---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Supreme Arrogance of Religious…"
description: "\"“The Supreme Arrogance of Religious Thinking: That a carbon-based bag of mostly water on a speck of iron-silicate dust around a boring dwarf star in a ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/peter-walker-76469_astronomy_the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-think_1731375.jpg"
---

#  The Supreme Arrogance of Religious Thinking: That a…

![“The Supreme Arrogance of Religious Thinking: That a carbon-based bag of mostly water on a speck of iron-silicate dust around a boring dwarf star in a minor galaxy in an underpopulated local group of galaxies in an unfashionable suburb of a supecluster would look up at the sky and declare &quot;it was…” quote by Peter Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/peter-walker-76469_astronomy_the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-think_1731375.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/peter-walker-76469_astronomy_the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-think_1731375.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/peter-walker-76469_astronomy_the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-think_1731375.jpg)

> ““The Supreme Arrogance of Religious Thinking: That a carbon-based bag of mostly water on a speck of iron-silicate dust around a boring dwarf star in a minor galaxy in an underpopulated local group of galaxies in an unfashionable suburb of a supecluster would look up at the sky and declare "it was all made so I could exist””

[Peter Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-walker/)

## 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 critiques human arrogance in believing the universe exists solely for human existence, highlighting our insignificant place in the cosmos.

**In simple terms:** It calls out the egocentric view that everything is made for us.

Key Takeaway

Recognize humility about humanity’s role.

Themes

humility cosmology anthropocentrism existentialism

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- philosophical
- scientific discussion
- religious debate
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

ego anthropocentrism cosmic perspective

Questions to Reflect On

- How does recognizing our cosmic insignificance affect daily choices?
- What responsibilities arise from seeing ourselves as part of a larger universe?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Arrogance Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance-religious-1433001/) [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Galaxies Unfashionable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxies-unfashionable-1433003/) [Minor Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minor-galaxy-391689/) [Supreme Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supreme-arrogance-1433002/)

## Related quotes

> [“There is, in fact, no worldview more reprehensible in its arrogance than that of a religious believer: the creator of the universe takes an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-in-fact-no-worldview-more-reprehensible-in-its-arrogance/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [You'd chosen to be an upright biped on the surface of a small planet of a minor sun on the edge of a minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/you-d-chosen-to-be-an-upright-biped-on-the-surface-of-a-small-planet/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/)

[Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/)

> [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/)

[Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/)

> [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/)

[Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/)

> [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/)

[Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/)

> [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/)

[Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/)

> [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/)

[Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/)

> [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/)

[Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/)

> [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/)

[Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/)

> [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/)

[Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/)

> [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

## More by Peter Walker

> [“I delve into the mysterious and counterintuitive world of helmets and high-visibility gear later in the book. But it's worth immediately noting this: while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-walker/i-delve-into-the-mysterious-and-counterintuitive-world-of-helmets-and/)

[Peter Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-walker/)

> [I refuse to be labeled immoral merely because I am godless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-walker/i-refuse-to-be-labeled-immoral-merely-because-i-am-godless/)

[Peter Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-walker/)

[Explore all 3 Peter Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-walker/)

## More Arrogance quotes

> [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/)

[Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/)

> [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/)

[Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/)

> [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/)

[Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/)

> [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/)

[Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/)

> [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/)

[Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/)

> [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/)

[Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/)

> [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/)

[Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/)

> [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/)

[Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/)

> [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/)

[Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/)

> [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/)

[Miguel Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cervantes/)

> [An increasing number of people are growing uncomfortable with the gulf between the world's rich and the poor. Ostentatiously splashing your money around simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalle-lasn/an-increasing-number-of-people-are-growing-uncomfortable-with-the/)

[Kalle Lasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalle-lasn/)

[Browse all 1,418 Arrogance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The Supreme Arrogance of Religious Thinking: That a carbon-based bag of mostly water on a speck of iron-silicate dust around a boring dwarf star in a minor galaxy in an underpopulated local group of galaxies in an unfashionable suburb of a supecluster would look up at the sky and declare \"it was all made so I could exist”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Walker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-walker/the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-thinking-that-a-carbon-based-bag/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arrogance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-walker/the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-thinking-that-a-carbon-based-bag/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/peter-walker-76469_astronomy_the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-think_1731375.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/peter-walker-76469_astronomy_the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-think_1731375.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/peter-walker-76469_astronomy_the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-think_1731375.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Supreme Arrogance of Religious Thinking: That a carbon-based bag of mostly water on a speck of…” — Peter Walker",
                "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": "Peter Walker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-walker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The Supreme Arrogance of Religious Thinking:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-walker/the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-thinking-that-a-carbon-based-bag/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-walker/the-supreme-arrogance-of-religious-thinking-that-a-carbon-based-bag/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
