--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... when the Spaniards persecuted…" description: "\"... when the Spaniards persecuted heretics they may have been crude, but they were not being unreasonable or unpractical. They were at least wiser than..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/rebecca-west-1248_believe_when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-t_2893042.jpg" --- # ... when the Spaniards persecuted heretics they may have… ![“... when the Spaniards persecuted heretics they may have been crude, but they were not being unreasonable or unpractical. They were at least wiser than the people of to-day who pretend that it does not matter what a man believes, as who should say that the flavour and digestibility of a pudding…” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/rebecca-west-1248_believe_when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-t_2893042.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/rebecca-west-1248_believe_when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-t_2893042.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/rebecca-west-1248_believe_when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-t_2893042.jpg) > “... when the Spaniards persecuted heretics they may have been crude, but they were not being unreasonable or unpractical. They were at least wiser than the people of to-day who pretend that it does not matter what a man believes, as who should say that the flavour and digestibility of a pudding will have nothing to do with its ingredients.” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical persecution of heretics was crude but not irrational; modern intolerance over beliefs is similarly unreasonable, akin to judging a pudding by flavor alone. **In simple terms:** Past intolerance was crude yet logical; modern intolerance is absurd. Key Takeaway Challenge irrational belief judgments. Themes tolerance history logic Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - academic lectures - public debates - media commentary Key Concepts philosophical reasoning social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance respect for belief with rational critique? - What lessons can history teach about intolerance? A Different Perspective Historical context may differ, limiting direct comparison. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Crude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crude/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Flavour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flavour/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Heresy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heresy/) [Heretic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heretic/) [Heretics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heretics/) [Heretics Crude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heretics-crude-4073609/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ingredients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingredients/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persecuted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persecuted/) [Persecuted Heretics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persecuted-heretics-4073611/) [Pudding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pudding/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Spaniards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spaniards/) [Spaniards Persecuted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spaniards-persecuted-4073610/) [Spanish inquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spanish-inquisition/) [Unreasonable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreasonable/) [Wiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiser/) ## Related quotes > [“I can’t be the only one. There have to be other people out there who see the Mr. Twister mascot for what he is:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-martinez/i-can-t-be-the-only-one-there-have-to-be-other-people-out-there-who/) [Jessica Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-martinez/) > [“No one ever expects vaginal arthritis. (Or the Spanish Inquisition).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/no-one-ever-expects-vaginal-arthritis-or-the-spanish-inquisition/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“My dear young lady, when you are in love, and jealous, and have been flogged by the Inquisition, there's no knowing what you may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/my-dear-young-lady-when-you-are-in-love-and-jealous-and-have-been/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nobody-expects-the-spanish-inquisition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Mennonites formed themselves in Holland five hundred years ago after a man named Menno Simons became so moved by hearing Anabaptist prisoners singing hymns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/mennonites-formed-themselves-in-holland-five-hundred-years-ago-after/) [Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/) > [“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.” —Monty Python’s Flying Circus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/nobody-expects-the-spanish-inquisition-monty-python-s-flying-circus/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“Both defenders and opponents of the Inquisition have often accepted without question the image of an omniscient, omnipotent tribunal whose fingers reached into every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kamen/both-defenders-and-opponents-of-the-inquisition-have-often-accepted/) [Henry Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kamen/) > [ “Believe me,' \[...\] 'I would know about it. That's the difference between me and your girlfriend. I am the jealous type. I am the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/believe-me-i-would-know-about-it-that-s-the-difference-between-me-and/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“Black\_Venus: Here it goes: Curious mosaic Continental drift Parabolic metaphor Elemental rift Time and transposition Conscious intermission Assertion? Desertion -- Black\_Venus: That's all I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/black-venus-here-it-goes-curious-mosaic-continental-drift-parabolic/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise... surprise and fear... fear and surprise... Our two weapons are fear and surprise... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-python/nobody-expects-the-spanish-inquisition-our-chief-weapon-is-surprise/) [Monty Python](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-python/) > [“No offense against moral order was too trivial to escape the attention of the Spanish Inquisition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kirsch/no-offense-against-moral-order-was-too-trivial-to-escape-the/) [Jonathan Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kirsch/) > [“Her hair was pulled back so severely, it would have won approval from the Spanish Inquisition as a method of torture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-thomas/her-hair-was-pulled-back-so-severely-it-would-have-won-approval-from/) [Will Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-thomas/) > [No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise, fear and surprise; two chief weapons, fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency! Er, among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-chapman/no-one-expects-the-spanish-inquisition-our-chief-weapon-is-surprise/) [Graham Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-chapman/) > [“pro scienta atque sapienta-Latin- for science and wisdom It's a Darwinian popularity contest. at all times, the question on everyone's mind is, "who's coolest?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/pro-scienta-atque-sapienta-latin-for-science-and-wisdom-it-s-a/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [This was a good example of the fascist policing of public discourse in this country by nominal liberals who have become as unthinkingly wedded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/this-was-a-good-example-of-the-fascist-policing-of-public-discourse/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## 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": "... when the Spaniards persecuted heretics they may have been crude, but they were not being unreasonable or unpractical. They were at least wiser than the people of to-day who pretend that it does not matter what a man believes, as who should say that the flavour and digestibility of a pudding will have nothing to do with its ingredients.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-they-may-have-been-crude-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-they-may-have-been-crude-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/rebecca-west-1248_believe_when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-t_2893042.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/rebecca-west-1248_believe_when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-t_2893042.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/rebecca-west-1248_believe_when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-t_2893042.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“... when the Spaniards persecuted heretics they may have been crude, but they were not being unreasonable or…” — Rebecca West", "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": "Rebecca West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "... when the Spaniards persecuted heretics...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-they-may-have-been-crude-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/when-the-spaniards-persecuted-heretics-they-may-have-been-crude-but/#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 } } ] } ```