--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The striking thing is that the…" description: "\"“The striking thing is that the transatlantic divergence in working patterns has coincided almost exactly with a comparable convergence in religiosity...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/niall-ferguson-3627_calling_the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatla_2546725.png" --- # The striking thing is that the transatlantic divergence in… ![“The striking thing is that the transatlantic divergence in working patterns has coincided almost exactly with a comparable convergence in religiosity. Europeans not only work less; they also pray less – and believe less.” quote by Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/niall-ferguson-3627_calling_the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatla_2546725.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/niall-ferguson-3627_calling_the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatla_2546725.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/niall-ferguson-3627_calling_the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatla_2546725.png) > ““The striking thing is that the transatlantic divergence in working patterns has coincided almost exactly with a comparable convergence in religiosity. Europeans not only work less; they also pray less – and believe less.”” [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. European work and religious decline align, suggesting cultural shifts in labor and belief. **In simple terms:** Work and faith decline together in Europe. Key Takeaway Observe cultural trends. Themes sociology economics religion culture Mood analytical critical Type academic When to use this quote - policy analysis - academic research - public discourse Key Concepts labor patterns secularization Questions to Reflect On - What drives reduced work hours? - How does religiosity affect productivity? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Calling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calling/) [Convergence Religiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convergence-religiosity-1483647/) [Europeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europeans/) [Europeans Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europeans-work-1483648/) [Faith-and-culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-and-culture-60412/) [Religiosity Europeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religiosity-europeans-1483649/) [Transatlantic Divergence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transatlantic-divergence-1483646/) [Work ethic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-ethic/) ## Related quotes > [“Someone once said that Stephen Austin didn't like preachers at all. He swore that "one preacher could stir up more trouble than a dozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mckenna/someone-once-said-that-stephen-austin-didn-t-like-preachers-at-all-he/) [Megan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mckenna/) > [The way the Europeans work, most girls get paid by their federation; their country pays them. Essentially the federations say go represent our country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/the-way-the-europeans-work-most-girls-get-paid-by-their-federation/) [Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/) > [“It takes no more research than a trip to almost any public library or college to show the incredibly lopsided coverage of slavery in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/it-takes-no-more-research-than-a-trip-to-almost-any-public-library-or/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [In Tasmania, an island the size of Ireland whose primeval forests astonished 19th-century Europeans, an incomprehensible ecological tragedy is being played out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-tasmania-an-island-the-size-of-ireland-whose-primeval-forests/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [The next humans to walk on the moon may be Chinese. Only China seems to have the resources, the dirigiste government, and the willingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-next-humans-to-walk-on-the-moon-may-be-chinese-only-china-seems/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The West didn't see our real situation, and we were blinded by the compliments coming from the Europeans and Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irakli-okruashvili/the-west-didn-t-see-our-real-situation-and-we-were-blinded-by-the/) [Irakli Okruashvili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irakli-okruashvili/) > [The deciphering of ancient scripts changed forever the way Europeans were able to imagine the story of humanity, destroying centuries of received authority about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/the-deciphering-of-ancient-scripts-changed-forever-the-way-europeans/) [Neil MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macgregor/) > [Europeans hate the way Americans talk. They think we're loud and uncouth and they don't like our jokes, except for Michael Moore. Plus, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-boyles/europeans-hate-the-way-americans-talk-they-think-we-re-loud-and/) [Denis Boyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-boyles/) > [In general, Europeans need to get a wider perspective on the problem of Islamism. Even if the Israel-Palestine question were solved - and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/in-general-europeans-need-to-get-a-wider-perspective-on-the-problem/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [We should never forget that Hollywood was built by Europeans, and the old Jewish boys from Eastern Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximilian-schell/we-should-never-forget-that-hollywood-was-built-by-europeans-and-the/) [Maximilian Schell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximilian-schell/) > [“...The Presidential election has given me less anxiety than I myself could have imagined. The next administration will be a troublesome one, to whomsoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-presidential-election-has-given-me-less-anxiety-than-i-myself/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [“Europeans would like to escape from their history, a "great" history written in letters of blood. But others, by the hundreds of millions, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-aron/europeans-would-like-to-escape-from-their-history-a-great-history/) [Raymond Aron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-aron/) > [Europeans should pay more attention. Iran has called for dialogue and is moving in the direction of reaching an agreement through peaceful means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-larijani/europeans-should-pay-more-attention-iran-has-called-for-dialogue-and/) [Ali Larijani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-larijani/) > [You can accuse Europeans of being many things - except fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-angel-gurria/you-can-accuse-europeans-of-being-many-things-except-fast/) [Jose Angel Gurria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-angel-gurria/) > [Europeans are really dying out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/europeans-are-really-dying-out/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) ## More by Niall Ferguson > [“I wrote this book because I had formed a strong impression that the people currently living were paying insufficient attention to the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-wrote-this-book-because-i-had-formed-a-strong-impression-that-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Consider this: the US economy created 2.4 million jobs in the three years beginning in June 2009. In the same period, 3.3 million Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/consider-this-the-us-economy-created-2-4-million-jobs-in-the-three/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think the rise of quantitative econometrics and a highly mathematical approach to risk management was the obverse of a decline in interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-the-rise-of-quantitative-econometrics-and-a-highly/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/is-it-better-today-to-be-in-a-network-which-gives-you-influence-than/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [As a teacher, my strategy is to encourage questioning. I'm the least authoritarian professor you'll ever meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/as-a-teacher-my-strategy-is-to-encourage-questioning-i-m-the-least/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Ask me not, 'Are you rightwing,' but ask me 'Are you a committed believer in individual freedom, the values of the enlightenment?' Then, yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/ask-me-not-are-you-rightwing-but-ask-me-are-you-a-committed-believer/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Many historians still tend to assume that the spread of an idea or an ideology is a function of its inherent content in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/many-historians-still-tend-to-assume-that-the-spread-of-an-idea-or-an/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“the twentieth century ran a series of experiments, imposing quite different institutions on two sets of Germans (in West and East), two sets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-twentieth-century-ran-a-series-of-experiments-imposing-quite/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Historians are not scientists. They cannot (and should not even trying to) establish universal laws of social or political "physics" with reliable predictive powers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/historians-are-not-scientists-they-cannot-and-should-not-even-trying/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [You really struggle to be a successful empire if you are also the world's biggest debtor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/you-really-struggle-to-be-a-successful-empire-if-you-are-also-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“One difficulty is that we cannot always reconstruct the past thoughts of these non-Western peoples, for not all of them existed in civilizations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/one-difficulty-is-that-we-cannot-always-reconstruct-the-past-thoughts/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [If young men have jobs - or the prospects of jobs - they are less likely to take up arms, they are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/if-young-men-have-jobs-or-the-prospects-of-jobs-they-are-less-likely/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think that it is important to be gregarious, and that friendships are not just a leisure pursuit, that they are an integral part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-that-it-is-important-to-be-gregarious-and-that-friendships/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“The question was simply this: Would the world be French or British?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-question-was-simply-this-would-the-world-be-french-or-british/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“it is not ‘Eurocentrism’ or (anti-)‘Orientalism’ to say that the rise of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-is-not-eurocentrism-or-anti-orientalism-to-say-that-the-rise-of/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) [Explore all 124 Niall Ferguson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## More Calling quotes > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [When you heed the calling of your heart, you are following your purpose. Having purpose in your life gives you the courage to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/when-you-heed-the-calling-of-your-heart-you-are-following-your/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [“Duty is a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/duty-is-a-done-deal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [NBC is making a movie about Martha Stewart that will cover the recent stock scandal. They are thinking of calling it 'The Road To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/nbc-is-making-a-movie-about-martha-stewart-that-will-cover-the-recent/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [“There is no interaction without God with interaction with men”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/there-is-no-interaction-without-god-with-interaction-with-men/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [When I was a little boy, I was reading Dante and I was saying to myself 'Bravo, Dante, Bravo.' It's so beautiful, the music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-benigni/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-was-reading-dante-and-i-was-saying-to/) [Roberto Benigni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-benigni/) > [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [\*Calling someone I don't want to answer\* \*Please go to voice mail. Please go to voice mail. Please go to voice mail..\* Hello? -\_\_\_-](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/calling-someone-i-don-t-want-to-answer-please-go-to-voice-mail-please/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Sometimes you hear a voice through the door calling you... This turning toward what you deeply love saves you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/sometimes-you-hear-a-voice-through-the-door-calling-you-this-turning/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Please be slow to judge ‘brothers’ who have a different calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/please-be-slow-to-judge-brothers-who-have-a-different-calling/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) [Browse all 3,811 Calling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The striking thing is that the transatlantic divergence in working patterns has coincided almost exactly with a comparable convergence in religiosity. Europeans not only work less; they also pray less – and believe less.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Niall Ferguson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatlantic-divergence-in-working/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Calling" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatlantic-divergence-in-working/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/niall-ferguson-3627_calling_the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatla_2546725.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/niall-ferguson-3627_calling_the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatla_2546725.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/niall-ferguson-3627_calling_the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatla_2546725.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The striking thing is that the transatlantic divergence in working patterns has coincided almost exactly…” — Niall Ferguson", "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": "Niall Ferguson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The striking thing is that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatlantic-divergence-in-working/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-striking-thing-is-that-the-transatlantic-divergence-in-working/#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 } } ] } ```