--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Gods, religions and national boundaries…" description: "\"Gods, religions and national boundaries are absolutely imaginary. They don't tend to exist. As soon as you pull back half a mile and look down at the E..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/796/neil-gaiman-29_assuming_gods-religions-and-national-boundaries-a_980422.jpg" --- # Gods, religions and national boundaries are absolutely… ![“Gods, religions and national boundaries are absolutely imaginary. They don't tend to exist. As soon as you pull back half a mile and look down at the Earth there are no national boundaries. There aren't even national boundaries when you get down and walk around. They're just imaginary lines we…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/796/neil-gaiman-29_assuming_gods-religions-and-national-boundaries-a_980422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/796/neil-gaiman-29_assuming_gods-religions-and-national-boundaries-a_980422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/796/neil-gaiman-29_assuming_gods-religions-and-national-boundaries-a_980422.jpg) > “Gods, religions and national boundaries are absolutely imaginary. They don't tend to exist. As soon as you pull back half a mile and look down at the Earth there are no national boundaries. There aren't even national boundaries when you get down and walk around. They're just imaginary lines we draw on maps. I just get fascinated by people who assume that things that are imaginary have no relevance to their lives.” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. National borders are human constructs without physical reality, yet they shape societies. **In simple terms:** Borders are imagined lines on maps. Key Takeaway Question the significance of political boundaries. Themes politics philosophy human geography Mood thought‑provoking critical Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - travel planning - global citizenship education - political activism Key Concepts imagined constructs social organization identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do imagined boundaries influence personal identity? - Can societies function without them? A Different Perspective Imaginary borders still affect real lives and policies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Boundaries Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries-aren-755119/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary/) [Imaginary lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-lines/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Maps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maps/) [Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miles/) [National Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-boundaries-261993/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Relevance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevance/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Things Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-imaginary-1053062/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) ## Related quotes > [“Most things are imaginary, when you think about it. Sometimes I think I'm imaginary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/most-things-are-imaginary-when-you-think-about-it-sometimes-i-think-i/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Place, time, life, death, earth, heaven are divisions and distinctions we make, like the imaginary lines we trace upon the surface of the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/place-time-life-death-earth-heaven-are-divisions-and-distinctions-we/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [Boundary, n. In political geography, an imaginary line between two nations, separating the imaginary rights of one from the imaginary rights of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/boundary-n-in-political-geography-an-imaginary-line-between-two/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Those who first invented and then named the constellations were storytellers. Tracing an imaginary line between a cluster of stars gave them an image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/those-who-first-invented-and-then-named-the-constellations-were/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/from-this-hour-i-ordain-myself-loos-d-of-limits-and-imaginary-lines/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [I don't believe that just because one person is born on one side of some imaginary line and another person is born on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-cohen/i-don-t-believe-that-just-because-one-person-is-born-on-one-side-of/) [Ben Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-cohen/) > [The relevance for 9/11 is that what 9/11 marked was the beginning of a struggle in which the terrorists come at us and strike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/the-relevance-for-9-11-is-that-what-9-11-marked-was-the-beginning-of/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [If you go to space, you'll look down and see no national boundaries. You'll never see the gods people are killing each other over,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/if-you-go-to-space-you-ll-look-down-and-see-no-national-boundaries/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When it's a love scene with someone you actually love, there's no feeling like, 'Can I touch him here? Can I touch him there?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paquin/when-it-s-a-love-scene-with-someone-you-actually-love-there-s-no/) [Anna Paquin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paquin/) > [“Boundaries aren’t walls. They’re bridges—back to your energy, your clarity, your well-being. And here’s the surprising twist: they’re also acts of kindness toward others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronen-dancziger/boundaries-aren-t-walls-they-re-bridges-back-to-your-energy-your/) [Ronen Dancziger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronen-dancziger/) > [Oppression does not know the meaning of provincial boundaries. Aren't our energies better spent fighting the common enemy instead of each other?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benazir-bhutto/oppression-does-not-know-the-meaning-of-provincial-boundaries-aren-t/) [Benazir Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benazir-bhutto/) > [“After all, the ultimate goal of learning boundaries is to free us up to protect, nurture, and develop the lives God has given us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/after-all-the-ultimate-goal-of-learning-boundaries-is-to-free-us-up/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [Boundaries aren't all bad. That's why there are walls around mental institutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/boundaries-aren-t-all-bad-that-s-why-there-are-walls-around-mental/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [The consolation of imaginary things is not imaginary consolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-consolation-of-imaginary-things-is-not-imaginary-consolation/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“But suppose casting all these things into an imaginary world, stripping them of their stained-glass and Sunday school associations, one could make them for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rigney/but-suppose-casting-all-these-things-into-an-imaginary-world/) [Joe Rigney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rigney/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Assuming quotes > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) [James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/) > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Gods, religions and national boundaries are absolutely imaginary. They don't tend to exist. As soon as you pull back half a mile and look down at the Earth there are no national boundaries. There aren't even national boundaries when you get down and walk around. They're just imaginary lines we draw on maps. 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