---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Had these people been living in, for…"
description: "\"“Had these people been living in, for example, the agricultural paradise of the Nile Delta, they might have been able to get away with some mazy religi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/neal-stephenson-362_dogma_had-these-people-been-living-in-for-exam_633819.png"
---

#  Had these people been living in, for example, the…

![“Had these people been living in, for example, the agricultural paradise of the Nile Delta, they might have been able to get away with some mazy religious dogma as the basis for that system.” quote by Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/neal-stephenson-362_dogma_had-these-people-been-living-in-for-exam_633819.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/neal-stephenson-362_dogma_had-these-people-been-living-in-for-exam_633819.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/neal-stephenson-362_dogma_had-these-people-been-living-in-for-exam_633819.png)

> ““Had these people been living in, for example, the agricultural paradise of the Nile Delta, they might have been able to get away with some mazy religious dogma as the basis for that system.””

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

## About This Quote

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

Living in a fertile, resource‑rich environment can allow societies to tolerate complex religious doctrines that might be untenable elsewhere

**In simple terms:** Abundant settings can support intricate belief systems

Key Takeaway

Recognize how environment shapes cultural tolerance

Themes

culture environment religion

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- historical societies
- modern policy
- urban planning

Key Concepts

resource abundance social complexity ideological flexibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How does scarcity affect belief structures?
- Can resource‑rich societies maintain critical thinking?

A Different Perspective

Abundance may also breed complacency or hinder innovation

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agricultural Paradise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agricultural-paradise-5102499/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Mazy Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mazy-religious-5102500/) [Nile Delta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nile-delta-5102501/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-dogma/)

## Related quotes

> [“Religious dogma not only results in the form of gross, zealous behavior such as the killing of ethnic minorities as part of a cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-dansky/religious-dogma-not-only-results-in-the-form-of-gross-zealous/)

[Martin Dansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-dansky/)

> [I'm not religious in the sense that I do not subscribe to any particular set of religious dogma. I don't go to church. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/i-m-not-religious-in-the-sense-that-i-do-not-subscribe-to-any/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [We seem to be the victims of religious dogma, both from the Christian Right here and, of course, in the East with the rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-andrews/we-seem-to-be-the-victims-of-religious-dogma-both-from-the-christian/)

[Naveen Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-andrews/)

> [Old religious dogma attempts to convince you that you are on a journey to God, then makes you pay tolls along that roadway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/old-religious-dogma-attempts-to-convince-you-that-you-are-on-a/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [“Truths turn into dogmas the instant that they are disputed. Thus every man who utters a doubt defines a religion. And the scepticism of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/truths-turn-into-dogmas-the-instant-that-they-are-disputed-thus-every-2/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [Religious dogma creates a perfect fertilizer for the weeds of hypocrisy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/religious-dogma-creates-a-perfect-fertilizer-for-the-weeds-of/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men, their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism and religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-chisholm/to-achieve-world-government-it-is-necessary-to-remove-from-the-minds/)

[Brock Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brock-chisholm/)

> [...there are still truths in the Bible and many other ancient texts despite what religions have done to destroy and debase them. Religious dogma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/there-are-still-truths-in-the-bible-and-many-other-ancient-texts/)

[David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/)

> [“The truth, however, is that the conflict between religion and science is unavoidable. The success of science often comes at the expense of religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-truth-however-is-that-the-conflict-between-religion-and-science/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [Deep down, all of us are probably aware that some kind of mystical evolution is our true task. Yet we suppress the notion with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/deep-down-all-of-us-are-probably-aware-that-some-kind-of-mystical/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [I tend to believe that religious dogma is a consequence of evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/i-tend-to-believe-that-religious-dogma-is-a-consequence-of-evolution/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The Bible is not my book and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long complicated statements of Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-bible-is-not-my-book-and-christianity-is-not-my-religion-i-could/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“It is because of religious dogma, (black health care professional Thelma) Delgado says, that young African Americans believe "God will make a way for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sikivu-hutchinson-in-moral-combat-black-atheists-gender-politics-and-the-values-wars/it-is-because-of-religious-dogma-black-health-care-professional/)

[Sikivu Hutchinson in Moral Combat Black Atheists Gender Politics and the Values Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sikivu-hutchinson-in-moral-combat-black-atheists-gender-politics-and-the-values-wars/)

> [The conflict between religion and science is inherent and (very nearly) zero-sum. The success of science often comes at the expense of religious dogma;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-conflict-between-religion-and-science-is-inherent-and-very-nearly/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“There is no equality between fact and fiction, and anyone who purports themselves to be an academic and still puts religious dogma up as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fiction-and-anyone-who-purports/)

[Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/)

## More by Neal Stephenson

> [“I study dead languages for a living,” I said. “That’s why you hired me. Why should I be up to speed on your line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/i-study-dead-languages-for-a-living-i-said-that-s-why-you-hired-me/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Other people - store clerks, burger flippers, software engineers, the whole vocabulary of meaningless jobs that make up Life in America - other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/other-people-store-clerks-burger-flippers-software-engineers-the/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“It is what you don’t expect,” he’d said, “that most needs looking for.” “Do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/it-is-what-you-don-t-expect-he-d-said-that-most-needs-looking-for-do/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“...the insects here see you as a big slab of animated but not very well defended food. The ability to move, far from being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-insects-here-see-you-as-a-big-slab-of-animated-but-not-very-well/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“There was no way that these guys were going to let a bleeding, barefoot woman simply wander off alone into the streets. Two of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/there-was-no-way-that-these-guys-were-going-to-let-a-bleeding/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Space and Time! Two minor omissions that no one is likely to notice," grumbled Newton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/space-and-time-two-minor-omissions-that-no-one-is-likely-to-notice/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [See, the world is full of things more powerful than us. But if you know how to catch a ride, you can go places,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/see-the-world-is-full-of-things-more-powerful-than-us-but-if-you-know/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Hey,” Shaftoe says, “if we surrender to you, you’ll kill us. Right?” “Yes.” “If you guys surrender to us, we won’t kill you. Promise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/hey-shaftoe-says-if-we-surrender-to-you-you-ll-kill-us-right-yes-if/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“My men think you are dead now, and won’t waste balls on you,” Jack said. “In fact I have let you live, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/my-men-think-you-are-dead-now-and-won-t-waste-balls-on-you-jack-said/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“You’ve probably heard the expression that the Industry feeds off of biomass, like a whale straining krill from the ocean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/you-ve-probably-heard-the-expression-that-the-industry-feeds-off-of/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory. He’s got esprit up to here. Right now, he is preparing to carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-deliverator-belongs-to-an-elite-order-a-hallowed-subcategory-he-s/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“and people could only make sense of complicated matters through stories. Likewise”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/and-people-could-only-make-sense-of-complicated-matters-through/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Van Eck phreaking,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/van-eck-phreaking/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/when-the-deliverator-puts-the-hammer-down-shit-happens/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

[Explore all 633 Neal Stephenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

## More Dogma quotes

> [“The characteristics of this kind of reading are perhaps summed up in the word “orthodox,” which is almost always applicable. The word comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-characteristics-of-this-kind-of-reading-are-perhaps-summed-up-in/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [Dogma is a powerful way of closing human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marley/dogma-is-a-powerful-way-of-closing-human-mind/)

[Peter Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marley/)

> [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/)

[Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/)

> [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/)

[Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/)

> [My rap comes from a sociological standpoint rather than picking a particular side or dogma or ideology. I just want people to be free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/my-rap-comes-from-a-sociological-standpoint-rather-than-picking-a/)

[Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/)

> [I reject the idea there are just two sides. I think that with the amount of ideas and thoughts there are, it's not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-reject-the-idea-there-are-just-two-sides-i-think-that-with-the/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [ “\[H\]e was damned if he was going to water down his arguments simply to satisfy the preference of the mob for dogma and ignorance.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/h-e-was-damned-if-he-was-going-to-water-down-his-arguments-simply-to/)

[Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/)

> [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [A building is akin to dogma; it is insolent, like dogma. Whether or no it is permanent, it claims permanence, like a dogma. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-building-is-akin-to-dogma-it-is-insolent-like-dogma-whether-or-no/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [Every well-thought-out rebuttal to dogma, every scrap of intelligent logic, every absurdist reduction of some bullying stance is the antidote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sanders/every-well-thought-out-rebuttal-to-dogma-every-scrap-of-intelligent/)

[George Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sanders/)

> [“Humans are capable of having transcendent, transformative experiences in the absence of any given dogma. We are capable of sustaining elaborate systems of false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-loftus/humans-are-capable-of-having-transcendent-transformative-experiences/)

[John W. Loftus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-loftus/)

> [Increasingly constructive doubt is the sign of advancing civilization. We must put question marks along many of our inherited legal dogmas, since they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-frank/increasingly-constructive-doubt-is-the-sign-of-advancing-civilization/)

[Jerome Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-frank/)

> [“The dogma of the impossibility of determining the atomic constitution of substances, which until recently was advocated with such fervor by the most able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-korner/the-dogma-of-the-impossibility-of-determining-the-atomic-constitution/)

[Wilhelm Korner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-korner/)

> [Hinduism... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/hinduism-gave-itself-no-name-because-it-set-itself-no-sectarian/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

[Browse all 748 Dogma quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Had these people been living in, for example, the agricultural paradise of the Nile Delta, they might have been able to get away with some mazy religious dogma as the basis for that system.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neal Stephenson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/had-these-people-been-living-in-for-example-the-agricultural-paradise/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dogma"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/had-these-people-been-living-in-for-example-the-agricultural-paradise/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/neal-stephenson-362_dogma_had-these-people-been-living-in-for-exam_633819.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/neal-stephenson-362_dogma_had-these-people-been-living-in-for-exam_633819.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/neal-stephenson-362_dogma_had-these-people-been-living-in-for-exam_633819.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Had these people been living in, for example, the agricultural paradise of the Nile Delta, they might have…” — Neal Stephenson",
                "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": "Neal Stephenson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Had these people been living in,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/had-these-people-been-living-in-for-example-the-agricultural-paradise/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/had-these-people-been-living-in-for-example-the-agricultural-paradise/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
