Ifs Quote by Kevin Sessums
![“Sometimes if I am walking down the street and thinking about my panoply of God, Ganesha, Parvati [Ganesha's mother], I say "Lucifer," because he belongs in that panoply. I miss him. That's why I'm a theist.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b00/kevin-sessums-9486_ifs_sometimes-if-i-am-walking-down-the-stree_338066.jpg)
“Sometimes if I am walking down the street and thinking about my panoply of God, Ganesha, Parvati [Ganesha's mother], I say "Lucifer," because he belongs in that panoply. I miss him. That's why I'm a theist.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, “The Unconventional Faith of Kevin Sessums”, 2019
The speaker juxtaposes Hindu deities with Lucifer, expressing a longing for the rebellious, outsider figure, which leads him to identify as a theist despite mainstream religion.
In simple terms: He feels a pull toward the outsider, even in a spiritual context.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge the parts of yourself that feel out of place.
Themes
spirituality
identity
rebellion
theism
mythology
Mood
contemplative
conflicted
curious
Type
personal
philosophical
exploratory
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- religious exploration
- creative writing
- seeking meaning
- cultural synthesis
Key Concepts
dualism
iconoclasm
personal myth
cognitive dissonance
Questions to Reflect On
- What does Lucifer symbolize for you personally?
- How do you reconcile differing mythologies within your belief?
A Different Perspective
The comparison may oversimplify complex traditions and risk misrepresentation.
![“[Calvin Trilllin] is not writing about things that I can criticize. I can call these other people out for what I think they are not doing. There's a big difference.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d59/kevin-sessums-9486_bigs_calvin-trilllin-is-not-writing-about-thi_59424.jpg)
![“[Larry Kramer] thinks Charles de Gaulle was gay. He thinks Max Schmeling was gay.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/045/kevin-sessums-9486_gay_larry-kramer-thinks-charles-de-gaulle-wa_160828.jpg)
![“I just so desperately wanted to be published in New Yorker, and I'd so desperately try to get something in it. But I'd always get nice letters back telling me that Mr. Shawn [William Shawn, the New Yorker's editor from 1952 to 1987] just didn't like this or didn't like that about what I submitted.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/042/kevin-sessums-9486_editors_i-just-so-desperately-wanted-to-be-publi_606050.jpg)
![“We didn't know each other [with Larry Kramer at Yale], but we had a lot of mutual friends.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/efb/kevin-sessums-9486_friends_we-didn-t-know-each-other-with-larry-kra_608949.jpg)
![“David Remnick [the New Yorker's editor in chief]is about as interested in anything gay as I am interested in anything to do with baseball. It drives me nuts.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eae/kevin-sessums-9486_baseball_david-remnick-the-new-yorker-s-editor-in_636097.jpg)
![“I believe we really became friends [with Larry Kramer] when we bonded at our fifteenth class reunion in 1972.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/68c/kevin-sessums-9486_believe_i-believe-we-really-became-friends-with_642749.jpg)
![“One of the few nice things about [time in Yale] was you got to know people before there were labels on them, so you got to know them as people, not as either gay or straight. Because as far as we knew, we thought everyone was straight.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3ca/kevin-sessums-9486_gay_one-of-the-few-nice-things-about-time-in_687609.jpg)
