---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the world does not need is a…"
description: "\"What the world does not need is a Haggadah that pats itself on the back. It needs a Haggadah that gets out of the way, that starts a conversation and g..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/jonathan-safran-foer-136_back_what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggad_1505505.jpg"
---

#  What the world does not need is a Haggadah that pats…

![“What the world does not need is a Haggadah that pats itself on the back. It needs a Haggadah that gets out of the way, that starts a conversation and gets out of the way.” quote by Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/jonathan-safran-foer-136_back_what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggad_1505505.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/jonathan-safran-foer-136_back_what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggad_1505505.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/jonathan-safran-foer-136_back_what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggad_1505505.jpg)

> “What the world does not need is a Haggadah that pats itself on the back. It needs a Haggadah that gets out of the way, that starts a conversation and gets out of the way.”

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

## About This Quote

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

A Haggadah should facilitate dialogue and move beyond self‑congratulation, encouraging active engagement rather than passive celebration.

**In simple terms:** Haggadah should spark conversation, not just praise.

Key Takeaway

Seek interactive, inclusive rituals.

Themes

religion tradition community dialogue ritual

Mood

reflective inspirational thoughtful

Type

cultural educational

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- educational programs
- interfaith events

Key Concepts

Jewish liturgy cultural critique social cohesion

Questions to Reflect On

- How can rituals evolve without losing meaning?
- What conversations should a Haggadah inspire?

A Different Perspective

Changing tradition can meet resistance from purists.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does/) [Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets/) [Haggadah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haggadah-3982635/) [Haggadah Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haggadah-gets-5530489/) [Haggadah Pats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haggadah-pats-5530490/) [Itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/itself/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Need Haggadah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-haggadah-5530488/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Needs Haggadah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-haggadah-5530487/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Starts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starts/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The Torah is the foundational text for Jewish law, but the Haggadah is our book of living memory. We are not merely telling a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/the-torah-is-the-foundational-text-for-jewish-law-but-the-haggadah-is/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Jews have a special relationship to books, and the Haggadah has been translated more widely, and reprinted more often, than any other Jewish book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/jews-have-a-special-relationship-to-books-and-the-haggadah-has-been/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [ “\[The haggadah\] was made to teach, and it will continue to teach. And it might teach a lot more than just the Exodus story."… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/the-haggadah-was-made-to-teach-and-it-will-continue-to-teach-and-it/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [All serious daring starts from within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-serious-daring-starts-from-within/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Haiti is an amazing country. Even though the people there have so little, their attitudes resonate a crazy amount of love and joy. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-munck/haiti-is-an-amazing-country-even-though-the-people-there-have-so/)

[Noah Munck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-munck/)

> [When I become the village idiot, or at least, it starts to become a joke, you can't do that much longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-van-ark/when-i-become-the-village-idiot-or-at-least-it-starts-to-become-a/)

[Joan Van Ark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-van-ark/)

> [I don't like to judge from tapes. The strategy starts in the ring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cesar-chavez-sr/i-don-t-like-to-judge-from-tapes-the-strategy-starts-in-the-ring/)

[Julio Cesar Chavez Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cesar-chavez-sr/)

> [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/)

[Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/)

> [Every journey starts with fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/every-journey-starts-with-fear/)

[Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/)

> [Every song I write, including 'Too Close,' always starts on the guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-clare/every-song-i-write-including-too-close-always-starts-on-the-guitar/)

[Alex Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-clare/)

> [Time starts out as a notion. But after you turn fifty, time is not a notion anymore but a fact that you start feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/time-starts-out-as-a-notion-but-after-you-turn-fifty-time-is-not-a/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [When the business starts shaping the art, or the delivery of the art, then it's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mould/when-the-business-starts-shaping-the-art-or-the-delivery-of-the-art/)

[Bob Mould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mould/)

> [You've always got to have that inner confidence in you. That's where it all starts. You're gong to have good days, you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/you-ve-always-got-to-have-that-inner-confidence-in-you-that-s-where/)

[Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/)

> [“project starts to go off target the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-moore/project-starts-to-go-off-target-the/)

[Simon Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-moore/)

> [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/)

[John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/)

## More by Jonathan Safran Foer

> [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [I try not to remember the life that I didn’t want to lose but lost and have to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-try-not-to-remember-the-life-that-i-didn-t-want-to-lose-but-lost/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“I have an aristocratic smile and like to punch people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-have-an-aristocratic-smile-and-like-to-punch-people/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [He removed several pages of death certificates, which were picked up by another breeze and sent into the trees. Some would fall with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/he-removed-several-pages-of-death-certificates-which-were-picked-up/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“One day I wandered away from her and hid. I liked the way it felt to have someone look for me, to hear my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/one-day-i-wandered-away-from-her-and-hid-i-liked-the-way-it-felt-to/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [If nothing matters, there's nothing to save.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/if-nothing-matters-there-s-nothing-to-save/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“It was one of the best days of my life, a day during which I lived my life and didn't think about it at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/it-was-one-of-the-best-days-of-my-life-a-day-during-which-i-lived-my/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“The appearance was misleading- human dreams; rubbish heaps abundant yet ephemeral sudden and splendid, only to wilt and perish”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/the-appearance-was-misleading-human-dreams-rubbish-heaps-abundant-yet/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“the entirety of human society and moral progress represents an explicit transcendence of what’s “natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/the-entirety-of-human-society-and-moral-progress-represents-an/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“Food is not so much a symbol of freedom as the first requirement of freedom. We eat foods that are native to America on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/food-is-not-so-much-a-symbol-of-freedom-as-the-first-requirement-of/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“Rationally, factory farming is so obviously wrong, in so many ways. In all of my reading and conversations, I’ve yet to find a credible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/rationally-factory-farming-is-so-obviously-wrong-in-so-many-ways-in/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Just because you're an atheist, that doesn't mean you wouldn't love for things to have reasons for why they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/just-because-you-re-an-atheist-that-doesn-t-mean-you-wouldn-t-love/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Do you think I'm wonderful? she asked him one day as they leaned against the trunk of a petrified maple. No, he said. Why?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/do-you-think-i-m-wonderful-she-asked-him-one-day-as-they-leaned/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [My insides don't match up with my outsides. -Do anyone's inside and outsides match up? -I don't know. I'm only me. -Maybe that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/my-insides-don-t-match-up-with-my-outsides-do-anyone-s-inside-and/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

[Explore all 1,117 Jonathan Safran Foer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

## More Back quotes

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/)

[Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/)

> [Drumming's pretty physical. We sit at the back of the stage getting beat up like a workhorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/drumming-s-pretty-physical-we-sit-at-the-back-of-the-stage-getting/)

[Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/)

> [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/)

[Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/)

> [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/)

[Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/)

> [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/)

[George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/)

> [I've always stuck my arms behind my back anyway when trying to block a shot in the penalty area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-ve-always-stuck-my-arms-behind-my-back-anyway-when-trying-to-block/)

[Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/)

> [I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ewing/i-m-sure-at-some-point-i-will-get-back-into-coaching-but-right-now-i/)

[Patrick Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ewing/)

> [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/)

[Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/)

> [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/)

[Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/)

> [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/)

[Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/)

> [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/)

[Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/)

> [Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/ronaldo-is-just-an-athlete-he-works-so-hard-and-back-to-back-he-is/)

[Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/)

> [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/)

[Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/)

> [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/)

[Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/)

[Browse all 9,709 Back quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What the world does not need is a Haggadah that pats itself on the back. It needs a Haggadah that gets out of the way, that starts a conversation and gets out of the way.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Safran Foer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggadah-that-pats-itself-on-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Back"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggadah-that-pats-itself-on-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/jonathan-safran-foer-136_back_what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggad_1505505.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/jonathan-safran-foer-136_back_what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggad_1505505.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/jonathan-safran-foer-136_back_what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggad_1505505.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What the world does not need is a Haggadah that pats itself on the back. It needs a Haggadah that gets out…” — Jonathan Safran Foer",
                "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 Safran Foer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What the world does not need...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggadah-that-pats-itself-on-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/what-the-world-does-not-need-is-a-haggadah-that-pats-itself-on-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
