--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An unexamined faith is not worth having…" description: "\"An unexamined faith is not worth having, for fundamentalism and uncritical certitude entail the rejection of one of the great human gifts: that of free..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/jon-meacham-2863_certitude_an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having_2473621.png" --- # An unexamined faith is not worth having, for… ![“An unexamined faith is not worth having, for fundamentalism and uncritical certitude entail the rejection of one of the great human gifts: that of free will, of the liberty to make up our own minds based on evidence and tradition and reason.” quote by Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/jon-meacham-2863_certitude_an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having_2473621.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/jon-meacham-2863_certitude_an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having_2473621.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/jon-meacham-2863_certitude_an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having_2473621.png) > “An unexamined faith is not worth having, for fundamentalism and uncritical certitude entail the rejection of one of the great human gifts: that of free will, of the liberty to make up our own minds based on evidence and tradition and reason.” [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques unexamined faith, urging evidence‑based belief and free will. **In simple terms:** Question faith without evidence; value free will. Key Takeaway Cultivate critical thinking in belief. Themes faith critical thinking free will Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - religion - politics Key Concepts fundamentalism evidence reason Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance faith and reason? - What evidence guides your beliefs? A Different Perspective May alienate devout believers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certitude/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Fundamentalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentalism/) [Fundamentalism Uncritical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentalism-uncritical-786381/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Having Fundamentalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-fundamentalism-786382/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Rejection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejection/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Unexamined Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexamined-faith-755969/) ## Related quotes > [An unexamined faith is not worth having, for it can be true only by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-luther-adams/an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having-for-it-can-be-true-only-by/) [James Luther Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-luther-adams/) > [The unexamined faith is not worth having.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-trueblood/the-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having/) [Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-trueblood/) > [The free person does not live by an unexamined faith. To do so is to worship an idol whittled out and made into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-luther-adams/the-free-person-does-not-live-by-an-unexamined-faith-to-do-so-is-to/) [James Luther Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-luther-adams/) > [An unexamined life is not worth living, and an unexamined faith is not worth holding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ergun-caner/an-unexamined-life-is-not-worth-living-and-an-unexamined-faith-is-not/) [Ergun Caner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ergun-caner/) > [The moral certitude of the state in wartime is a kind of fundamentalism. And this dangerous messianic brand of religion, one where self-doubt is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-moral-certitude-of-the-state-in-wartime-is-a-kind-of/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [The more we can do to support and promulgate the intellectual traditions of the Abrahamic faiths - of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/the-more-we-can-do-to-support-and-promulgate-the-intellectual/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Ah, love, let us be true To one another! for the world, which seems To lie before us like a land of dreams, So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/ah-love-let-us-be-true-to-one-another-for-the-world-which-seems-to/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [I believe that ideas such as absolute certitude, absolute exactness, final truth, etc. are figments of the imagination which should not be admissible in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/i-believe-that-ideas-such-as-absolute-certitude-absolute-exactness/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [A mystic doesn’t say “I believe.” They say “I know.” A true mystic will ironically speak with that self-confidence but at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/a-mystic-doesn-t-say-i-believe-they-say-i-know-a-true-mystic-will/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I don't like quintessential certitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/i-don-t-like-quintessential-certitude/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [We have more faith in what we imitate than in what we create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/we-have-more-faith-in-what-we-imitate-than-in-what-we-create/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [“Accept and express your underlying certitude, and it shall be worldwide sagacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/accept-and-express-your-underlying-certitude-and-it-shall-be/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) > [I can say with unwavering certitude that I have never started a pint of Ben 'n Jerry's ice cream that I didn't finish in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregor-collins/i-can-say-with-unwavering-certitude-that-i-have-never-started-a-pint/) [Gregor Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregor-collins/) > [What makes friendship indissolute and what doubles its charms is a feeling we find lacking in love: I mean certitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/what-makes-friendship-indissolute-and-what-doubles-its-charms-is-a/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [From men motivated by moral certitude, history teaches, no lasting good ever comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/from-men-motivated-by-moral-certitude-history-teaches-no-lasting-good/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) ## More by Jon Meacham > [Scripture is not inerrant; believers are called to interpret biblical texts in light of tradition and reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/scripture-is-not-inerrant-believers-are-called-to-interpret-biblical/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [As a southerner born after the epic events of the civil rights movement, I've always wondered how on earth people of good will could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/as-a-southerner-born-after-the-epic-events-of-the-civil-rights/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [We are now living in a post-Roosevelt, post-Reagan universe. What comes next will not be post-partisan, because faction is an intrinsic human impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/we-are-now-living-in-a-post-roosevelt-post-reagan-universe-what-comes/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“his other hand. Sensitive to his guest’s affliction, Churchill realized that “every step” was”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/his-other-hand-sensitive-to-his-guest-s-affliction-churchill-realized/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Too many activists have convinced themselves that they have a monopoly on truth. A little humility and a sense of history could move us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/too-many-activists-have-convinced-themselves-that-they-have-a/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [In the fullness of time, I suspect that bigotry against homosexuals will seem as repugnant as racial prejudice does today. Or so one hopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/in-the-fullness-of-time-i-suspect-that-bigotry-against-homosexuals/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Mysteries and thrillers are not the same things, though they are literary siblings. Roughly put, I would say the distinction is that mysteries emphasize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/mysteries-and-thrillers-are-not-the-same-things-though-they-are/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“When Lincoln was running for the House of Representatives from Illinois, he was charged with being “a scoffer at religion,” wrote the historian William…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/when-lincoln-was-running-for-the-house-of-representatives-from/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“The Man who has not Music in his Soul, Or is not touch’d with Concord of sweet Sounds, Is fit for Treason, Stratagems, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/the-man-who-has-not-music-in-his-soul-or-is-not-touch-d-with-concord/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [I am an Episcopalian who takes the faith of my fathers seriously, and I would, I think, be disheartened if my own young children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/i-am-an-episcopalian-who-takes-the-faith-of-my-fathers-seriously-and/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Only the most unapologetic biblical fundamentalists, for instance, take every biblical injunction literally. If we all took all scripture at the same level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/only-the-most-unapologetic-biblical-fundamentalists-for-instance-take/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“There was, of course, a more immediate point to frequent gatherings of lawmakers, diplomats, and cabinet officers at the president’s table. It tends to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/there-was-of-course-a-more-immediate-point-to-frequent-gatherings-of/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“For Jefferson, William and Mary was largely about what university life is supposed to be about: reading books, enjoying the company of like-minded, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/for-jefferson-william-and-mary-was-largely-about-what-university-life/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [One wonders whether the Obama re-election campaign may be on the right track as it seeks to apply the you-break-it-you-own-it rule to Bush and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/one-wonders-whether-the-obama-re-election-campaign-may-be-on-the/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Reagan is the Republican FDR, an exemplar of presidential greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/reagan-is-the-republican-fdr-an-exemplar-of-presidential-greatness/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) [Explore all 146 Jon Meacham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) ## More Certitude quotes > [From men motivated by moral certitude, history teaches, no lasting good ever comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/from-men-motivated-by-moral-certitude-history-teaches-no-lasting-good/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [What makes friendship indissolute and what doubles its charms is a feeling we find lacking in love: I mean certitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/what-makes-friendship-indissolute-and-what-doubles-its-charms-is-a/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [I can say with unwavering certitude that I have never started a pint of Ben 'n Jerry's ice cream that I didn't finish in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregor-collins/i-can-say-with-unwavering-certitude-that-i-have-never-started-a-pint/) [Gregor Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregor-collins/) > [“Accept and express your underlying certitude, and it shall be worldwide sagacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/accept-and-express-your-underlying-certitude-and-it-shall-be/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) > [We have more faith in what we imitate than in what we create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/we-have-more-faith-in-what-we-imitate-than-in-what-we-create/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I don't like quintessential certitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/i-don-t-like-quintessential-certitude/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [A mystic doesn’t say “I believe.” They say “I know.” A true mystic will ironically speak with that self-confidence but at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/a-mystic-doesn-t-say-i-believe-they-say-i-know-a-true-mystic-will/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I believe that ideas such as absolute certitude, absolute exactness, final truth, etc. are figments of the imagination which should not be admissible in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/i-believe-that-ideas-such-as-absolute-certitude-absolute-exactness/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [Ah, love, let us be true To one another! for the world, which seems To lie before us like a land of dreams, So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/ah-love-let-us-be-true-to-one-another-for-the-world-which-seems-to/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Certitude leads to violence. This is a proposition that has an easy application and a difficult one. The easy application is to ideoologues, dogmatists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/certitude-leads-to-violence-this-is-a-proposition-that-has-an-easy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ We \[tend to\] have more faith in what we imitate than in what we originate. We \[often feel that we\] cannot derive a sense… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/we-tend-to-have-more-faith-in-what-we-imitate-than-in-what-we/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [For every gain in deep certitude there is a corresponding growth of superficial "doubt." This doubt is by no means opposed to genuine faith,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/for-every-gain-in-deep-certitude-there-is-a-corresponding-growth-of/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Love is an indescribable sensation - perhaps a conviction, a sense of certitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/love-is-an-indescribable-sensation-perhaps-a-conviction-a-sense-of/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [With the certitude of a true believer, Vellya Paapen had assured the twins that there was no such thing in the world as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/with-the-certitude-of-a-true-believer-vellya-paapen-had-assured-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Many fledgling moralists in those days were going about our town proclaiming there was nothing to be done about it and we should bow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/many-fledgling-moralists-in-those-days-were-going-about-our-town/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Browse all 94 Certitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An unexamined faith is not worth having, for fundamentalism and uncritical certitude entail the rejection of one of the great human gifts: that of free will, of the liberty to make up our own minds based on evidence and tradition and reason.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Meacham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having-for-fundamentalism-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having-for-fundamentalism-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/jon-meacham-2863_certitude_an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having_2473621.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/jon-meacham-2863_certitude_an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having_2473621.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/jon-meacham-2863_certitude_an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having_2473621.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An unexamined faith is not worth having, for fundamentalism and uncritical certitude entail the rejection of…” — Jon Meacham", "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": "Jon Meacham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An unexamined faith is not worth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having-for-fundamentalism-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/an-unexamined-faith-is-not-worth-having-for-fundamentalism-and/#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 } } ] } ```