--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When 9/11 hit, the second thing I said to…" description: "\"When 9/11 hit, the second thing I said to myself was, 'This really is what religious people do.' Those people flying the plane were very good, very pio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/penn-jillette-1046_believer_when-9-11-hit-the-second-thing-i-said-to_3235779.png" --- # When 9/11 hit, the second thing I said to myself was… ![“When 9/11 hit, the second thing I said to myself was, 'This really is what religious people do.' Those people flying the plane were very good, very pious, truly faithful believers. There's no other way to paint them. Of course, they are extremists by definition, but they certainly aren't going…” quote by Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/penn-jillette-1046_believer_when-9-11-hit-the-second-thing-i-said-to_3235779.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/penn-jillette-1046_believer_when-9-11-hit-the-second-thing-i-said-to_3235779.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/penn-jillette-1046_believer_when-9-11-hit-the-second-thing-i-said-to_3235779.png) > “When 9/11 hit, the second thing I said to myself was, 'This really is what religious people do.' Those people flying the plane were very good, very pious, truly faithful believers. There's no other way to paint them. Of course, they are extremists by definition, but they certainly aren't going against Islam in any real way.” [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker observes that the attackers’ actions aligned with their extremist religious belief, not a betrayal of Islam. **In simple terms:** Extremists act out their faith, not against it. Key Takeaway Recognize that extremist ideology can be framed as devout faith. Themes religion extremism perception terrorism Mood critical analytical Type observational political When to use this quote - security analysis - media commentary - interfaith dialogue - counter‑terrorism policy Key Concepts radicalization identity faith political narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling violence as religious affect public perception? - Can faith be separated from extremist ideology? A Different Perspective Extremist actions may be driven by broader political or personal motives beyond religion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer/) [Believers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believers/) [Extremist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremist/) [Extremists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremists/) [Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithful/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-people/) ## Related quotes > [The threat from radical Islam is real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-glenn/the-threat-from-radical-islam-is-real/) [Darryl Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-glenn/) > [We've got to reach out to Muslim countries.We've got to have them be part of our coalition. If they hear people running for president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-ve-got-to-reach-out-to-muslim-countries-we-ve-got-to-have-them-be/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Just several years ago, Shaykh Kabbani, who is the head of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, when he was speaking at the State…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-several-years-ago-shaykh-kabbani-who-is-the-head-of-the-islamic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/will-we-be-extremists-for-hate-or-will-we-be-extremists-for-love-will/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I turned atheist in the '90s when India went through troubled times - communal riots, bomb blasts... Mumbai, where I live, was badly affected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/i-turned-atheist-in-the-90s-when-india-went-through-troubled-times/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [The United States did not choose to fight Islamic extremists. These terrorists chose to fight our way of life. 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When they're training, it's laser focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-solo/athletes-are-extremists-when-they-re-training-it-s-laser-focus/) [Hope Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-solo/) ## More by Penn Jillette > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [I intend to do the Penn & Teller show until they pry my cheesy magic wand from my cold dead fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-intend-to-do-the-penn-teller-show-until-they-pry-my-cheesy-magic/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Part of the experience of being entertained is sitting back and plugging into someone else's vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/part-of-the-experience-of-being-entertained-is-sitting-back-and/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [That whole 99% thing, they are all in the 1% of the world. 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They're named 'Dave.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/it-s-only-the-losers-named-dave-that-think-having-an-unusual-name-is/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [The only secret of magic is that I'm willing to work harder on it than you think it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/the-only-secret-of-magic-is-that-i-m-willing-to-work-harder-on-it/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Well, it's not really the right word, but freedom is kind of a hobby with me, and I have disposable income that I'll spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/well-it-s-not-really-the-right-word-but-freedom-is-kind-of-a-hobby/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [It is really funny to see people that you know acting unpleasantly just because there are TV cameras on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/it-is-really-funny-to-see-people-that-you-know-acting-unpleasantly/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [My whole take on libertarianism is simply that I don't know what's best for other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/my-whole-take-on-libertarianism-is-simply-that-i-don-t-know-what-s/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Freedom means the right to be stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/freedom-means-the-right-to-be-stupid/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [“Once you've condoned faith in general, you've condoned any crazy shit done because of faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/once-you-ve-condoned-faith-in-general-you-ve-condoned-any-crazy-shit/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) [Explore all 302 Penn Jillette quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) ## More Believer quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [I've always been a believer in research. 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