--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a person suffers from a delusion it…" description: "\"When a person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity; when a number of people suffer from a delusion it is called religion.\" — Lekan Wahab" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/lekan-wahab-53420_delusion_when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it_2372786.jpg" --- # When a person suffers from a delusion it is called… ![“When a person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity; when a number of people suffer from a delusion it is called religion.” quote by Lekan Wahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/lekan-wahab-53420_delusion_when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it_2372786.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/lekan-wahab-53420_delusion_when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it_2372786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/lekan-wahab-53420_delusion_when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it_2372786.jpg) > “When a person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity; when a number of people suffer from a delusion it is called religion.” [Lekan Wahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It contrasts individual delusion (insanity) with collective delusion (religion), implying that shared false beliefs become institutionalized as religion. **In simple terms:** Individual delusion is insanity; group delusion is religion. Key Takeaway Question the basis of widely held beliefs. Themes psychology religion social dynamics belief truth Mood skeptical inquisitive Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - Personal introspection - community discussions - academic study - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts Mass psychology Sociology of religion Groupthink Questions to Reflect On - What distinguishes harmful delusion from meaningful belief? - How can societies critically evaluate shared doctrines? A Different Perspective The comparison can be seen as dismissive of genuine spiritual experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity; when many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion. - Robert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pirsig/when-one-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it-is-called-insanity-when-2/) [Robert Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pirsig/) > [When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called a Religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/when-one-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it-is-called-insanity-when/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [“Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: ‘When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/robert-m-pirsig-author-of-zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I suffer from the delusion that every product of my imagination is not only possible, but always on the cusp of becoming real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/i-suffer-from-the-delusion-that-every-product-of-my-imagination-is/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/all-are-lunatics-but-he-who-can-analyze-his-delusion-is-called-a/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [It is a great delusion to suppose that flesh-meat of any kind is essential to health. Considerably more than three parts of the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-booth/it-is-a-great-delusion-to-suppose-that-flesh-meat-of-any-kind-is/) [Catherine Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-booth/) > [Atheism Explained is a gem. It is clear, informative, well-argued, provocative, often witty, and unfailingly interesting. David Ramsay Steele ranges over so many issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-shearmur/atheism-explained-is-a-gem-it-is-clear-informative-well-argued/) Jeremy Shearmur > [“we shouldn’t surrender our real world perception to a false reality too much or we may suffer the inevitable consequences of deluded thinking. Technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-p-neary/we-shouldn-t-surrender-our-real-world-perception-to-a-false-reality/) M.P. Neary > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The Science Delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality in principle leaving only the details to be filled in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sheldrake/the-science-delusion-is-the-belief-that-science-already-understands/) [Rupert Sheldrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sheldrake/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-the-idea-of-having-to-change-ourselves-makes-us-uncomfortable-we/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-borne/getting-rid-of-a-delusion-makes-us-wiser-than-getting-hold-of-a-truth/) [Ludwig Borne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-borne/) ## More by Lekan Wahab > [Who sees the human face correctly;the painter the photographer or the mirror?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/who-sees-the-human-face-correctly-the-painter-the-photographer-or-the/) [Lekan Wahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/) > [The primary cause of trouble in the world is the fact that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/the-primary-cause-of-trouble-in-the-world-is-the-fact-that-the-stupid/) [Lekan Wahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/) > [I know God will not give me anything I can't handle,I just don't know why he trusts me that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/i-know-god-will-not-give-me-anything-i-can-t-handle-i-just-don-t-know/) [Lekan Wahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/) > [Only two things are infinite;the universe and human stupidity and I am not sure of the former.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/only-two-things-are-infinite-the-universe-and-human-stupidity-and-i/) [Lekan Wahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/) > [Success is a matter of luck,ask any failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/success-is-a-matter-of-luck-ask-any-failure/) [Lekan Wahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/) [Explore all 6 Lekan Wahab quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/) ## More Delusion quotes > [Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-borne/getting-rid-of-a-delusion-makes-us-wiser-than-getting-hold-of-a-truth/) [Ludwig Borne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-borne/) > [If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-the-idea-of-having-to-change-ourselves-makes-us-uncomfortable-we/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The Science Delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality in principle leaving only the details to be filled in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sheldrake/the-science-delusion-is-the-belief-that-science-already-understands/) [Rupert Sheldrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sheldrake/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“we shouldn’t surrender our real world perception to a false reality too much or we may suffer the inevitable consequences of deluded thinking. Technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-p-neary/we-shouldn-t-surrender-our-real-world-perception-to-a-false-reality/) M.P. Neary > [Atheism Explained is a gem. It is clear, informative, well-argued, provocative, often witty, and unfailingly interesting. David Ramsay Steele ranges over so many issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-shearmur/atheism-explained-is-a-gem-it-is-clear-informative-well-argued/) Jeremy Shearmur > [It is a great delusion to suppose that flesh-meat of any kind is essential to health. Considerably more than three parts of the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-booth/it-is-a-great-delusion-to-suppose-that-flesh-meat-of-any-kind-is/) [Catherine Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-booth/) > [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I suffer from the delusion that every product of my imagination is not only possible, but always on the cusp of becoming real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/i-suffer-from-the-delusion-that-every-product-of-my-imagination-is/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Someone who has the delusion Glass, is made of, does not literally believe herself to be made of glass but rather feels fragile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/someone-who-has-the-delusion-glass-is-made-of-does-not-literally/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [Paranoia is a state of heightened awareness. Most people are persecuted beyond their wildest delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-steiner/paranoia-is-a-state-of-heightened-awareness-most-people-are/) Claude Steiner > [Women are women, and so are men, and the delusion that we are spiritually separate from or are about to spiritually separate from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anohni/women-are-women-and-so-are-men-and-the-delusion-that-we-are/) [Anohni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anohni/) > [I'd actually love to think that I could trust Kerry on national security. But the only way I could do that, at this point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-reynolds/i-d-actually-love-to-think-that-i-could-trust-kerry-on-national/) [Glenn Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-reynolds/) [Browse all 1,172 Delusion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity; when a number of people suffer from a delusion it is called religion.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lekan Wahab" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it-is-called-insanity-when-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Delusion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it-is-called-insanity-when-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/lekan-wahab-53420_delusion_when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it_2372786.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/lekan-wahab-53420_delusion_when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it_2372786.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/lekan-wahab-53420_delusion_when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it_2372786.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity; when a number of people suffer from a delusion…” — Lekan Wahab", "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": "Lekan Wahab", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a person suffers from a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it-is-called-insanity-when-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/when-a-person-suffers-from-a-delusion-it-is-called-insanity-when-a/#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 } } ] } ```