very strong belief in what I like, or a very strong opinion in genre films that I like to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-stahelski/i-have-a-very-strong-belief-in-what-i-like-or-a-very-strong-opinion/) [Chad Stahelski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-stahelski/) > [The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-right-belief-is-like-a-good-cloak-i-think-if-it-fits-you-well-it/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Atheism is a belief system”, is like saying “not going skiing, is a hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/atheism-is-a-belief-system-is-like-saying-not-going-skiing-is-a-hobby/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [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/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Belief, like love, must be voluntary.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Updike" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/john-updike-396_belief_belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary-25734_2573466.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/john-updike-396_belief_belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary-25734_2573466.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/john-updike-396_belief_belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary-25734_2573466.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Belief, like love, must be voluntary.” — John Updike", "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": "John Updike", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Belief, like love, must be voluntary.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary/#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 } } ] } ```