---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The depressed person is a radical, sullen…"
description: "\"The depressed person is a radical, sullen atheist.\" — Julia Kristeva"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/julia-kristeva-35244_atheist_the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen_1360617.jpg"
---

#  The depressed person is a radical, sullen atheist.

![“The depressed person is a radical, sullen atheist.” quote by Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/julia-kristeva-35244_atheist_the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen_1360617.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/julia-kristeva-35244_atheist_the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen_1360617.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/julia-kristeva-35244_atheist_the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen_1360617.jpg)

> “The depressed person is a radical, sullen atheist.”

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

## About This Quote

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

Depressed individuals often reject conventional beliefs, adopting a radical, skeptical stance toward meaning.

**In simple terms:** Depressed people can become radical skeptics.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address underlying despair.

Themes

mental health skepticism radicalism

Mood

somber introspective

Type

psychological philosophical

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- personal reflection
- support groups

Key Concepts

existential crisis identity nihilism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does depression influence belief systems?
- Can radical skepticism be a coping mechanism?

A Different Perspective

Depression may stem from complex causes beyond simple atheism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Depressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressed/) [Depressed person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressed-person/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/)

## Related quotes

> [I really feel strongly that we can make change for every person. And it will be radical in the person's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-really-feel-strongly-that-we-can-make-change-for-every-person-and/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [I am a very radical person - as radical now as I was when I was younger. So my books all have in common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/i-am-a-very-radical-person-as-radical-now-as-i-was-when-i-was-younger/)

[Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/)

> [A depressed person is often a person who will push others away. If you are pushed away and pushed away and pushed away, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/a-depressed-person-is-often-a-person-who-will-push-others-away-if-you/)

[Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/)

> [I have been a depressed person most of m life. I was always in the throes of self-hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-have-been-a-depressed-person-most-of-m-life-i-was-always-in-the/)

[Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/)

> [I think I've gotten a pretty fair shake in the music press over the years. The only think that kind of irks me is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalia-zedek/i-think-i-ve-gotten-a-pretty-fair-shake-in-the-music-press-over-the/)

[Thalia Zedek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalia-zedek/)

> [“Earlier in the day, while killing some hours by circling in blue ballpoint ink every uppercase M in the front section of a month-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/earlier-in-the-day-while-killing-some-hours-by-circling-in-blue/)

[Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/)

> [To judge a person the best thing is just stop talking and if he/she comes to know that ur depressed then that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-jain/to-judge-a-person-the-best-thing-is-just-stop-talking-and-if-he-she/)

[Abhishek Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-jain/)

> [“how ridiculous it was. There is no point in treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, There now, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/how-ridiculous-it-was-there-is-no-point-in-treating-a-depressed/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [One of the things that frequently gets lost in descriptions of depression is that the depressed person often knows that it is a ludicrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/one-of-the-things-that-frequently-gets-lost-in-descriptions-of/)

[Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/)

> [You can try to have all the friends in the world to cover up your bitterness inside but if your not happy with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisette-alfaro/you-can-try-to-have-all-the-friends-in-the-world-to-cover-up-your/)

[Lisette Alfaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisette-alfaro/)

> [There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, 'There now, hang on, you'll get over it.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/there-is-no-point-treating-a-depressed-person-as-though-she-were-just/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [When I am feeling depressed and anxious sullen all you have to do is take off your clothes and all is wiped away revealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-hara/when-i-am-feeling-depressed-and-anxious-sullen-all-you-have-to-do-is/)

[Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-hara/)

> [I got into the music business thinking it was really radical, that it wasn't really a business at all, that it was a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-got-into-the-music-business-thinking-it-was-really-radical-that-it/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [“It appears that the picture of DID as the ongoing clash of polarized personality types (e.g., good girl-bad girl, upright citizen-sociopath) is hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-kluft/it-appears-that-the-picture-of-did-as-the-ongoing-clash-of-polarized/)

[Richard P. Kluft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-kluft/)

> [“A depressed person is selfish because her self, the very core of who she is, will not leave her alone, and she can no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-pershall/a-depressed-person-is-selfish-because-her-self-the-very-core-of-who/)

[Stacy Pershall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-pershall/)

## More by Julia Kristeva

> [Significance is inherent in the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/significance-is-inherent-in-the-human-body/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [“The other that will guide you and itself through this dissolution is a rhythm, text, music, and within language, a text. But what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/the-other-that-will-guide-you-and-itself-through-this-dissolution-is/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [Love is the time and space where "I" give myself the right to be extraordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/love-is-the-time-and-space-where-i-give-myself-the-right-to-be/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [That faith be analyzable does not necessarily imply a method for getting by without it. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/that-faith-be-analyzable-does-not-necessarily-imply-a-method-for/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [“Music, rhythm, rigadoon, without end, for no reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/music-rhythm-rigadoon-without-end-for-no-reason/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [“The sadness that overwhelms us, the retardation that paralyzes us, are also a shield—sometimes the last one—against madness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/the-sadness-that-overwhelms-us-the-retardation-that-paralyzes-us-are/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [When the starry sky, a vista of open seas, or a stained-glass window shedding purple beams fascinate me, there is a cluster of meaning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/when-the-starry-sky-a-vista-of-open-seas-or-a-stained-glass-window/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [Today’s milestone is human madness. Politics is a part of it, particularly in its lethal outbursts. Politics is not, as it was for Hannah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/today-s-milestone-is-human-madness-politics-is-a-part-of-it/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [ “\[the abject\] is simply a frontier, a repulsive gift that the Other, having become alter ego, drops so that the "I" does not disappear… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/the-abject-is-simply-a-frontier-a-repulsive-gift-that-the-other/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [Naming suffering, exalting it, dissecting it into its smallest components – that is doubtless a way to curb mourning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/naming-suffering-exalting-it-dissecting-it-into-its-smallest/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

> [Abjection is above all ambiguity. Because, while releasing a hold, it does not radically cut off the subject from what threatens it --- on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/abjection-is-above-all-ambiguity-because-while-releasing-a-hold-it/)

[Julia Kristeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

[Explore all 12 Julia Kristeva quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/)

## More Atheist quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [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/)

> [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/)

[Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/)

> [“The atheist joined his hands. It wasn't against the Gods. He smiled, with his hands folded, saw his daughter's in-laws approaching near.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhavik-sarkhedi/the-atheist-joined-his-hands-it-wasn-t-against-the-gods-he-smiled/)

[Bhavik Sarkhedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhavik-sarkhedi/)

> [I am surprised that anyone can profess to be an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-am-surprised-that-anyone-can-profess-to-be-an-atheist/)

[Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/)

> [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [An Atheist wandering down a road where he meets up a four road junction , he asks a passer by hey !, where does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/an-atheist-wandering-down-a-road-where-he-meets-up-a-four-road/)

[Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/)

> [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/)

[Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/)

> [If all the Atheists &amp; Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences &amp; less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [I am an atheist. I don't think there's anything divine. Beautiful, impressive, awe-inspiring - sure, but not divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-an-atheist-i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-divine-beautiful/)

[Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/)

> [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/)

[Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/)

[Browse all 2,434 Atheist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The depressed person is a radical, sullen atheist.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Julia Kristeva"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen-atheist/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Atheist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen-atheist/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/julia-kristeva-35244_atheist_the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen_1360617.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/julia-kristeva-35244_atheist_the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen_1360617.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/julia-kristeva-35244_atheist_the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen_1360617.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The depressed person is a radical, sullen atheist.” — Julia Kristeva",
                "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": "Julia Kristeva",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kristeva/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The depressed person is a radical,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen-atheist/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kristeva/the-depressed-person-is-a-radical-sullen-atheist/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
