--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have long believed that celebrity, the…" description: "\"I have long believed that celebrity, the way we worship and package and sell our pop stars, is what filled the need for gods that was once filled by th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/rich-cohen-26170_believed_i-have-long-believed-that-celebrity-the_1996942.jpg" --- # I have long believed that celebrity, the way we worship… ![“I have long believed that celebrity, the way we worship and package and sell our pop stars, is what filled the need for gods that was once filled by the pictures in stained glass. Hollywood is post-Christian Venice - in other words, a pantheon of saints without the hassle and heartache of religion.” quote by Rich Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/rich-cohen-26170_believed_i-have-long-believed-that-celebrity-the_1996942.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/rich-cohen-26170_believed_i-have-long-believed-that-celebrity-the_1996942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/rich-cohen-26170_believed_i-have-long-believed-that-celebrity-the_1996942.jpg) > “I have long believed that celebrity, the way we worship and package and sell our pop stars, is what filled the need for gods that was once filled by the pictures in stained glass. Hollywood is post-Christian Venice - in other words, a pantheon of saints without the hassle and heartache of religion.” [Rich Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Celebrity culture replaces traditional religious icons, offering a secular pantheon that satisfies humanity’s need for awe and meaning. **In simple terms:** Celebrities act as modern gods, filling spiritual voids. Key Takeaway Recognize the symbolic role of fame and seek deeper meaning beyond it. Themes celebrity secularism mythmaking culture Mood reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - film criticism - media analysis - personal reflection Key Concepts iconography social function psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does fame shape personal values? - Can secular icons provide true fulfillment? A Different Perspective May overlook genuine spiritual needs; can foster superficial values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed/) [Believed Celebrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-celebrity-3492397/) [Celebrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebrity/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled/) [Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glass/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) [Heartache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartache/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [In other words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/in-other-words/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Need Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-gods-2714743/) [Once](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Package](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/package/) [Pictures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pictures/) [Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop/) [Pop star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop-star/) [Pop stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop-stars/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Saints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saints/) [Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell/) [Stained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stained/) [Stained glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stained-glass/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Venice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/venice/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Without](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't want to go to college - I was bored by junior high. 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If you understand everything,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/but-when-you-have-order-you-don-t-need-gods-when-everything-is-well/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [All men have need of the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/all-men-have-need-of-the-gods/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I don't need your approval. The only approval I need is My Own and GODS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/i-don-t-need-your-approval-the-only-approval-i-need-is-my-own-and-gods/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [“You die because you think the gods are looking after you. That's ok for animals, but you should know better." "We should not trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/you-die-because-you-think-the-gods-are-looking-after-you-that-s-ok/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“My father..." He paused painfully, his voice unsteady. "...thought he was drinking the nectar of the gods, but it turned out to be poison.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gen-lagreca/my-father-he-paused-painfully-his-voice-unsteady-thought-he-was/) [Gen LaGreca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gen-lagreca/) > [Mortals did not need gods to order them to kill eachother. They were quite capable of finding reasons to do so themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/mortals-did-not-need-gods-to-order-them-to-kill-eachother-they-were/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [Life has cross-roads in it. 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She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [“I didn't know if I believed in 'happily ever after' anymore. I mean, I didn't know what would happen tomorrow, let alone for forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-kate-strohm/i-didn-t-know-if-i-believed-in-happily-ever-after-anymore-i-mean-i/) [Stephanie Kate Strohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-kate-strohm/) > [Alfred Nobel believed that social changes are brought about slowly, and sometimes by indirect means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertha-von-suttner/alfred-nobel-believed-that-social-changes-are-brought-about-slowly/) [Bertha von Suttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertha-von-suttner/) > [Aaron Spelling always had his finger on the pulse of pop culture, he knew what the public wanted to see. He was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/aaron-spelling-always-had-his-finger-on-the-pulse-of-pop-culture-he/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) > [I never believed that they was such thing as love at first sight but I think I'm having that feeliing @sarahlovemoody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mishack/i-never-believed-that-they-was-such-thing-as-love-at-first-sight-but/) [Mishack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mishack/) > [“I wish I believed him. He's looking at me like he can see where I begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcnamara/i-wish-i-believed-him-he-s-looking-at-me-like-he-can-see-where-i-begin/) [Amy McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcnamara/) > [My life had been defined by the apartheid years. 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You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sullivan-stapleton/i-never-believed-i-d-have-a-six-pack-especially-not-at-35-years-old-i/) [Sullivan Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sullivan-stapleton/) > [“For a moment, I believed you.” He ordered me, dryly, recovering his usual poise again. He does not only have a selective hearing, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tionne-rogers/for-a-moment-i-believed-you-he-ordered-me-dryly-recovering-his-usual/) [Tionne Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tionne-rogers/) > [There was a time when idealistic folksingers such as myself believed that Reality TV was a programming vogue that would peak and recede, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/there-was-a-time-when-idealistic-folksingers-such-as-myself-believed/) [James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/) > [I felt uneasy, but sometimes, like I said before, I believed in Col. 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