--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hardly can it be judged whether it be…" description: "\"Hardly can it be judged whether it be better for mankind to believe that the gods have regard of us, or that they have none, considering that some men ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/pliny-the-elder-2838_believe_hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-be_2510742.jpg" --- # Hardly can it be judged whether it be better for mankind… ![“Hardly can it be judged whether it be better for mankind to believe that the gods have regard of us, or that they have none, considering that some men have no respect and reverence for the gods, and others so much that their superstition is a shame to them.” quote by Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/pliny-the-elder-2838_believe_hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-be_2510742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/pliny-the-elder-2838_believe_hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-be_2510742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/pliny-the-elder-2838_believe_hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-be_2510742.jpg) > “Hardly can it be judged whether it be better for mankind to believe that the gods have regard of us, or that they have none, considering that some men have no respect and reverence for the gods, and others so much that their superstition is a shame to them.” [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) ## 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 questions whether belief in divine concern benefits humanity, given varying levels of respect and superstition toward gods. **In simple terms:** It debates if believing gods care helps or harms people. Key Takeaway Consider the impact of belief on behavior. Themes faith human nature morality superstition Mood contemplative critical thoughtful Type philosophical reflective inquisitive When to use this quote - personal ethics - public policy - education - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts theology philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Does belief in divine oversight improve ethical conduct? - How does superstition affect societal progress? A Different Perspective Belief may foster complacency or fear rather than moral action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Gods Regard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-regard-1152852/) [Gods Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-superstition-1152851/) [Judged Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judged-better-957257/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition/) [Superstition Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition-shame-1152850/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [You are in a partnership with all other human beings, not a contest to be judged better than some and worse than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-in-a-partnership-with-all-other-human-beings-not-a-contest-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In Catholicism, we would say you're going to be judged, so therefore you should do better now. For me, Buddhism is somewhat more workable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-catholicism-we-would-say-you-re-going-to-be-judged-so-therefore/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Though the continued march of intellect and education have nearly obliterated from the mind of the Scots a belief in the marvelous, still a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/though-the-continued-march-of-intellect-and-education-have-nearly/) [James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/) > [“I have said that the sole effect of my somewhat childish experiment—that of looking down within the tarn—had been to deepen the first singular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-have-said-that-the-sole-effect-of-my-somewhat-childish-experiment/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“The Jews are an ignorant and barbarous people, who have long united the most sordid avarice with the most detestable superstition and the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-jews-are-an-ignorant-and-barbarous-people-who-have-long-united/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Many people do simply awful things out of sincere religious belief, not using religion as a cover the way that Saddam Hussein may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/many-people-do-simply-awful-things-out-of-sincere-religious-belief/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [I make this chief distinction between religion and superstition, that the latter is founded on ignorance, the former on knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/i-make-this-chief-distinction-between-religion-and-superstition-that/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [If you were to leave the calendar on Friday the 13th, you will be killed by a witch the very next day.w](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-were-to-leave-the-calendar-on-friday-the-13th-you-will-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In spite of being complicated people choose superstitions over common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-spite-of-being-complicated-people-choose-superstitions-over-common/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“All religions worthy of the name are now making great efforts to purify their doctrines and return to their original standpoint, — all except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/all-religions-worthy-of-the-name-are-now-making-great-efforts-to/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) > [“Do stories, apart from happening, being, have something to say? For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [I think superstition has a lot to do with fear: the less, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-think-superstition-has-a-lot-to-do-with-fear-the-less-the-better/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## More by Pliny the Elder > [Simple diet is best: for many dishes bring many diseases, and rich sauces are worse than even heaping several meats upon each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/simple-diet-is-best-for-many-dishes-bring-many-diseases-and-rich/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Amid the sufferings of life on earth, suicide is God's best gift to man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/amid-the-sufferings-of-life-on-earth-suicide-is-god-s-best-gift-to-man/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [The happier the moment the shorter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-happier-the-moment-the-shorter/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Indeed, what is there that does not appear marvelous when it comes to our knowledge for the first time? How many things, too, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/indeed-what-is-there-that-does-not-appear-marvelous-when-it-comes-to/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Accustom yourself to master and overcome things of difficulty; for if you observe, the left hand for want of practice is insignificant, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/accustom-yourself-to-master-and-overcome-things-of-difficulty-for-if/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [As land is improved by sowing it with various seeds, so is the mind by exercising it with different studies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/as-land-is-improved-by-sowing-it-with-various-seeds-so-is-the-mind-by/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [True happiness consists in being considered deserving of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/true-happiness-consists-in-being-considered-deserving-of-it/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [The largest land animal is the elephant, and it is the nearest to man in intelligence: it understands the language of its country and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-largest-land-animal-is-the-elephant-and-it-is-the-nearest-to-man/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Many dishes bring many diseases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/many-dishes-bring-many-diseases/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [In the literary as well as military world, most powerful abilities will often be found concealed under a rustic garb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/in-the-literary-as-well-as-military-world-most-powerful-abilities/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Man naturally yearns for novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/man-naturally-yearns-for-novelty/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [With man, most of his misfortunes are occasioned by man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/with-man-most-of-his-misfortunes-are-occasioned-by-man/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Better do nothing than do ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/better-do-nothing-than-do-ill/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [It is this earth that, like a kind mother, receives us at our birth, and sustains us when born; it is this alone, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/it-is-this-earth-that-like-a-kind-mother-receives-us-at-our-birth-and/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [His only fault is that he has no fault.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/his-only-fault-is-that-he-has-no-fault/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) [Explore all 147 Pliny the Elder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“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/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hardly can it be judged whether it be better for mankind to believe that the gods have regard of us, or that they have none, considering that some men have no respect and reverence for the gods, and others so much that their superstition is a shame to them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pliny the Elder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-better-for-mankind-to-believe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-better-for-mankind-to-believe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/pliny-the-elder-2838_believe_hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-be_2510742.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/pliny-the-elder-2838_believe_hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-be_2510742.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/pliny-the-elder-2838_believe_hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-be_2510742.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hardly can it be judged whether it be better for mankind to believe that the gods have regard of us, or that…” — Pliny the Elder", "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": "Pliny the Elder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Hardly can it be judged whether...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-better-for-mankind-to-believe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/hardly-can-it-be-judged-whether-it-be-better-for-mankind-to-believe/#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 } } ] } ```