--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Atheists have to live with the knowledge…" description: "\"Atheists have to live with the knowledge that there is no salvation, no redemption, no second chances. Lives can go terribly wrong in ways that can nev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-baggini-3081_atheist_atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge_1676047.png" --- # Atheists have to live with the knowledge that there is no… ![“Atheists have to live with the knowledge that there is no salvation, no redemption, no second chances. Lives can go terribly wrong in ways that can never be put right.” quote by Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-baggini-3081_atheist_atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge_1676047.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-baggini-3081_atheist_atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge_1676047.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-baggini-3081_atheist_atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge_1676047.png) > “Atheists have to live with the knowledge that there is no salvation, no redemption, no second chances. Lives can go terribly wrong in ways that can never be put right.” [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living without belief in an afterlife means confronting finality and personal responsibility for meaning. **In simple terms:** No afterlife forces us to own our choices. Key Takeaway Embrace responsibility for your actions. Themes existentialism responsibility meaning life death Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crises - ethical decisions - grief coping - life planning - moral accountability Key Concepts atheism salvation redemption second chances Questions to Reflect On - How do you find purpose without belief in an afterlife? - Can moral frameworks replace religious redemption? A Different Perspective It may overlook comfort many find in faith. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Atheists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheists/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [No second chances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-second-chances/) [Redemption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redemption/) [Salvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salvation/) [Second chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-chance/) [Second chances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-chances/) ## Related quotes > [It’s a strange myth that atheists have nothing to live for. It’s the opposite. We have nothing to die for. We have everything to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/it-s-a-strange-myth-that-atheists-have-nothing-to-live-for-it-s-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [People think that atheists have nothing to live for, but that's not true - it's that we have nothing to die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-healy/people-think-that-atheists-have-nothing-to-live-for-but-that-s-not/) [Matthew Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-healy/) > [There was need of a phantastic, indestructible optimism, and one far removed from all sense of reality, in order, for example, to discover in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/there-was-need-of-a-phantastic-indestructible-optimism-and-one-far/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Being on TV is similar to being an athlete. You get no second chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-spencer/being-on-tv-is-similar-to-being-an-athlete-you-get-no-second-chances/) [Lara Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-spencer/) > [It's hard to remember that this day will never come again. That the time is now and the place is here and that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-hard-to-remember-that-this-day-will-never-come-again-that-the/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Sometimes in life, there are no second chances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-joe/sometimes-in-life-there-are-no-second-chances/) [L.Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-joe/) > [No second chances in the land of a thousand dances, the valley of ten million insanities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ry-cooder/no-second-chances-in-the-land-of-a-thousand-dances-the-valley-of-ten/) [Ry Cooder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ry-cooder/) > [In books, as in life, there are no second chances. On second thought: its the next work, still to be written, that offers the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/in-books-as-in-life-there-are-no-second-chances-on-second-thought-its/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [Don't think there are no second chances. Life always offers you a SECOND CHANCE... It's called TOMORROW](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/don-t-think-there-are-no-second-chances-life-always-offers-you-a/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“So rather than repent of sin and turn for mercy to a God who is altogether sovereign, holy, knowing, and unchangeable, men and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-montgomery-boice/so-rather-than-repent-of-sin-and-turn-for-mercy-to-a-god-who-is/) [James Montgomery Boice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-montgomery-boice/) > [“The object of Christology is not a purely theoretical knowledge but a profitable, wholesome knowledge of the salvation of God in Jesus Christ.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-c-berkouwer/the-object-of-christology-is-not-a-purely-theoretical-knowledge-but-a/) [G C Berkouwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-c-berkouwer/) > [“The knowledge of salvation alone can save your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-knowledge-of-salvation-alone-can-save-your-soul/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“For now, it is enough to face the reality that it is possible, as individual Christians and also in our churches, to be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-paterson/for-now-it-is-enough-to-face-the-reality-that-it-is-possible-as/) [Ross Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-paterson/) > [“The sin of ignorance is the neglect of the Knowledge of salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-sin-of-ignorance-is-the-neglect-of-the-knowledge-of-salvation/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [It is a shame for a person to have been a Christian for years but not to have advanced beyond the knowledge of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/it-is-a-shame-for-a-person-to-have-been-a-christian-for-years-but-not/) [Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/) ## More by Julian Baggini > [I don't think there is ever a direct connection between the philosophical community and the wider populus. I'm very aware of this because I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-don-t-think-there-is-ever-a-direct-connection-between-the/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Anger clearly has its proper place at work, which is neither wholly absent nor ever present. The manager who is an emotional blank is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/anger-clearly-has-its-proper-place-at-work-which-is-neither-wholly/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [I don't feel proprietorial about the problems of philosophy. History has taught us that many philosophical issues can grow up, leave home and live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-don-t-feel-proprietorial-about-the-problems-of-philosophy-history/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [True respect means taking other people's beliefs seriously and assuming they are adult and intelligent enough to be able to cope with it if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/true-respect-means-taking-other-people-s-beliefs-seriously-and/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [We do wrong willfully when we fail to think hard about whether what we're doing is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/we-do-wrong-willfully-when-we-fail-to-think-hard-about-whether-what/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [It may not have the virtuous ring of the golden rule, but the maxim 'never say never' is one of the most important in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/it-may-not-have-the-virtuous-ring-of-the-golden-rule-but-the-maxim/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [I'm not one of these people who is sour about academia. I'm very lucky not to be in academia, but I am an absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-m-not-one-of-these-people-who-is-sour-about-academia-i-m-very-lucky/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“Working out whether or not the claims you make in your premises are true, while important, is simply not enough to ensure that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/working-out-whether-or-not-the-claims-you-make-in-your-premises-are/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Real life is about accepting ups and downs, the good and the bad, the possibility of failure as well as the ambition to succeed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/real-life-is-about-accepting-ups-and-downs-the-good-and-the-bad-the/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“Philosophy without criticism is like hunting deer without a shotgun, so, if you want people to like you, avoid robust philosophical debate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/philosophy-without-criticism-is-like-hunting-deer-without-a-shotgun/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Looking out over the port of Dover, with the endless steam of boats coming in and out, every British citizen is reminded that belonging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/looking-out-over-the-port-of-dover-with-the-endless-steam-of-boats/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [If you believe you are right, then you should believe that you can make the case that you're right. This requires you to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/if-you-believe-you-are-right-then-you-should-believe-that-you-can/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“You know what a word means when you know how to use it, not what its definition is. That is why we can understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/you-know-what-a-word-means-when-you-know-how-to-use-it-not-what-its/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Daily life is better when it involves interactions with real people who have a personal investment in their labour, like shopkeepers, than it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/daily-life-is-better-when-it-involves-interactions-with-real-people/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“the meaning of life is not some kind of answer, which, once learned, is forever possessed. For life to stay meaningful it must continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/the-meaning-of-life-is-not-some-kind-of-answer-which-once-learned-is/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) [Explore all 140 Julian Baggini quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) ## 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 & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & 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": "Atheists have to live with the knowledge that there is no salvation, no redemption, no second chances. Lives can go terribly wrong in ways that can never be put right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julian Baggini" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge-that-there-is-no-salvation/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge-that-there-is-no-salvation/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-baggini-3081_atheist_atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge_1676047.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-baggini-3081_atheist_atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge_1676047.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-baggini-3081_atheist_atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge_1676047.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Atheists have to live with the knowledge that there is no salvation, no redemption, no second chances. Lives…” — Julian Baggini", "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": "Julian Baggini", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Atheists have to live with the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge-that-there-is-no-salvation/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/atheists-have-to-live-with-the-knowledge-that-there-is-no-salvation/#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 } } ] } ```