--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We do ourselves wrong, and too meanly…" description: "\"We do ourselves wrong, and too meanly estimate the holiness above us, when we deem that any act or enjoyment good in itself, is not good to do religiou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_enjoyment_we-do-ourselves-wrong-and-too-meanly-est_1525137.jpg" --- # We do ourselves wrong, and too meanly estimate the… ![“We do ourselves wrong, and too meanly estimate the holiness above us, when we deem that any act or enjoyment good in itself, is not good to do religiously.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_enjoyment_we-do-ourselves-wrong-and-too-meanly-est_1525137.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_enjoyment_we-do-ourselves-wrong-and-too-meanly-est_1525137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_enjoyment_we-do-ourselves-wrong-and-too-meanly-est_1525137.jpg) > “We do ourselves wrong, and too meanly estimate the holiness above us, when we deem that any act or enjoyment good in itself, is not good to do religiously.” [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It warns against judging actions as inherently good without considering religious or moral context, suggesting we often overestimate divine standards. **In simple terms:** Good deeds may not be religiously appropriate. Key Takeaway Consider moral context beyond personal enjoyment. Themes morality religion self‑deception Mood reflective philosophical Type ethical theological When to use this quote - charitable acts - personal hobbies - public policy decisions Key Concepts ethics theology human nature Questions to Reflect On - Do you separate personal pleasure from moral duty? - How do you define “good” in a secular world? A Different Perspective Religious standards vary, making universal judgments difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment/) [Estimate Holiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/estimate-holiness-5646373/) [Good Religiously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-religiously-5646375/) [Holiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religiously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religiously-234873/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Wrong Meanly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-meanly-5646374/) ## Related quotes > [Being "Jewish" is way stronger culturally than it is religiously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/being-jewish-is-way-stronger-culturally-than-it-is-religiously/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [I've always been religiously inclined, but it doesn't come up in most of my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/i-ve-always-been-religiously-inclined-but-it-doesn-t-come-up-in-most/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [Religiously the Empire was pluralistic and marked by a search for a faith which would be satisfying intellectually and ethically and would give assurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/religiously-the-empire-was-pluralistic-and-marked-by-a-search-for-a/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) > [Religiously, we longed for the lively life in Christ, but we did not fully see that we were equally longing for the lively life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-vanauken/religiously-we-longed-for-the-lively-life-in-christ-but-we-did-not/) [Sheldon Vanauken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-vanauken/) > [Some people pass through life soberly and religiously enough, without knowing way, or reasoning about it, but, from force of habit merely, go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/some-people-pass-through-life-soberly-and-religiously-enough-without/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [“It isn't as important to religiously cliam God/Jesus, then it is for us to live what we're professing to cliam"...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shenica-coleman/it-isn-t-as-important-to-religiously-cliam-god-jesus-then-it-is-for/) [Shenica Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shenica-coleman/) > [It is still fashionable to believe that how you organize yourself religiously in this life may matter for eternity. Unless we can erode the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/it-is-still-fashionable-to-believe-that-how-you-organize-yourself/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“A people religiously right, will not long remain politically wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arnot/a-people-religiously-right-will-not-long-remain-politically-wrong/) [William Arnot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arnot/) > [I used to watch 'Grey's Anatomy' pretty religiously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erinn-hayes/i-used-to-watch-grey-s-anatomy-pretty-religiously/) [Erinn Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erinn-hayes/) > [Most of the forward movements of life in general ... have been the work of essentially religiously-minded people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-ives/most-of-the-forward-movements-of-life-in-general-have-been-the-work/) [Charles Ives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-ives/) > [“and there are even cases of religiously inspired human sacrifice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/and-there-are-even-cases-of-religiously-inspired-human-sacrifice/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I watched 'The Wire' religiously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-thomas/i-watched-the-wire-religiously/) [Ashley Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-thomas/) > [You prostrate religiously--yet, YOU kill thou bredren and create war among the people, including YOUR PEOPLE. Do you even know the love of GOD?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wandini/you-prostrate-religiously-yet-you-kill-thou-bredren-and-create-war/) [Wandini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wandini/) > [I'm religiously celibate except in LA, NOLA, FLA, because there is certainly no God in any of those places. So unless you live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessicka/i-m-religiously-celibate-except-in-la-nola-fla-because-there-is/) [Jessicka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessicka/) > [What a misfortune it would be, religiously speaking and educationally speaking, if we could only work happily with those who saw things as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-erskine-stuart/what-a-misfortune-it-would-be-religiously-speaking-and-educationally/) [Janet Erskine Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-erskine-stuart/) ## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) [Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## More Enjoyment quotes > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) > [I filmed my first vlog and I think it worked because I wasn't trying to make it work. I was just doing it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dobrik/i-filmed-my-first-vlog-and-i-think-it-worked-because-i-wasn-t-trying/) [David Dobrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dobrik/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [Love grows. 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Because life is pain and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/why-does-a-man-who-is-truly-in-love-insist-that-this-relationship/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [I think if you're too embroiled in the need to relate too closely to the character, then you start to judge the character for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-if-you-re-too-embroiled-in-the-need-to-relate-too-closely-to/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I'm always very fearful when academics get ahold of comedy. Comedy is such a clear thing - people laugh, or they don't laugh. 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