--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best reply to an atheist is to give…" description: "\"The best reply to an atheist is to give him a good dinner and ask him if he believes there is a cook.\" — Louis Nizer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/louis-nizer-27493_asks_the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give_1438355.jpg" --- # The best reply to an atheist is to give him a good dinner… ![“The best reply to an atheist is to give him a good dinner and ask him if he believes there is a cook.” quote by Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/louis-nizer-27493_asks_the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give_1438355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/louis-nizer-27493_asks_the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give_1438355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/louis-nizer-27493_asks_the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give_1438355.jpg) > “The best reply to an atheist is to give him a good dinner and ask him if he believes there is a cook.” [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A witty retort suggesting that sharing a meal can reveal deeper truths, implying that belief in a creator can be inferred from everyday experiences. **In simple terms:** Use a dinner to discuss belief in a creator. Key Takeaway Use shared meals to explore deeper beliefs. Themes faith dialogue humor inquiry Mood lighthearted thought‑provoking playful Type debate philosophical When to use this quote - family dinner - interfaith dialogue - casual conversation Key Concepts philosophy of religion social interaction skepticism Questions to Reflect On - Can simple experiences prove metaphysical claims? - How effective is humor in theological debate? A Different Perspective May not persuade skeptics; relies on anecdotal reasoning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) ## Related quotes > [How to trap an atheist: Serve him a fine meal, then ask him if he believes there is a cook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-to-trap-an-atheist-serve-him-a-fine-meal-then-ask-him-if-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I haven't personally met God yet, but when I do, I'll ask him if he still believes in you. I'm sure he does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-haven-t-personally-met-god-yet-but-when-i-do-i-ll-ask-him-if-he/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Sometimes when I'm faced with an atheist, I am tempted to invite him to the greatest gourmet dinner that one could ever serve, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/sometimes-when-i-m-faced-with-an-atheist-i-am-tempted-to-invite-him/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I’m an atheist. The good news about atheists is that we have no mandate to convert anyone. So you’ll never find me on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-poundstone/i-m-an-atheist-the-good-news-about-atheists-is-that-we-have-no/) [Paula Poundstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-poundstone/) > [“I implore the atheist not to judge the religious and I implore the religious to not find fault with the atheist. Be a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-implore-the-atheist-not-to-judge-the-religious-and-i-implore-the/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [I don't believe in God, in prayer, in going to temples begging God to give me and my family happiness. I am not asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhasini-maniratnam/i-don-t-believe-in-god-in-prayer-in-going-to-temples-begging-god-to/) [Suhasini Maniratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhasini-maniratnam/) > [“Why should I have to hide the fact that I don't believe there’s a supreme being? There’s no proof of it. There’s no harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/why-should-i-have-to-hide-the-fact-that-i-don-t-believe-there-s-a/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [“Strange to see how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody. Samuel Pepys”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-parrott-iii/strange-to-see-how-a-good-dinner-and-feasting-reconciles-everybody/) [Les Parrott III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-parrott-iii/) > [A good dinner brings out all the softer side of a man. Under its genial influence the gloomy and morose become jovial and chatty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome-2/a-good-dinner-brings-out-all-the-softer-side-of-a-man-under-its/) [Jerome K Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome-2/) > [“when cruising in an empty ship, if you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-can-get-nothing-better-out-of/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [I would like to sit down with Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, PJ Harvey, and Bjork. That would be a good dinner in my mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freja-beha-erichsen/i-would-like-to-sit-down-with-emily-dickinson-virginia-woolf-pj/) [Freja Beha Erichsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freja-beha-erichsen/) > [“It was as good a dinner as I have ever absorbed, and Thomas like a watered flower. As we sat down he was saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/it-was-as-good-a-dinner-as-i-have-ever-absorbed-and-thomas-like-a/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [When you get me a good man made out of arguments, I will get you a good dinner with reading you the cookery book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/when-you-get-me-a-good-man-made-out-of-arguments-i-will-get-you-a/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Despair is perfectly compatible with a good dinner, I promise you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/despair-is-perfectly-compatible-with-a-good-dinner-i-promise-you/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“A child says ‘Thank God for my good dinner’. What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-child-says-thank-god-for-my-good-dinner-what-can-i-say-at-seventy/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) ## More by Louis Nizer > [Luck usually visits me at 2 am on a cold morning when, red-eyed and bone-weary, I am pouring over law books preparing a case.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/luck-usually-visits-me-at-2-am-on-a-cold-morning-when-red-eyed-and/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [Most lawyers who win a case advise their clients, "We have won," and when justice has frowned upon their cause ... "You have lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/most-lawyers-who-win-a-case-advise-their-clients-we-have-won-and-when/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [A man's life is colored by the dye of his imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/a-man-s-life-is-colored-by-the-dye-of-his-imagination/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [A fine artist is one who makes familiar things new and new things familiar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/a-fine-artist-is-one-who-makes-familiar-things-new-and-new-things/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [Education is not the accumulation of knowledge, but the ability to find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/education-is-not-the-accumulation-of-knowledge-but-the-ability-to/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [Yes, there's such a thing as luck in trial law but it only comes at 3 o'clock in the morning. You'll still find me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/yes-there-s-such-a-thing-as-luck-in-trial-law-but-it-only-comes-at-3/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [Oh, I get lucky a lot. I get lucky at four in the morning in the law library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/oh-i-get-lucky-a-lot-i-get-lucky-at-four-in-the-morning-in-the-law/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [A graceful taunt is worth a thousand insults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/a-graceful-taunt-is-worth-a-thousand-insults/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [A father is a thousand schoolmasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/a-father-is-a-thousand-schoolmasters/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [Many people with different backgrounds, cultures, languages, and creeds combine to make a nation. But that nation is greater than the sum total of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/many-people-with-different-backgrounds-cultures-languages-and-creeds/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [Where there is no difference, there is only indifference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/where-there-is-no-difference-there-is-only-indifference/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [“A man who works with his hands is a laborer. A man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/a-man-who-works-with-his-hands-is-a-laborer-a-man-who-works-with-his/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [A speaker who does not strike oil in ten minutes should stop boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/a-speaker-who-does-not-strike-oil-in-ten-minutes-should-stop-boring/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/a-man-who-works-with-his-hands-is-a-laborer-a-man-who-works-with-his-2/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) > [True religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/true-religion-is-the-life-we-lead-not-the-creed-we-profess/) [Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) [Explore all 20 Louis Nizer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The best reply to an atheist is to give him a good dinner and ask him if he believes there is a cook.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louis Nizer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give-him-a-good-dinner-and-ask-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give-him-a-good-dinner-and-ask-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/louis-nizer-27493_asks_the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give_1438355.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/louis-nizer-27493_asks_the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give_1438355.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/louis-nizer-27493_asks_the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give_1438355.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The best reply to an atheist is to give him a good dinner and ask him if he believes there is a cook.” — Louis Nizer", "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": "Louis Nizer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The best reply to an atheist...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give-him-a-good-dinner-and-ask-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/the-best-reply-to-an-atheist-is-to-give-him-a-good-dinner-and-ask-him/#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 } } ] } ```