--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't understand why so many people who…" description: "\"I don't understand why so many people who are sophisticated in science go on believing in God. I wish I did.\" — Richard Dawkins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/richard-dawkins-115_believe_i-don-t-understand-why-so-many-people-wh_288704.jpg" --- # I don't understand why so many people who are… ![“I don't understand why so many people who are sophisticated in science go on believing in God. I wish I did.” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/richard-dawkins-115_believe_i-don-t-understand-why-so-many-people-wh_288704.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/richard-dawkins-115_believe_i-don-t-understand-why-so-many-people-wh_288704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/richard-dawkins-115_believe_i-don-t-understand-why-so-many-people-wh_288704.jpg) > “I don't understand why so many people who are sophisticated in science go on believing in God. I wish I did.” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science and belief in deity often clash because empirical evidence and faith address different questions. **In simple terms:** Science and faith differ. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of science and faith. Themes science faith philosophy Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - debates - personal reflection - education - public discourse Key Concepts empiricism existential doubt religious belief Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile evidence with belief? - What role does comfort play in belief? A Different Perspective Faith may provide comfort beyond empirical proof. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) [Believing God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-god/) [Believing In God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-in-god/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [A nation can assume that the addition of the words "under God" to its pledge of allegiance gives evidence that its citizens actually believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/a-nation-can-assume-that-the-addition-of-the-words-under-god-to-its/) [Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/) > [“I've stopped dreaming to believing in God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evans-biya/i-ve-stopped-dreaming-to-believing-in-god/) [Evans Biya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evans-biya/) > [“Chesterton is quoted as saying, “When a man stops believing in God, he doesn’t then believe in nothing, he believes anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/chesterton-is-quoted-as-saying-when-a-man-stops-believing-in-god-he/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [I have altogether failed to comprehend as to how undue pride or vain-gloriousness could ever stand in the way of a man believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagat-singh/i-have-altogether-failed-to-comprehend-as-to-how-undue-pride-or-vain/) [Bhagat Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagat-singh/) > [“Whatever you set your mind to do, believing in God shall be done. Do not look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oludotun-salako/whatever-you-set-your-mind-to-do-believing-in-god-shall-be-done-do/) Oludotun Salako > [“Believing in God and turning into Monsters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/believing-in-god-and-turning-into-monsters/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Life becomes too hard when you stop believing in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-becomes-too-hard-when-you-stop-believing-in-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If anything or anyone removes peace from you or inflicts confusion and judgment on you, this thing or person is not of God regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/if-anything-or-anyone-removes-peace-from-you-or-inflicts-confusion/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [At its root, this is what faith is. It is not believing in God. It's believing God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/at-its-root-this-is-what-faith-is-it-is-not-believing-in-god-it-s/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Man is so created that as to his internal he cannot die; for he is capable of believing in God, and thus of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-swedenborg/man-is-so-created-that-as-to-his-internal-he-cannot-die-for-he-is/) [Emanuel Swedenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-swedenborg/) > [I believe we will start believing in God as we get closer to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stern/i-believe-we-will-start-believing-in-god-as-we-get-closer-to-death/) [Howard Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stern/) > [Believing in books is a lot like believing in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-schumacher/believing-in-books-is-a-lot-like-believing-in-god/) [Julie Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-schumacher/) > [Believing in God was something I took as much for granted as the air I breathed. Religion wasn't something that came out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/believing-in-god-was-something-i-took-as-much-for-granted-as-the-air/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [“I'd rather live my life believing in God to die and see there is one. Because if there isn't one, it means there's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-chami-kassis/i-d-rather-live-my-life-believing-in-god-to-die-and-see-there-is-one/) [Sandra Chami Kassis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-chami-kassis/) > [God is great and when you believe in him great things can happen. I believe that each one of us has a great purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/god-is-great-and-when-you-believe-in-him-great-things-can-happen-i/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. The true scientist, however passionately he may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-fundamentalist-kurt-wise-proclaims-that-all-the-evidence-in-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/much-of-the-bible-is-not-systematically-evil-but-just-plain-weird-as/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We will not go quietly away. If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## 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 ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't understand why so many people who are sophisticated in science go on believing in God. 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