--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In our family, there was no clear line…" description: "\"In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our fat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/norman-maclean-10625_assuming_in-our-family-there-was-no-clear-line-be_2507892.jpg" --- # In our family, there was no clear line between religion… ![“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen…” quote by Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/norman-maclean-10625_assuming_in-our-family-there-was-no-clear-line-be_2507892.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/norman-maclean-10625_assuming_in-our-family-there-was-no-clear-line-be_2507892.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/norman-maclean-10625_assuming_in-our-family-there-was-no-clear-line-be_2507892.jpg) > “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman.” [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote blends spiritual life with everyday passion, showing how faith and hobby can coexist seamlessly. **In simple terms:** Faith and hobby can mix naturally. Key Takeaway Embrace both belief and pastime. Themes faith family nature tradition hobby Mood reflective nostalgic Type narrative personal When to use this quote - Family gatherings - Fishing trips - Religious discussions - Outdoor recreation - Teaching skills Key Concepts Spirituality Recreation Cultural identity Questions to Reflect On - How does sharing a hobby strengthen family bonds? - Can spiritual lessons be learned through nature? A Different Perspective May overlook deeper theological differences between faith and leisure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Disciple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disciple/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Fisherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fisherman/) [Fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishing/) [Fly fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fly-fishing/) [Junction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/junction/) [Montana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/montana/) [Our family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-family/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [He told us about Christ's disciples being fisherman, and we were left to assume...that all great fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/he-told-us-about-christ-s-disciples-being-fisherman-and-we-were-left/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Fly fishermen are born honest, but they get over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/fly-fishermen-are-born-honest-but-they-get-over-it/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [“Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/like-many-fly-fishermen-in-western-montana-where-the-summer-days-are/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“who's this dub?" "Lawyer." Lawyer? I glance to Al for clarification but he's clearly as bewildered as I am. (argument amongst other fishermen) John…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-s-this-dub-lawyer-lawyer-i-glance-to-al-for-clarification-but-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A standard saying among fly fishermen is that trout spend anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of their time feeding below the water's surface…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-engle/a-standard-saying-among-fly-fishermen-is-that-trout-spend-anywhere/) Ed Engle > [I'm a fly fisherman. I make flies. They're imitations of insects at different stages in their development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-guest/i-m-a-fly-fisherman-i-make-flies-they-re-imitations-of-insects-at/) [Christopher Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-guest/) > [I'm not the best fly fisherman, but I can fly-fish, because I crack a whip. I learned to crack a whip as a boy...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-m-not-the-best-fly-fisherman-but-i-can-fly-fish-because-i-crack-a/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [Maybe your stature as a fly fisherman isn't determined by how big a trout you can catch, but by how small a trout you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gierach/maybe-your-stature-as-a-fly-fisherman-isn-t-determined-by-how-big-a/) [John Gierach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gierach/) > [All good things come by grace, and grace comes by art, and art does not come easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/all-good-things-come-by-grace-and-grace-comes-by-art-and-art-does-not/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/in-our-family-there-was-no-clear-line-between-religion-and-fly-fishing/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“...it is not fly fishing if you are not looking for answers to questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/it-is-not-fly-fishing-if-you-are-not-looking-for-answers-to-questions/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [One great thing about fly fishing is that after a while nothing exists of the world but thoughts about fly fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/one-great-thing-about-fly-fishing-is-that-after-a-while-nothing/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/of-course-now-i-am-too-old-to-be-much-of-a-fisherman-and-now-of/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Think of something you really care about. Then add hour to hour and calculate the fraction of your life that you've actually spent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/think-of-something-you-really-care-about-then-add-hour-to-hour-and/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We have now left Reason and Sanity Junction. Next stop, Looneyville.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/we-have-now-left-reason-and-sanity-junction-next-stop-looneyville/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) ## More by Norman Maclean > [At the time I did not know that stories of life are often more like rivers than books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/at-the-time-i-did-not-know-that-stories-of-life-are-often-more-like/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“In this story of the outside world and the inside world with a fire between, the outside world of little screwups recedes now for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/in-this-story-of-the-outside-world-and-the-inside-world-with-a-fire/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“I hope there are others also who don't mind trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/i-hope-there-are-others-also-who-don-t-mind-trees/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Probably most catastrophes end this way without an ending, the dead not even knowing how they died...,those who loved them forever questioning "this unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/probably-most-catastrophes-end-this-way-without-an-ending-the-dead/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [If our father had had his way, nobody who did not know how to fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/if-our-father-had-had-his-way-nobody-who-did-not-know-how-to-fish/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [I knew that, when needed, mountains would move for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/i-knew-that-when-needed-mountains-would-move-for-me/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“I sat there and forgot and forgot, until what remained was the river that went by and I who watched... Eventually the watcher joined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/i-sat-there-and-forgot-and-forgot-until-what-remained-was-the-river/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/it-is-those-we-live-with-and-love-and-should-know-who-elude-us/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Unless we are willing to escape into sentimentality or fantasy, often the best we can do with catastrophes, even our own, is to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/unless-we-are-willing-to-escape-into-sentimentality-or-fantasy-often/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [As for my father, I never knew whether he believed God was a mathematician but he certainly believed God could count and that only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/as-for-my-father-i-never-knew-whether-he-believed-god-was-a/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/at-sunrise-everything-is-luminous-but-not-clear/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“On the Big Blackfoot River above the mouth of Belmont Creek the banks are fringed by large Ponderosa pines. In the slanting sun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/on-the-big-blackfoot-river-above-the-mouth-of-belmont-creek-the-banks/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/of-course-now-i-am-too-old-to-be-much-of-a-fisherman-and-now-of/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“...it is not fly fishing if you are not looking for answers to questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/it-is-not-fly-fishing-if-you-are-not-looking-for-answers-to-questions/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/eventually-all-things-merge-into-one-and-a-river-runs-through-it-the/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) [Explore all 64 Norman Maclean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) ## 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 > [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. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. 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