---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Entertainment is the devil's substitute…"
description: "\"Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you needwhen you can say, 'Thou, O Christ, ar..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/leonard-ravenhill-1175_art_entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute_981380.jpg"
---

#  Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more…

![“Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you needwhen you can say, 'Thou, O Christ, art all I want.' But listen, be careful: it may strip you of everything else you have; you may lose some of your best friends who think you're…” quote by Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/leonard-ravenhill-1175_art_entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute_981380.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/leonard-ravenhill-1175_art_entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute_981380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/leonard-ravenhill-1175_art_entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute_981380.jpg)

> “Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you needwhen you can say, 'Thou, O Christ, art all I want.' But listen, be careful: it may strip you of everything else you have; you may lose some of your best friends who think you're fanatical; they don't mind you being kind or good, but you become holy and zealous”

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

## About This Quote

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

Entertainment can replace joy, but true joy in the Lord reduces the need for worldly amusements, though it may alienate friends.

**In simple terms:** Joy in God lessens need for entertainment.

Key Takeaway

Seek divine joy over worldly distractions.

Themes

faith entertainment joy zeal

Mood

reflective cautionary

Type

spiritual motivational

When to use this quote

- personal devotion
- community building
- managing relationships

Key Concepts

Spiritual fulfillment social alienation balance

Questions to Reflect On

- How to maintain relationships while deepening faith?
- What balance between joy and entertainment is healthy?

A Different Perspective

Excessive zeal can strain friendships.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Best friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friend/) [Best friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friends/) [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute-for-joy/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute-for-joy-the-more-joy-you-have-2/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Entertainment is the devils substitute for joy, and when you get satisfaction out of that dumb thing, your joy will diminish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/entertainment-is-the-devils-substitute-for-joy-and-when-you-get/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [“Joy is not a substitute for sex; sex is very often a substitute for Joy. I sometimes wonder whether all pleasures are not substitutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/joy-is-not-a-substitute-for-sex-sex-is-very-often-a-substitute-for/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [We are more inclined to hate one another for points on which we differ, than to love one another for points on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-are-more-inclined-to-hate-one-another-for-points-on-which-we/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [I remember a passage in Goldsmith's "Vicar of Wakefield," which he was afterwards fool enough to expunge: "I do not love a man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-remember-a-passage-in-goldsmith-s-vicar-of-wakefield-which-he-was/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The most zealous converters are always the most rancorous when they fail of producing conversion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/the-most-zealous-converters-are-always-the-most-rancorous-when-they/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [The ministers, who preached at these revivals, were in earnest. They were zealous and sincere. They were not philosophers. To them science was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-ministers-who-preached-at-these-revivals-were-in-earnest-they/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [The zest for life of those unusual men and women who make a great zealous success of living is due more often in good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/the-zest-for-life-of-those-unusual-men-and-women-who-make-a-great/)

[Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/)

> [Lycurgus being asked why he, who in other respects appeared to be so zealous for the equal rights of men, did not make his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/lycurgus-being-asked-why-he-who-in-other-respects-appeared-to-be-so/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [So willing is every man to flatter himself, that the difference between approving laws, and obeying them, is frequently forgotten; he that acknowledges the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/so-willing-is-every-man-to-flatter-himself-that-the-difference/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [I've always been very zealous about not invading other people's private spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jennings/i-ve-always-been-very-zealous-about-not-invading-other-people-s/)

[Peter Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jennings/)

> [In my judgment, a great mistake has been made by well meaning and zealous men, through treating error and infidelity with altogether too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/in-my-judgment-a-great-mistake-has-been-made-by-well-meaning-and/)

[J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/)

> [“The smell of the sweat is not sweet, but the fruit of the sweat is very sweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/the-smell-of-the-sweat-is-not-sweet-but-the-fruit-of-the-sweat-is/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [A zealous disciple expressed a desire to teach others the Truth and asked the Master what he thought about this. The Master said, "Wait."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/a-zealous-disciple-expressed-a-desire-to-teach-others-the-truth-and/)

[Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/)

## More by Leonard Ravenhill

> [Revival is the Spirit's passion within the believer to know and to obey the total will of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/revival-is-the-spirit-s-passion-within-the-believer-to-know-and-to/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [We have too many preacherettes preaching too many sermonettes to too many Christianettes smoking cigarettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/we-have-too-many-preacherettes-preaching-too-many-sermonettes-to-too/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [If I was to ask you tonight if you were saved? Do you say 'Yes, I am saved'. When? 'Oh so and so preached,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/if-i-was-to-ask-you-tonight-if-you-were-saved-do-you-say-yes-i-am/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity; it's waiting for a new demonstration of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/the-world-out-there-is-not-waiting-for-a-new-definition-of/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [John the Baptist never performed any miracles. Yet, he was greater than any of the Old Testament prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/john-the-baptist-never-performed-any-miracles-yet-he-was-greater-than/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [“Who or what takes priority over God in our lives?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/who-or-what-takes-priority-over-god-in-our-lives/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Get rid of this bunkum about the 'carnal Christian'. Forget it! If you're carnal, you're not saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/get-rid-of-this-bunkum-about-the-carnal-christian-forget-it-if-you-re/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Why is there this criminal indifference to the lostness of men? Our condemnation is that we know how to live better than we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/why-is-there-this-criminal-indifference-to-the-lostness-of-men-our/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [I find it most intriguing to contemplate the fact that while men are considering what place to give Jesus Christ in history, He has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/i-find-it-most-intriguing-to-contemplate-the-fact-that-while-men-are/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [If a Christian is not having tribulation in the world, there's something wrong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/if-a-christian-is-not-having-tribulation-in-the-world-there-s/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [The Bible parable says that while men slept, the enemy sowed tares among the wheat. A boy who rises at 4:30 to deliver papers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/the-bible-parable-says-that-while-men-slept-the-enemy-sowed-tares/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Ministers who do not spend two hours a day in prayer are not worth a dime a dozen - degrees or no degrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/ministers-who-do-not-spend-two-hours-a-day-in-prayer-are-not-worth-a/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [You know, we live in a day when we are more afraid of holiness than we are of sinfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/you-know-we-live-in-a-day-when-we-are-more-afraid-of-holiness-than-we/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [I doubt if 5% of professing Christians in America are born again-and that's true of England!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/i-doubt-if-5-of-professing-christians-in-america-are-born-again-and/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [What's the condition of America like, spiritually, tonight? Zero. Why? Because we've got blind men coming out of seminaries. Men there don't teach them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/what-s-the-condition-of-america-like-spiritually-tonight-zero-why/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

[Explore all 279 Leonard Ravenhill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you needwhen you can say, 'Thou, O Christ, art all I want.' But listen, be careful: it may strip you of everything else you have; you may lose some of your best friends who think you're fanatical; they don't mind you being kind or good, but you become holy and zealous",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leonard Ravenhill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute-for-joy-the-more-joy-you-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute-for-joy-the-more-joy-you-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/leonard-ravenhill-1175_art_entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute_981380.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/leonard-ravenhill-1175_art_entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute_981380.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/leonard-ravenhill-1175_art_entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute_981380.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment…” — Leonard Ravenhill",
                "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": "Leonard Ravenhill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Entertainment is the devil's substitute for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute-for-joy-the-more-joy-you-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/entertainment-is-the-devil-s-substitute-for-joy-the-more-joy-you-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
