--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If people believed in eternal damnation…" description: "\"If people believed in eternal damnation they might not be seizing the day quite so much.\" — Kate Atkinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kate-atkinson-1265_damnation_if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation_2493790.jpg" --- # If people believed in eternal damnation they might not be… ![“If people believed in eternal damnation they might not be seizing the day quite so much.” quote by Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kate-atkinson-1265_damnation_if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation_2493790.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kate-atkinson-1265_damnation_if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation_2493790.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kate-atkinson-1265_damnation_if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation_2493790.jpg) > “If people believed in eternal damnation they might not be seizing the day quite so much.” [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests that belief in eternal punishment may suppress seizing opportunities and living fully. **In simple terms:** Fear of afterlife limits present action. Key Takeaway Live boldly despite existential fears. Themes existentialism fear motivation life choices Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - risk taking - spiritual exploration Key Concepts mortality belief systems psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does belief shape your daily decisions? - Can meaning be found without religious frameworks? A Different Perspective Some find comfort in afterlife beliefs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Damnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damnation/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Seize the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seize-the-day/) ## Related quotes > [I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It's seizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/i-believe-life-is-a-series-of-near-misses-a-lot-of-what-we-ascribe-to/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [“Seizing the day is all about making the best choices possible each day of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/seizing-the-day-is-all-about-making-the-best-choices-possible-each/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“If I have been a fatalist, and have been a pessimistic child who awaits death every day, and who almost seeks it out, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-trocm/if-i-have-been-a-fatalist-and-have-been-a-pessimistic-child-who/) André Trocmé > [I would say that I'm definitely a morning person - I love getting out of bed and seizing the day ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/i-would-say-that-i-m-definitely-a-morning-person-i-love-getting-out/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [“Like Mark Twain said, ‘You go to Heaven for the climate, but you go to Hell for the company.’ I figure I’ll be so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-adrienne/like-mark-twain-said-you-go-to-heaven-for-the-climate-but-you-go-to/) Kerry Adrienne > [I don't know if I ever really bought into the eternal damnation bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-don-t-know-if-i-ever-really-bought-into-the-eternal-damnation-bit/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [I go to a Catholic school and I'm telling you: invisibility = eternal damnation. You can take it to the bank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-carman/i-go-to-a-catholic-school-and-i-m-telling-you-invisibility-eternal/) [Patrick Carman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-carman/) > [God preordained, for his own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/god-preordained-for-his-own-glory-and-the-display-of-his-attributes/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Better the discomfort that leads to repentance and restoration than temporal comfort and eternal damnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/better-the-discomfort-that-leads-to-repentance-and-restoration-than/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [So eager for eternal damnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/so-eager-for-eternal-damnation/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“Eternal love or eternal damnation .. Tears of Crimson”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-faith-donovan/eternal-love-or-eternal-damnation-tears-of-crimson/) Cara Faith Donovan > [In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohta-hirano/in-the-name-of-god-impure-souls-of-the-living-dead-shall-be-banished/) [Kohta Hirano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohta-hirano/) > [“The distant threat of eternal damnation pales in comparison to the immediate gratification of corrupting young skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wiess/the-distant-threat-of-eternal-damnation-pales-in-comparison-to-the/) [Laura Wiess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wiess/) > [“In the name of God all impure souls of the living dead shal be banished into eternal damnation.Amen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hellsing/in-the-name-of-god-all-impure-souls-of-the-living-dead-shal-be/) Hellsing > [Growing up under the heavy hand of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, it was drummed into me that attending weekly mass was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/growing-up-under-the-heavy-hand-of-the-school-sisters-of-notre-dame/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) ## More by Kate Atkinson > [“Sweet sixteen," Hugh said, kissing her affectionately. "Happy birthday, little bear. Your future's all ahead of you." Ursula still harbored the feeling that some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/sweet-sixteen-hugh-said-kissing-her-affectionately-happy-birthday/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [When you chopped logs with the ax and they split open they smelled beautiful, like Christmas. But when you split someone's head open it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-you-chopped-logs-with-the-ax-and-they-split-open-they-smelled/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“He had made a vow, a private promise to the world in the long dark watches of the night, that if he did survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/he-had-made-a-vow-a-private-promise-to-the-world-in-the-long-dark/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“When she was little they had lived in an old farmhouse too, in the middle of nothing of but landscape.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-she-was-little-they-had-lived-in-an-old-farmhouse-too-in-the/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“Do you keep time in the same place that you save it? If so why is it always so difficult to find? It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/do-you-keep-time-in-the-same-place-that-you-save-it-if-so-why-is-it/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [I was on the verge of something numinous and profound and in one more second the universe was going to crack open and arcana…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-was-on-the-verge-of-something-numinous-and-profound-and-in-one-more/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [I feel as if I’m waiting for something dreadful to happen, and then I realize it already has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-feel-as-if-i-m-waiting-for-something-dreadful-to-happen-and-then-i/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“If she had been in charge of designing the human race she would have gone about things differently. (A golden shaft of light through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/if-she-had-been-in-charge-of-designing-the-human-race-she-would-have/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/the-beginning-is-the-word-and-the-end-is-silence-and-in-between-are/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“The only way to stop the tears was to keep drinking the whisky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/the-only-way-to-stop-the-tears-was-to-keep-drinking-the-whisky/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [I don't want to spoil the magic, but it's a very curious thing that honestly baffles me. It's the nearest we'll ever get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-don-t-want-to-spoil-the-magic-but-it-s-a-very-curious-thing-that/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“What did science ever do for the world, apart from make better ways of killing people?” Sylvie said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/what-did-science-ever-do-for-the-world-apart-from-make-better-ways-of/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [Because I write fiction, I don't write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/because-i-write-fiction-i-don-t-write-autobiography-and-to-me-they/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“she could see Sylvie and her friends on the lawn below, their dresses fluttering like moths in the encroaching dusk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/she-could-see-sylvie-and-her-friends-on-the-lawn-below-their-dresses/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“misquote Edmund Burke rather than Milton. All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/misquote-edmund-burke-rather-than-milton-all-that-is-necessary-for/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) [Explore all 261 Kate Atkinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) ## More Damnation quotes > [Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/shall-we-keep-men-in-a-fool-s-paradise-shall-we-lull-them-into-soft/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [And I have to tell you, as tough as farming is, the idea of farming when you’re losing money year after year... that’s not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-i-have-to-tell-you-as-tough-as-farming-is-the-idea-of-farming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is not eternal damnation, the only rewards and punishments are right here in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-not-eternal-damnation-the-only-rewards-and-punishments-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is inconceivable that the God who gives Himself in His Son to save us, should have created some people ordained to evil and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/it-is-inconceivable-that-the-god-who-gives-himself-in-his-son-to-save/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Christianity in our country is a lot like what the Ducksters profess. No longer doctrinaire or demanding, the mishmash of pop-religion practiced in churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/christianity-in-our-country-is-a-lot-like-what-the-ducksters-profess/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [In the usual way I submitted manuscripts to publishers. This was not so much a feeling that I should be published as a wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/in-the-usual-way-i-submitted-manuscripts-to-publishers-this-was-not/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [Intolerance has always been one of the cornerstones of Christianity - the glorious heritage of the Inquisition. It's no coincidence that most of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/intolerance-has-always-been-one-of-the-cornerstones-of-christianity/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [“Call me crazy, but there is something terribly wrong with this city.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/call-me-crazy-but-there-is-something-terribly-wrong-with-this-city/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [Growing up under the heavy hand of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, it was drummed into me that attending weekly mass was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/growing-up-under-the-heavy-hand-of-the-school-sisters-of-notre-dame/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [I had taken a partner once before—but, damnation, no matter how many times you get your fingers burned, you have to trust people. Otherwise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-had-taken-a-partner-once-before-but-damnation-no-matter-how-many/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“That’s a stupid name! Whirly-gig is much better, I think. Who in their right mind would point at this thing and say, ‘I’m going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/that-s-a-stupid-name-whirly-gig-is-much-better-i-think-who-in-their/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [They have no idea that it can be done by a bus driver, a field hand, or a fry cook. They have no idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/they-have-no-idea-that-it-can-be-done-by-a-bus-driver-a-field-hand-or/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [God is angry with man. Unless we believe and repent we shall all be damned. It is impossible, indeed, for its advocates even to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/god-is-angry-with-man-unless-we-believe-and-repent-we-shall-all-be/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [There's a little book I'm thinking of writing - "Swan Song" is what I shall call it. The song of the dying. And my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/there-s-a-little-book-i-m-thinking-of-writing-swan-song-is-what-i/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [The Sacraments are the salvation of those who use them rightly, and the damnation of those who misuse them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-sacraments-are-the-salvation-of-those-who-use-them-rightly-and/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) [Browse all 206 Damnation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damnation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If people believed in eternal damnation they might not be seizing the day quite so much.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kate Atkinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation-they-might-not-be-seizing-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Damnation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation-they-might-not-be-seizing-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kate-atkinson-1265_damnation_if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation_2493790.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kate-atkinson-1265_damnation_if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation_2493790.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kate-atkinson-1265_damnation_if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation_2493790.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If people believed in eternal damnation they might not be seizing the day quite so much.” — Kate Atkinson", "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": "Kate Atkinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If people believed in eternal damnation...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation-they-might-not-be-seizing-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/if-people-believed-in-eternal-damnation-they-might-not-be-seizing-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 } } ] } ```