---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never knew before that religion was…"
description: "\"“I never knew before that religion was such a cheerful thing. I always thought it was kind of melancholy, but Mrs. Allan's isn't, and I'd like to be a ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/l-m-montgomery-567_cheerful_i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-su_767968.jpg"
---

#  I never knew before that religion was such a cheerful…

![“I never knew before that religion was such a cheerful thing. I always thought it was kind of melancholy, but Mrs. Allan's isn't, and I'd like to be a Christian if I could be one like her.” quote by L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/l-m-montgomery-567_cheerful_i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-su_767968.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/l-m-montgomery-567_cheerful_i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-su_767968.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/l-m-montgomery-567_cheerful_i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-su_767968.jpg)

> ““I never knew before that religion was such a cheerful thing. I always thought it was kind of melancholy, but Mrs. Allan's isn't, and I'd like to be a Christian if I could be one like her.””

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker discovers that religion can be joyful, contrary to prior melancholy expectations, inspired by a lively Christian example.

**In simple terms:** Religion can be happy, not just sad.

Key Takeaway

Seek joyful expressions of faith.

Themes

faith joy perception influence

Mood

inquisitive hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- church community
- personal belief
- interfaith dialogue

Key Concepts

spirituality personal growth role models

Questions to Reflect On

- How does personal example reshape your view of religion?
- What makes faith feel uplifting for some?

A Different Perspective

Cheerfulness may be individual, not universal.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cheerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheerful/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [“«It's true, Christian-like or not; and is about as Christian-like as most other things in the world,» said Alfred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/it-s-true-christian-like-or-not-and-is-about-as-christian-like-as/)

[Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/)

> [If people but knew their own religion, how tolerant they would become, and how free from any grudge against the religion of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/if-people-but-knew-their-own-religion-how-tolerant-they-would-become/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [I knew all about religion all my life; it just never was real to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-thomas/i-knew-all-about-religion-all-my-life-it-just-never-was-real-to-me/)

[B. J. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-thomas/)

> [I knew religion from an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-froning-jr/i-knew-religion-from-an-early-age/)

[Rich Froning Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-froning-jr/)

> [I grew up with the idea that someone might hate you if they knew what religion you were; being afraid to open my mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dormer/i-grew-up-with-the-idea-that-someone-might-hate-you-if-they-knew-what/)

[Richard Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dormer/)

> [I went through those times in my life where I started to get bitter and angry, and you're like, 'Why am I even a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-sandoval/i-went-through-those-times-in-my-life-where-i-started-to-get-bitter/)

[Sonny Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-sandoval/)

> [Everyone would like to behave like a pagan, with everyone else behaving like a Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/everyone-would-like-to-behave-like-a-pagan-with-everyone-else/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Being in Hollywood is like being in the Christian right these days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-everett/being-in-hollywood-is-like-being-in-the-christian-right-these-days/)

[Rupert Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-everett/)

> [It infuriates me that when people forget what it's like not to be a Christian, and they get into other people's face about their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-schneider/it-infuriates-me-that-when-people-forget-what-it-s-like-not-to-be-a/)

[John Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-schneider/)

> [It’s much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/it-s-much-easier-to-act-like-a-christian-than-it-is-to-react-like-one/)

[Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/)

> [My buddies tell me that I should have waited. They say I'm missing a whole world of fun. But I am happy and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-louvin/my-buddies-tell-me-that-i-should-have-waited-they-say-i-m-missing-a/)

[Charlie Louvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-louvin/)

> [I like Christian Bale. I've heard he's a big fan of mine, but I certainly reciprocate. I think he's really very good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/i-like-christian-bale-i-ve-heard-he-s-a-big-fan-of-mine-but-i/)

[Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/)

> [When I was going out and trying to fully give glory to God, in my setting, I feared that people would be dismissive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/when-i-was-going-out-and-trying-to-fully-give-glory-to-god-in-my/)

[Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/)

> [I'm a follower of the Christ path, and that opens a huge discussion about what we even mean by words like "Christian."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/i-m-a-follower-of-the-christ-path-and-that-opens-a-huge-discussion/)

[Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/)

> [“If you took some North Korean songs and replaced Kim Il Sung with God or Jesus it would sound exactly like a Christian hymn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-kim/if-you-took-some-north-korean-songs-and-replaced-kim-il-sung-with-god/)

Mike Kim

## More by L.M. Montgomery

> [“The other day Nan said, 'Nothing can ever be quite the same for any of us again.' It made me feel rebellious. Why shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/the-other-day-nan-said-nothing-can-ever-be-quite-the-same-for-any-of/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“It's a very bad habit to put off disagreeable things...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/it-s-a-very-bad-habit-to-put-off-disagreeable-things/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“Who was it said, ‘We forget because we must’? He was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/who-was-it-said-we-forget-because-we-must-he-was-right/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“I don't think it's any help that it's your habit. What would you think of a person who went about sticking pins and needles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-help-that-it-s-your-habit-what-would-you-think/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“What a splendid day! Isn't it good just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren't born yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/what-a-splendid-day-isn-t-it-good-just-to-be-alive-on-a-day-like-this/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“I told you the Bible was more to be depended on than newspapers!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-told-you-the-bible-was-more-to-be-depended-on-than-newspapers/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“On a day like this there's no such word as fail in my bright lexicon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/on-a-day-like-this-there-s-no-such-word-as-fail-in-my-bright-lexicon/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“I took the brooch because I was too overcome with irresistible temptation. I was imagining I was Lady Cordelia Fitzgerald, and I just had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-took-the-brooch-because-i-was-too-overcome-with-irresistible/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“…she made a poem on it at once, the lines singing themselves through her consciousness without effort. With one side of her nature she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/she-made-a-poem-on-it-at-once-the-lines-singing-themselves-through/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“I think there are two kinds of TRUE THINGS-- true things that ARE, and true things that ARE NOT, but MIGHT be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-think-there-are-two-kinds-of-true-things-true-things-that-are-and/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“when the darkness is close to us it is a friend. But when we sorter push it away from us—divorce ourselves from it, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/when-the-darkness-is-close-to-us-it-is-a-friend-but-when-we-sorter/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“Yesterday she had been all her own. Now she was this man's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/yesterday-she-had-been-all-her-own-now-she-was-this-man-s/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“I suppose that's how it looks in prose. But it's very different if you look at it through poetry…and I think it's nicer…' Anne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-suppose-that-s-how-it-looks-in-prose-but-it-s-very-different-if-you/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“Ilse and I hunted all over the old orchard today for a four-leaved clover and couldn't find one. Then I found one in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/ilse-and-i-hunted-all-over-the-old-orchard-today-for-a-four-leaved/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“Nothing seems worthwhile. My very thoughts are old. I've thought them all before. What is the use of living after all, Anne?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/nothing-seems-worthwhile-my-very-thoughts-are-old-i-ve-thought-them/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

[Explore all 463 L.M. Montgomery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

## More Cheerful quotes

> [Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/cheerfulness-in-most-cheerful-people-is-the-rich-and-satisfying/)

[Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/)

> [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&amp;P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [The best Maxim I know in this life is, to drink your Coffee when you can, and when you cannot, to be easy without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/the-best-maxim-i-know-in-this-life-is-to-drink-your-coffee-when-you/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-washington/i-am-still-determined-to-be-cheerful-and-happy-in-whatever-situation/)

[Martha Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-washington/)

> [By experience; by a sense of human frailty; by a perception of "the soul of goodness in things evil;" by a cheerful trust in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-robertson/by-experience-by-a-sense-of-human-frailty-by-a-perception-of-the-soul/)

[Frederick William Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-william-robertson/)

> [Bright reds - scarlet, pillar-box red, crimson or cherry - are very cheerful and youthful. There is certainly a red for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-dior/bright-reds-scarlet-pillar-box-red-crimson-or-cherry-are-very/)

[Christian Dior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-dior/)

> [To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/to-my-mind-a-picture-should-be-something-pleasant-cheerful-and-pretty/)

[Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/)

> [Well, we can ride together for a while longer. The highway south is farther along this way. I'll be glad of some cheerful company."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/well-we-can-ride-together-for-a-while-longer-the-highway-south-is/)

[John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/)

> [ It's sad if people think that's (homemaking) a dull existance, \[but\] you can't just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/it-s-sad-if-people-think-that-s-homemaking-a-dull-existance-but-you/)

[Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/)

> [When I was about 17, I had a row with my mother and left home for six months, renting a flat and working as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-robinson/when-i-was-about-17-i-had-a-row-with-my-mother-and-left-home-for-six/)

[Anne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-robinson/)

> [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-was-broken-in-body-soul-and-spirit-my-natural-elasticity-was/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [Love is a very contradiction of all the elements of our ordinary nature -- it makes the proud man meek -- the cheerful, sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/love-is-a-very-contradiction-of-all-the-elements-of-our-ordinary/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [To bear adversity with meek submission to the will of God; to endure chastisement with all long-suffering and joyfulness; to appear cheerful amid surrounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-angell-james/to-bear-adversity-with-meek-submission-to-the-will-of-god-to-endure/)

[John Angell James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-angell-james/)

[Browse all 600 Cheerful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheerful/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I never knew before that religion was such a cheerful thing. I always thought it was kind of melancholy, but Mrs. Allan's isn't, and I'd like to be a Christian if I could be one like her.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "L.M. Montgomery"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-such-a-cheerful-thing-i-always/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cheerful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-such-a-cheerful-thing-i-always/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/l-m-montgomery-567_cheerful_i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-su_767968.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/l-m-montgomery-567_cheerful_i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-su_767968.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/l-m-montgomery-567_cheerful_i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-su_767968.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I never knew before that religion was such a cheerful thing. I always thought it was kind of melancholy, but…” — L.M. Montgomery",
                "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": "L.M. Montgomery",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I never knew before that religion...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-such-a-cheerful-thing-i-always/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-never-knew-before-that-religion-was-such-a-cheerful-thing-i-always/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
