--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you sincerely believed in God, how…" description: "\"If you sincerely believed in God, how could you form one thought, speak one sentence, without mentioning Him?\" — Neal Stephenson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/neal-stephenson-362_believed_if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-cou_2981412.png" --- # If you sincerely believed in God, how could you form one… ![“If you sincerely believed in God, how could you form one thought, speak one sentence, without mentioning Him?” quote by Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/neal-stephenson-362_believed_if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-cou_2981412.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/neal-stephenson-362_believed_if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-cou_2981412.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/neal-stephenson-362_believed_if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-cou_2981412.png) > “If you sincerely believed in God, how could you form one thought, speak one sentence, without mentioning Him?” [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. If belief in God is sincere, it permeates all thoughts and speech, making omission unlikely. **In simple terms:** God shapes thoughts. Key Takeaway Acknowledge belief. Themes faith philosophy language Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - prayer - debate - writing Key Concepts theology cognitive bias communication Questions to Reflect On - How does faith influence daily speech? - Can one think without spiritual context? A Different Perspective Belief may be private. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed/) [Believed God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-god/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [One sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-sentence/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Sincerely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerely/) [Sincerely Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerely-believed-418499/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-speak-2979062/) ## Related quotes > [And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salmon-p-chase/and-upon-this-act-sincerely-believed-to-be-an-act-of-justice/) [Salmon P. Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salmon-p-chase/) > [But what if...what if you sincerely believed something was true, but you were dead wrong? What if you were so stubbornly sure that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/but-what-if-what-if-you-sincerely-believed-something-was-true-but-you/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I have seen these persons speak unthinkingly, not realizing that to speak is also to be. Word and gesture are man's thought. We should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-have-seen-these-persons-speak-unthinkingly-not-realizing-that-to/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Monsieur Beulier never engaged in thought except to speak the truth, and never spoke except to express his thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/monsieur-beulier-never-engaged-in-thought-except-to-speak-the-truth/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Language is courage: the ability to conceive a thought, to speak it, and by doing so to make it true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/language-is-courage-the-ability-to-conceive-a-thought-to-speak-it-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“That was the strange thing about translation, speaking someone else's words in a voice that somehow was and wasn't your own. You could fool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wasserman/that-was-the-strange-thing-about-translation-speaking-someone-else-s/) [Robin Wasserman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wasserman/) > [I grew up in a way where I didn't realize there were limitations.I always thought I could speak my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-grew-up-in-a-way-where-i-didn-t-realize-there-were-limitations-i/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [We shall meet again. I have believed in God. 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I also think that's the sort of thing that either comes as part of the equipment, the capacity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-ve-always-believed-in-god-i-also-think-that-s-the-sort-of-thing/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“If I believed in a god, it would be the god of women's asses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-savage/if-i-believed-in-a-god-it-would-be-the-god-of-women-s-asses/) [Shay Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-savage/) > [I believed in God when cancer come to me. Now when I speak, I speak with authority because I've been there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/i-believed-in-god-when-cancer-come-to-me-now-when-i-speak-i-speak/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) > [“even if the people could no longer hear God, he believed that God could still hear them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/even-if-the-people-could-no-longer-hear-god-he-believed-that-god/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [For a time, I believed not in God nor Santa Claus, but in mermaids. They seemed as logical and possible to me as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/for-a-time-i-believed-not-in-god-nor-santa-claus-but-in-mermaids-they/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## 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 Believed quotes > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [“I didn't know if I believed in 'happily ever after' anymore. I mean, I didn't know what would happen tomorrow, let alone for forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-kate-strohm/i-didn-t-know-if-i-believed-in-happily-ever-after-anymore-i-mean-i/) [Stephanie Kate Strohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-kate-strohm/) > [Alfred Nobel believed that social changes are brought about slowly, and sometimes by indirect means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertha-von-suttner/alfred-nobel-believed-that-social-changes-are-brought-about-slowly/) [Bertha von Suttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertha-von-suttner/) > [Aaron Spelling always had his finger on the pulse of pop culture, he knew what the public wanted to see. He was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/aaron-spelling-always-had-his-finger-on-the-pulse-of-pop-culture-he/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) > [I never believed that they was such thing as love at first sight but I think I'm having that feeliing @sarahlovemoody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mishack/i-never-believed-that-they-was-such-thing-as-love-at-first-sight-but/) [Mishack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mishack/) > [“I wish I believed him. He's looking at me like he can see where I begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcnamara/i-wish-i-believed-him-he-s-looking-at-me-like-he-can-see-where-i-begin/) [Amy McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcnamara/) > [My life had been defined by the apartheid years. Now we were going into an era of democracy... and I believed that I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/my-life-had-been-defined-by-the-apartheid-years-now-we-were-going/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [On March 12, 2004, acting attorney general James B. Comey and the Justice Department's top leadership reached the brink of resignation over electronic surveillance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/on-march-12-2004-acting-attorney-general-james-b-comey-and-the/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/no-statement-should-be-believed-because-it-is-made-by-an-authority/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I never believed I'd have a six-pack, especially not at 35 years old. I always thought it was a genetic blessing. It's not. 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Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salmon-p-chase/) [Browse all 1,214 Believed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you sincerely believed in God, how could you form one thought, speak one sentence, without mentioning Him?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neal Stephenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-could-you-form-one-thought-speak/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-could-you-form-one-thought-speak/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/neal-stephenson-362_believed_if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-cou_2981412.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/neal-stephenson-362_believed_if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-cou_2981412.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/neal-stephenson-362_believed_if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-cou_2981412.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you sincerely believed in God, how could you form one thought, speak one sentence, without mentioning Him?” — 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": "If you sincerely believed in God,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-could-you-form-one-thought-speak/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/if-you-sincerely-believed-in-god-how-could-you-form-one-thought-speak/#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 } } ] } ```