--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No religion which is narrow and which…" description: "\"No religion which is narrow and which cannot satisfy the test of reason, will survive the coming reconstruction of society in which the values will hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/mahatma-gandhi-23_birth_no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-ca_1939203.jpg" --- # No religion which is narrow and which cannot satisfy the… ![“No religion which is narrow and which cannot satisfy the test of reason, will survive the coming reconstruction of society in which the values will have changed and character, not possession of wealth, title or birth, will be the test of merit.” quote by Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/mahatma-gandhi-23_birth_no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-ca_1939203.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/mahatma-gandhi-23_birth_no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-ca_1939203.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/mahatma-gandhi-23_birth_no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-ca_1939203.jpg) > “No religion which is narrow and which cannot satisfy the test of reason, will survive the coming reconstruction of society in which the values will have changed and character, not possession of wealth, title or birth, will be the test of merit.” [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Narrow religions that fail reason will collapse; merit will be judged by character, not wealth or birth. **In simple terms:** Reasonable faith survives; character matters. Key Takeaway Cultivate character over status. Themes reason merit social change Mood philosophical political Type thought‑provoking critical When to use this quote - education reform - political movements - community building Key Concepts secularism ethical values Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance reason and tradition? - What role does character play in modern merit? A Different Perspective Reason alone may not protect faith; cultural factors matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Coming Reconstruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-reconstruction-3080648/) [Merit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merit/) [Metaphysics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysics/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reconstruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconstruction/) [Reconstruction Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconstruction-society-3080649/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Narrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-narrow-491320/) [Society Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-values-449132/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [Titles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/titles/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [ It generally troubles them \[the reformers\] not a whit that their remedy implies a complete reconstruction of society, or even a reconstitution of human… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/it-generally-troubles-them-the-reformers-not-a-whit-that-their-remedy/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [“What is boasted of at the present time as the revival of religion, is always, in narrow and uncultivated minds, at least as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/what-is-boasted-of-at-the-present-time-as-the-revival-of-religion-is/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [The only important elements in any society are the artistic and the criminal, because they alone, by questioning the society’s values, can force it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/the-only-important-elements-in-any-society-are-the-artistic-and-the/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [Our society's values are being corrupted by advertising's insistence on the equation: youth equals popularity, popularity equals success, success equals happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-society-s-values-are-being-corrupted-by-advertising-s-insistence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Society values cooperation over independence, obedience over individuality, and niceness above all else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/society-values-cooperation-over-independence-obedience-over/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“The education provided must therefore encourage the development in each citizen of three things; an inquiring mind; and ability to learn from what others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-nyerere/the-education-provided-must-therefore-encourage-the-development-in/) [Julius Nyerere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-nyerere/) > [“Isn't it funny that in a society that values freedom above all things, things that are free are not valued?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/isn-t-it-funny-that-in-a-society-that-values-freedom-above-all-things/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [We are a society that values a man for what he does in the world, a woman for how she looks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-b-rubin/we-are-a-society-that-values-a-man-for-what-he-does-in-the-world-a/) [Lillian B. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-b-rubin/) > [Could we chose to amend the rules of the game to create a society that values people over profits, life over pollution, mutual care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-robin/could-we-chose-to-amend-the-rules-of-the-game-to-create-a-society/) [Vicki Robin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-robin/) > [Our society values alert, problem-solving consciousness, and it devalues all other states of consciousness. Any kind of consciousness that is not related to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-hancock/our-society-values-alert-problem-solving-consciousness-and-it/) [Graham Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-hancock/) > [“We’ve built a society that values civil liberties even at the expense of social order.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/we-ve-built-a-society-that-values-civil-liberties-even-at-the-expense/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [It is a part of the intellectual's tragedy that the things he most values about himself and his work are quite unlike those society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/it-is-a-part-of-the-intellectual-s-tragedy-that-the-things-he-most/) [Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/) > [Over all, many of society's values are a cesspool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/over-all-many-of-society-s-values-are-a-cesspool/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The problem with our society is that our values aren’t in the right place. There’s an awful lot of bleeding and naked bodies on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/the-problem-with-our-society-is-that-our-values-aren-t-in-the-right/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [I was lucky enough to be born in a time and place where society values my talent, and gave me a good education to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-was-lucky-enough-to-be-born-in-a-time-and-place-where-society/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) ## More by Mahatma Gandhi > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Devotion required by the Gita is no soft-hearted effusiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/devotion-required-by-the-gita-is-no-soft-hearted-effusiveness/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [So long as we fear the outside world, we must cease to think of Swaraj.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/so-long-as-we-fear-the-outside-world-we-must-cease-to-think-of-swaraj/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I do not want a kingdom, or heaven; what I want is to remove the trouble of the oppressed, the poor, and the needy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-a-kingdom-or-heaven-what-i-want-is-to-remove-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Religions are not for separating men from one another, they are meant to bind them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/religions-are-not-for-separating-men-from-one-another-they-are-meant/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I hold flesh-food to be unsuited to our species. We err in copying the lower animal world if we are superior to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-hold-flesh-food-to-be-unsuited-to-our-species-we-err-in-copying-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was only in South Africa that I got over this shyness, though I never completely overcame it. It was impossible for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/it-was-only-in-south-africa-that-i-got-over-this-shyness-though-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Where there is life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/where-there-is-life/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [If it was wrong to seek God in a stone, how was it right to seek Him in a book called the Gita, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/if-it-was-wrong-to-seek-god-in-a-stone-how-was-it-right-to-seek-him/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The spirit of democracy cannot be established in the midst of terrorism, whether governmental or popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-spirit-of-democracy-cannot-be-established-in-the-midst-of/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them-a desire, a dream, a vison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/champions-are-made-from-something-they-have-deep-inside-of-them-a/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [My motto is "Unite now, today if you can; fight if you must. But in every case avoid British intervention."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-motto-is-unite-now-today-if-you-can-fight-if-you-must-but-in-every/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I have no disciples, being myself an aspirant after discipleship and in search of a guru.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-have-no-disciples-being-myself-an-aspirant-after-discipleship-and/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Man becomes not the lord and master of all creation but he is its servant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/man-becomes-not-the-lord-and-master-of-all-creation-but-he-is-its/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) [Explore all 3,284 Mahatma Gandhi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) ## More Birth quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) [Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/) > [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/) [Roxanne Shante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-shante/) > [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/) [Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/) > [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/) [Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) [Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No religion which is narrow and which cannot satisfy the test of reason, will survive the coming reconstruction of society in which the values will have changed and character, not possession of wealth, title or birth, will be the test of merit.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahatma Gandhi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-cannot-satisfy-the-test-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Birth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-cannot-satisfy-the-test-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/mahatma-gandhi-23_birth_no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-ca_1939203.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/mahatma-gandhi-23_birth_no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-ca_1939203.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/mahatma-gandhi-23_birth_no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-ca_1939203.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No religion which is narrow and which cannot satisfy the test of reason, will survive the coming…” — Mahatma Gandhi", "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": "Mahatma Gandhi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No religion which is narrow and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-cannot-satisfy-the-test-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-religion-which-is-narrow-and-which-cannot-satisfy-the-test-of/#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 } } ] } ```