--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surfing is my religion, if I have one." description: "\"Surfing is my religion, if I have one.\" — Kelly Slater" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/kelly-slater-16785_religion_surfing-is-my-religion-if-i-have-one-648_648370.jpg" --- # Surfing is my religion, if I have one. ![“Surfing is my religion, if I have one.” quote by Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/kelly-slater-16785_religion_surfing-is-my-religion-if-i-have-one-648_648370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/kelly-slater-16785_religion_surfing-is-my-religion-if-i-have-one-648_648370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/kelly-slater-16785_religion_surfing-is-my-religion-if-i-have-one-648_648370.jpg) > “Surfing is my religion, if I have one.” [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Surfing is treated as a spiritual practice, giving purpose and identity. **In simple terms:** Surfing feels like faith. Key Takeaway Treat passions as sacred. Themes spirituality identity passion Mood devotional focused Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - daily practice - competition - mindfulness - community building Key Concepts religion metaphor personal meaning Questions to Reflect On - How does this belief shape your daily choices? - What risks arise from equating sport with religion? A Different Perspective May overlook practical responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Surfing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surfing/) ## Related quotes > [It's like the mafia. Once you're in - your in. There's no getting out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/it-s-like-the-mafia-once-you-re-in-your-in-there-s-no-getting-out/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [Not to sound too deep or weird, but I assume that the occasions once you pretty take pleasure in surfing are the occasions you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/not-to-sound-too-deep-or-weird-but-i-assume-that-the-occasions-once/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I've always thought surfing is a reflection of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-ve-always-thought-surfing-is-a-reflection-of-who-you-are/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I think when a surfer becomes a surfer, it's almost like an obligation to be an environmentalist at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-think-when-a-surfer-becomes-a-surfer-it-s-almost-like-an-obligation/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I feel like an ambassador for surfing at this point. I'm happy to go and play that role and share that where I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-feel-like-an-ambassador-for-surfing-at-this-point-i-m-happy-to-go/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [Well I'm always working on constantly everything. I never take the approach that I'm doing as well as I possibly can... I always think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/well-i-m-always-working-on-constantly-everything-i-never-take-the/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [Your surfing can get better on every turn, on every wave you catch. Learn to read the ocean better. A big part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/your-surfing-can-get-better-on-every-turn-on-every-wave-you-catch/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [A lot of times I'll see guys who are nowhere near the level of the board they're riding. They might love surfing and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/a-lot-of-times-i-ll-see-guys-who-are-nowhere-near-the-level-of-the/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I surf more now for other people than myself. I feel a lot of support from people wanting me to do well, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-surf-more-now-for-other-people-than-myself-i-feel-a-lot-of-support/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [There are so many different elements to surfing. Small waves, big waves, long boards, short boards. This makes it a sport you can share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/there-are-so-many-different-elements-to-surfing-small-waves-big-waves/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [When I'm 50 I want to be a better surfer than I am now - for me it's a lifelong journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/when-i-m-50-i-want-to-be-a-better-surfer-than-i-am-now-for-me-it-s-a/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [It's all about where your mind's at](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/it-s-all-about-where-your-mind-s-at/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/) [David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/) > [Surfing is simply the most fun I know how to have on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-garrett-lisi/surfing-is-simply-the-most-fun-i-know-how-to-have-on-this-planet/) [Antony Garrett Lisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-garrett-lisi/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More by Kelly Slater > [Maintaining marriage seems to be tougher than fatherhood: apparently its the most difficult thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/maintaining-marriage-seems-to-be-tougher-than-fatherhood-apparently/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [It's a perfect wave when small and the most beautiful and scary wave on Earth when it's big, as the swell from deep water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/it-s-a-perfect-wave-when-small-and-the-most-beautiful-and-scary-wave/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [It's all about where your mind's at](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/it-s-all-about-where-your-mind-s-at/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [When I'm 50 I want to be a better surfer than I am now - for me it's a lifelong journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/when-i-m-50-i-want-to-be-a-better-surfer-than-i-am-now-for-me-it-s-a/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [Most of what Hawaii has to offer is no secret. Pipeline is probably the most famous wave in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/most-of-what-hawaii-has-to-offer-is-no-secret-pipeline-is-probably/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [There are so many different elements to surfing. Small waves, big waves, long boards, short boards. This makes it a sport you can share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/there-are-so-many-different-elements-to-surfing-small-waves-big-waves/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I surf more now for other people than myself. I feel a lot of support from people wanting me to do well, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-surf-more-now-for-other-people-than-myself-i-feel-a-lot-of-support/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [A lot of times I'll see guys who are nowhere near the level of the board they're riding. They might love surfing and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/a-lot-of-times-i-ll-see-guys-who-are-nowhere-near-the-level-of-the/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [Your surfing can get better on every turn, on every wave you catch. Learn to read the ocean better. A big part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/your-surfing-can-get-better-on-every-turn-on-every-wave-you-catch/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [A wave isn't like a skate ramp or mountain; everything's moving around and you have to time how to move along with it. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/a-wave-isn-t-like-a-skate-ramp-or-mountain-everything-s-moving-around/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [Well I'm always working on constantly everything. I never take the approach that I'm doing as well as I possibly can... I always think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/well-i-m-always-working-on-constantly-everything-i-never-take-the/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I feel like an ambassador for surfing at this point. I'm happy to go and play that role and share that where I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-feel-like-an-ambassador-for-surfing-at-this-point-i-m-happy-to-go/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I was stuck for 16 months without a win there, and now I've had five this year. Once you break that barrier for yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-was-stuck-for-16-months-without-a-win-there-and-now-i-ve-had-five/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I think when a surfer becomes a surfer, it's almost like an obligation to be an environmentalist at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-think-when-a-surfer-becomes-a-surfer-it-s-almost-like-an-obligation/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [I've been in a poor physical shape many times in my career and I've had some of my best results. My best performances happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/i-ve-been-in-a-poor-physical-shape-many-times-in-my-career-and-i-ve/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) [Explore all 39 Kelly Slater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) ## More Religion quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [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/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [The love religion is all that is written here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/the-love-religion-is-all-that-is-written-here/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Personal Style comes from within. It's when the woman, her individuality and spirit come through. She uses clothes to express who she is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/personal-style-comes-from-within-it-s-when-the-woman-her/) [Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-religion-has-mandated-killing-others-as-a-requirement-for-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/deepen-your-existing-spiritual-commitment/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. 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