---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Martian would think that the English…"
description: "\"A Martian would think that the English worship at supermarkets, not in churches.\" — Jonathan Sacks"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/jonathan-sacks-2788_church_a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-w_3184667.png"
---

#  A Martian would think that the English worship at…

![“A Martian would think that the English worship at supermarkets, not in churches.” quote by Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/jonathan-sacks-2788_church_a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-w_3184667.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/jonathan-sacks-2788_church_a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-w_3184667.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/jonathan-sacks-2788_church_a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-w_3184667.png)

> “A Martian would think that the English worship at supermarkets, not in churches.”

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

## About This Quote

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

He suggests modern English people prioritize consumerism over spirituality, worshiping in stores rather than churches.

**In simple terms:** People worship consumerism over faith.

Key Takeaway

Recognize true spiritual spaces.

Themes

consumerism faith culture

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

observational social commentary

When to use this quote

- shopping
- daily life
- religious practice

Key Concepts

secularism materialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does consumer culture affect faith?
- Can worship be found outside traditional places?

A Different Perspective

May overlook deeper spiritual needs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Martian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martian/) [Martian Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martian-think-4719538/) [Martians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martians/) [Supermarkets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supermarkets/) [Supermarkets Churches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supermarkets-churches-5848944/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) [Worship Supermarkets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship-supermarkets-5848943/)

## Related quotes

> [“It’s another in a long list of things that Martians hardly ever think about: Almost any woman knows that almost any man is stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/it-s-another-in-a-long-list-of-things-that-martians-hardly-ever-think/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [“You ever wonder what a Martian might think if he happened to land near an emergency room? He’d see an ambulance whizzing in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/you-ever-wonder-what-a-martian-might-think-if-he-happened-to-land/)

[Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/)

> [Talking with a Martian is like talking with an echo. You don't get argument but you don't get results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/talking-with-a-martian-is-like-talking-with-an-echo-you-don-t-get/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [I was always a big Justice League fan. I always loved Batman, Superman - I have a weird Martian Manhunter fixation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-liss/i-was-always-a-big-justice-league-fan-i-always-loved-batman-superman/)

[David Liss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-liss/)

> [We are not the same, I am a martian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/we-are-not-the-same-i-am-a-martian/)

[Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/)

> [ \[William\] Eggleston's photographs look like they were taken by a Martian who lost the ticket for his flight home and ended up working at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/william-eggleston-s-photographs-look-like-they-were-taken-by-a/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [ In the Ridley Scott film 'The Martian' you can do that \[virtually driving car\]. I have lifted off in the space craft from the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/in-the-ridley-scott-film-the-martian-you-can-do-that-virtually/)

[Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/)

> [ \[I\] don't like to think like everybody else, don't like to try to think like everybody else, don't like to do nothing everybody else… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/i-don-t-like-to-think-like-everybody-else-don-t-like-to-try-to-think/)

[Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/)

> [I love superheroes and I love weird horror films... I could definitely feel that there was a lack of movies like The Martian being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goddard/i-love-superheroes-and-i-love-weird-horror-films-i-could-definitely/)

[Drew Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-goddard/)

> [With eternity to draw on there could be no reason for hurrying - 'hurry' was not a concept in Martian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/with-eternity-to-draw-on-there-could-be-no-reason-for-hurrying-hurry/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Watch yourself as though you were observing a Martian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/watch-yourself-as-though-you-were-observing-a-martian/)

[Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/)

> [The last Martian report station on Earth was established in the Pyrenees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/the-last-martian-report-station-on-earth-was-established-in-the/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [ONCE UPON A TIME when the world was young there was a Martian named Smith.Valentine Michael Smith was as real as taxes but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/once-upon-a-time-when-the-world-was-young-there-was-a-martian-named/)

[Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/)

> [“Who ever heard of a Martian not invading? Who!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/who-ever-heard-of-a-martian-not-invading-who/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Science is given almost no visibility in the media. If a Martian came down to Earth and watched television, he'd come to the conclusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/science-is-given-almost-no-visibility-in-the-media-if-a-martian-came/)

[Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/)

## More by Jonathan Sacks

> [We from every religion feel comfortable in Britain because there is a host. The Church of England is a good host, it has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/we-from-every-religion-feel-comfortable-in-britain-because-there-is-a/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [Food prices are often kept artificially high. The result is that the Millennium Development Goals set out by the United Nations at the start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/food-prices-are-often-kept-artificially-high-the-result-is-that-the/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [In her religious role, the Queen is head of the Church of England, but in her civic role she cares for all her subjects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/in-her-religious-role-the-queen-is-head-of-the-church-of-england-but/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [The market economy is deeply congruent with the values set out in the Hebrew Bible. Material prosperity is a divine blessing. Poverty crushes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-market-economy-is-deeply-congruent-with-the-values-set-out-in-the/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [Man was not made for the service of economies; economies were made to serve mankind; and men and women were made - so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/man-was-not-made-for-the-service-of-economies-economies-were-made-to/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [A perfect storm is in the making: financial uncertainty, economic downturn, government cuts, rising unemployment and a future that looks less clear the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-perfect-storm-is-in-the-making-financial-uncertainty-economic/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [“To whom is an international corporation answerable? Often they do not employ workers. They outsource manufacturing to places far away. If wages rise in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/to-whom-is-an-international-corporation-answerable-often-they-do-not/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [A survey carried out across the U.S. between 2004 and 2006 showed that frequent church- or synagogue-goers are more likely to give money to charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-survey-carried-out-across-the-u-s-between-2004-and-2006-showed-that/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [The Holocaust survivors are among the most inspiring people I have had the privilege to meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-holocaust-survivors-are-among-the-most-inspiring-people-i-have/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [Jews read the books of Moses not just as history but as divine command. The question to which they are an answer is not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/jews-read-the-books-of-moses-not-just-as-history-but-as-divine/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [What I find fascinating about Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights we celebrate at this time of the year, is the way its story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/what-i-find-fascinating-about-hanukkah-the-jewish-festival-of-lights/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [Find people not to envy but to admire. Do not the profitable but the admirable deed. Live by ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/find-people-not-to-envy-but-to-admire-do-not-the-profitable-but-the/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [The message of Passover remains as powerful as ever. Freedom is won not on the battlefield but in the classroom and the home. Teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-message-of-passover-remains-as-powerful-as-ever-freedom-is-won/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [Which European leader today would not relish the wonder-working powers of a Moses? Budget deficit? Unpopular cuts? How about just a little miracle, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/which-european-leader-today-would-not-relish-the-wonder-working/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [The twenty-first century is, and will remain, the Age of Insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/the-twenty-first-century-is-and-will-remain-the-age-of-insecurity/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

[Explore all 150 Jonathan Sacks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

## More Church quotes

> [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/)

[Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/)

[Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/)

[Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/)

> [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/)

[Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/)

> [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/)

[John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/)

> [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/)

[Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/)

> [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/)

[Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/)

> [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/)

[Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/)

[Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A Martian would think that the English worship at supermarkets, not in churches.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Sacks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-worship-at-supermarkets-not-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Church"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-worship-at-supermarkets-not-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/jonathan-sacks-2788_church_a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-w_3184667.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/jonathan-sacks-2788_church_a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-w_3184667.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/jonathan-sacks-2788_church_a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-w_3184667.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A Martian would think that the English worship at supermarkets, not in churches.” — Jonathan Sacks",
                "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": "Jonathan Sacks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A Martian would think that the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-worship-at-supermarkets-not-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-martian-would-think-that-the-english-worship-at-supermarkets-not-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
