--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion is hard work. Its insights are…" description: "\"Religion is hard work. Its insights are not self-evident and have to be cultivated in the same way as an appreciation of art, music, or poetry must be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/karen-armstrong-1053_appreciation_religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-n_1357354.jpg" --- # Religion is hard work. Its insights are not self-evident… ![“Religion is hard work. Its insights are not self-evident and have to be cultivated in the same way as an appreciation of art, music, or poetry must be developed.” quote by Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/karen-armstrong-1053_appreciation_religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-n_1357354.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/karen-armstrong-1053_appreciation_religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-n_1357354.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/karen-armstrong-1053_appreciation_religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-n_1357354.jpg) > “Religion is hard work. Its insights are not self-evident and have to be cultivated in the same way as an appreciation of art, music, or poetry must be developed.” [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religion requires effort like art; its insights must be cultivated. **In simple terms:** Religion needs work like art. Key Takeaway Invest effort to understand faith. Themes religion art cultivation Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - study - reflection - discussion Key Concepts spirituality philosophy learning Questions to Reflect On - What practices deepen your spiritual understanding? - How does art influence your view of faith? A Different Perspective Not all find religious insight rewarding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [When you think about how many wars are created through the word religion it's hard to identify with it, or even accept it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-phillips/when-you-think-about-how-many-wars-are-created-through-the-word/) [Arlene Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-phillips/) > [“In the matters of religion, it is very hard to deceive a man, and very hard to undeceive him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayle/in-the-matters-of-religion-it-is-very-hard-to-deceive-a-man-and-very/) [Pierre Bayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayle/) > [Every religion I know of has changed its views with respect to concrete controversies over long periods of time. People's views about the morality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-balkin/every-religion-i-know-of-has-changed-its-views-with-respect-to/) Jack Balkin > [“Religion is hard. You either see Jonah in the belly of the whale or you don't, my dark sister. It's all on the inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-aurelia-williams/religion-is-hard-you-either-see-jonah-in-the-belly-of-the-whale-or/) Lori Aurelia Williams > [Appreciation of art is a moral erection, otherwise mere dilettantism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/appreciation-of-art-is-a-moral-erection-otherwise-mere-dilettantism/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [“The tea-masters held that real appreciation of art is only possible to those who make of it a living influence. Thus they sought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/the-tea-masters-held-that-real-appreciation-of-art-is-only-possible/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [The presence of excessive wealth puts an unnatural spin on the appreciation of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-presence-of-excessive-wealth-puts-an-unnatural-spin-on-the/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [It is not so for art in appreciation because art is concerned with human behavior. And science is concerned with the behavior of metal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/it-is-not-so-for-art-in-appreciation-because-art-is-concerned-with/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Silence is, after all, the context for the deepest appreciation of art: the only important evaluations are finally, personal, interior ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/silence-is-after-all-the-context-for-the-deepest-appreciation-of-art/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [Nothing will enrich your life as much as the appreciation of art. If you want to 'Live Rich', you have to - absolutely have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-m-ford/nothing-will-enrich-your-life-as-much-as-the-appreciation-of-art-if/) [Mark M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-m-ford/) > [Appreciation is an art and a lifestyle and a source of happiness and fulfillment. It's called gratitude-an attitude of gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/appreciation-is-an-art-and-a-lifestyle-and-a-source-of-happiness-and/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [I would love to be able to share my artwork with as many people as possible so that I can help spread an appreciation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusaku-maezawa/i-would-love-to-be-able-to-share-my-artwork-with-as-many-people-as/) [Yusaku Maezawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusaku-maezawa/) > [Universal appreciation of art... belongs to those countries and those ages which are not, or were not, ruled by materialism. Though travel was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/universal-appreciation-of-art-belongs-to-those-countries-and-those/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [“It’s amazing what can be done by people who learn to relax, pay attention, and focus, appreciating the present hour and all the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-chandler/it-s-amazing-what-can-be-done-by-people-who-learn-to-relax-pay/) [Steve Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-chandler/) > [Some like to think that a keen appreciation of art can actually make us better people - more just, more moral, more sensitive, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/some-like-to-think-that-a-keen-appreciation-of-art-can-actually-make/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More by Karen Armstrong > [If it is written and read with serious attention, a novel, like a myth or any great work of art, can become an initiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-it-is-written-and-read-with-serious-attention-a-novel-like-a-myth/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [A gentleman is not born but crafted. He had to work on himself in the same way as a sculptor shaped a rough stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/a-gentleman-is-not-born-but-crafted-he-had-to-work-on-himself-in-the/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I was a lousy nun. I couldn't do it. I couldn't find God. It wasn't suitable for me. It is suitable for very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-was-a-lousy-nun-i-couldn-t-do-it-i-couldn-t-find-god-it-wasn-t/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [In the past some of the most influential Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians, such as Maimonides, Aquinas and Ibn Sina, made it clear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/in-the-past-some-of-the-most-influential-jewish-christian-and-muslim/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [The great task of our time is to build a global society, where people can live together in peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/the-great-task-of-our-time-is-to-build-a-global-society-where-people/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [If we don't manage to implement the Golden Rule globally, so that we treat all peoples, wherever and whoever they may be, as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-we-don-t-manage-to-implement-the-golden-rule-globally-so-that-we/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [After I left the convent, for 15 years I was worn out with religion, I wanted nothing whatever to do with it. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/after-i-left-the-convent-for-15-years-i-was-worn-out-with-religion-i/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“As we have seen, so many of the things we once took for granted have proved unreliable that we may have to “forget” old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/as-we-have-seen-so-many-of-the-things-we-once-took-for-granted-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Yet a personal God can become a grave liability. He can be a mere idol carved in our own image, a projection of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/yet-a-personal-god-can-become-a-grave-liability-he-can-be-a-mere-idol/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“I discovered that I felt at home and alive in the silence, which compelled me to enter my interior world and around there. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-discovered-that-i-felt-at-home-and-alive-in-the-silence-which/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Each of the world religions has its own particular genius, its own special insight into the nature and requirements of compassion, and has something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/each-of-the-world-religions-has-its-own-particular-genius-its-own/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“all rightly guided religion that submitted wholly to God, refused to worship man-made deities and preached that justice and equality came from the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/all-rightly-guided-religion-that-submitted-wholly-to-god-refused-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“advocates of evolutionary theory since Thomas H. Huxley (1825–95) have found altruism problematic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/advocates-of-evolutionary-theory-since-thomas-h-huxley-1825-95-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) [Explore all 296 Karen Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## More Appreciation quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/) Cesar Nikko Caharian III > [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/) Enhance Dreams > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Religion is hard work. Its insights are not self-evident and have to be cultivated in the same way as an appreciation of art, music, or poetry must be developed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Armstrong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-not-self-evident-and-have-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appreciation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-not-self-evident-and-have-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/karen-armstrong-1053_appreciation_religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-n_1357354.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/karen-armstrong-1053_appreciation_religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-n_1357354.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/karen-armstrong-1053_appreciation_religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-n_1357354.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Religion is hard work. Its insights are not self-evident and have to be cultivated in the same way as an…” — Karen Armstrong", "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": "Karen Armstrong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Religion is hard work. Its insights...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-not-self-evident-and-have-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/religion-is-hard-work-its-insights-are-not-self-evident-and-have-to/#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 } } ] } ```