--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every religion, every mythology is true…" description: "\"Every religion, every mythology is true in this sense: It is true as metaphorical of the human and cosmic mystery.\" — Joseph Campbell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/joseph-campbell-300_cosmic_every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-i_2863980.png" --- # Every religion, every mythology is true in this sense: It… ![“Every religion, every mythology is true in this sense: It is true as metaphorical of the human and cosmic mystery.” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/joseph-campbell-300_cosmic_every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-i_2863980.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/joseph-campbell-300_cosmic_every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-i_2863980.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/joseph-campbell-300_cosmic_every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-i_2863980.png) > “Every religion, every mythology is true in this sense: It is true as metaphorical of the human and cosmic mystery.” [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Myths and religions convey truth metaphorically, reflecting human and cosmic mysteries. **In simple terms:** Myths are metaphorical truths about humanity and the cosmos. Key Takeaway Interpret myths as symbolic insights. Themes mythology metaphor human experience Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - storytelling - cultural studies - psychology - education - creative writing Key Concepts archetype collective unconscious Questions to Reflect On - What personal truths do you find in myths? - How can metaphor guide understanding of reality? A Different Perspective Literal readings miss deeper symbolism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmic/) [Human Cosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-cosmic-3880042/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Metaphorical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphorical/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Mythology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mythology/) [Mythology True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mythology-true-3005494/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Mythology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-mythology-3880041/) [True Metaphorical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-metaphorical-3880040/) ## Related quotes > [The only question that matters with regard to a religion and its mythology is “What do these stories mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/the-only-question-that-matters-with-regard-to-a-religion-and-its/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [What they teach you as history is mythology and true mythology is far from fantasy -- it is our true history. A bulk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/what-they-teach-you-as-history-is-mythology-and-true-mythology-is-far/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Mythology is not a lie, mythology is poetry, it is metaphorical. It has been well said that mythology is the penultimate truth--penultimate because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/mythology-is-not-a-lie-mythology-is-poetry-it-is-metaphorical-it-has/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I always tell my students, go where your body and soul want to go. When you have the feeling, then stay with it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-always-tell-my-students-go-where-your-body-and-soul-want-to-go-when/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The musical mystery is: How do you marry tuned percussion and voice? On a metaphorical level, everything that's really important - like the clouds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-hart/the-musical-mystery-is-how-do-you-marry-tuned-percussion-and-voice-on/) [Mickey Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-hart/) > [Cyberspace' is a metaphorical idea which is supposed to be the space where your consciousness is located when you're using computer technology on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/cyberspace-is-a-metaphorical-idea-which-is-supposed-to-be-the-space/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [When dams were erected on the Columbia, salmon battered themselves against the concrete, trying to return home. I expect no less from us. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/when-dams-were-erected-on-the-columbia-salmon-battered-themselves/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [And what is the very essence of poetry if it is not this 'metaphorical language'-this marking of the before unapprehended relations of things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-barfield/and-what-is-the-very-essence-of-poetry-if-it-is-not-this-metaphorical/) [Owen Barfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-barfield/) > [If I am allowed to give a metaphorical allusion to the future state of the blessed, I should imagine it by the orange-grove in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphry-davy/if-i-am-allowed-to-give-a-metaphorical-allusion-to-the-future-state/) [Humphry Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphry-davy/) > [An enormous amount of scientific language is metaphorical. We talk about a genetic code, where code originally meant a cipher; we talk about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/an-enormous-amount-of-scientific-language-is-metaphorical-we-talk/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Instead of of being so metaphorical with the rhyme, I was encouraged to go straight at it and hit it dead on and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/instead-of-of-being-so-metaphorical-with-the-rhyme-i-was-encouraged/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Throughout my career I've struggled to encourage people to read my books on a more metaphorical level. I'm less attached to my settings than,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/throughout-my-career-i-ve-struggled-to-encourage-people-to-read-my/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [It is important to realize that whatever we do or design has iconographic references, it comes from somewhere; any form is always metaphorical, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ettore-sottsass/it-is-important-to-realize-that-whatever-we-do-or-design-has/) [Ettore Sottsass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ettore-sottsass/) > [I think you sense the metaphorical resonance of what you're writing without analysing it too carefully. That leads you down dead ends. You stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-o-neill/i-think-you-sense-the-metaphorical-resonance-of-what-you-re-writing/) [Joseph O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-o-neill/) ## More by Joseph Campbell > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More Cosmic quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Aristocratic depression has this cosmic dimension to it, where it's asking these big questions about, "Why?" "What is the purpose of all this?" Neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-douglas/aristocratic-depression-has-this-cosmic-dimension-to-it-where-it-s/) [Lawrence Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-douglas/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“It’s a red sky every night with Cosmic Ordering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/it-s-a-red-sky-every-night-with-cosmic-ordering/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“Easter blessings All life’s sacrifices like autumn leaves awaken our senses and power to love and be whole Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/easter-blessings-all-life-s-sacrifices-like-autumn-leaves-awaken-our/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [Only one letter divides the comic from the cosmic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-one-letter-divides-the-comic-from-the-cosmic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a person measures his spiritual fulfillment in terms of cosmic visions, surpassing peace of mind, or ecstasy, then he is not likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/if-a-person-measures-his-spiritual-fulfillment-in-terms-of-cosmic/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [There's crucial distinction that has to be drawn between the Shari'a, which is this hugely expansive vision of cosmic order that I've been describing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/there-s-crucial-distinction-that-has-to-be-drawn-between-the-shari-a/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [The energy of the stars becomes us. We become the energy of the stars. Stardust and spirit unite and we begin: one with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/the-energy-of-the-stars-becomes-us-we-become-the-energy-of-the-stars/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [“Even though your thinking might not be right for others, just so long as it's right for you then that's all what matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/even-though-your-thinking-might-not-be-right-for-others-just-so-long/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [The most fascinating powers don't mean a thing if the guy's poorly motivated or dull, and the most generic powers won't hurt a well-motivated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-most-fascinating-powers-don-t-mean-a-thing-if-the-guy-s-poorly/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) [Browse all 917 Cosmic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every religion, every mythology is true in this sense: It is true as metaphorical of the human and cosmic mystery.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Campbell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-in-this-sense-it-is-true-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cosmic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-in-this-sense-it-is-true-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/joseph-campbell-300_cosmic_every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-i_2863980.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/joseph-campbell-300_cosmic_every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-i_2863980.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/joseph-campbell-300_cosmic_every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-i_2863980.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every religion, every mythology is true in this sense: It is true as metaphorical of the human and cosmic…” — Joseph Campbell", "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": "Joseph Campbell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every religion, every mythology is true...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-in-this-sense-it-is-true-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/every-religion-every-mythology-is-true-in-this-sense-it-is-true-as/#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 } } ] } ```