---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My point is not that religion itself is…"
description: "\"My point is not that religion itself is the motivation for wars, murders and terrorist attacks, but that religion is the principal label, and the most ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/richard-dawkins-115_dangerous_my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is_562254.jpg"
---

#  My point is not that religion itself is the motivation for…

![“My point is not that religion itself is the motivation for wars, murders and terrorist attacks, but that religion is the principal label, and the most dangerous one, by which a &quot;they&quot; as opposed to a &quot;we&quot; can be identified at all.” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/richard-dawkins-115_dangerous_my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is_562254.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/richard-dawkins-115_dangerous_my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is_562254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/richard-dawkins-115_dangerous_my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is_562254.jpg)

> “My point is not that religion itself is the motivation for wars, murders and terrorist attacks, but that religion is the principal label, and the most dangerous one, by which a "they" as opposed to a "we" can be identified at all.”

[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.

Argues religion serves as a divisive label, enabling “us vs them” conflict beyond its doctrines.

**In simple terms:** Religion labels groups, fuels division.

Key Takeaway

Recognize shared humanity beyond labels.

Themes

religion conflict identity

Mood

analytical critical

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- interfaith dialogue
- media narratives

Key Concepts

group psychology in‑group/out‑group bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How do labels shape prejudice?
- Can common values bridge divides?

A Different Perspective

Not all religious identity cause conflict.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Faith in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-in-god/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [The point of any religion should be this: how to open your heart to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-klemp/the-point-of-any-religion-should-be-this-how-to-open-your-heart-to/)

[Harold Klemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-klemp/)

> [“Today everybody admits that something is wrong with the world, and the critics of Christianity are the very people who feel this most. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-henry-dawson/today-everybody-admits-that-something-is-wrong-with-the-world-and-the/)

[Christopher Henry Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-henry-dawson/)

> [ Jesus was not content to derive his ethics from the scriptures of his upbringing. He explicitly departed from them. \[...\] Since a principal thesis… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/jesus-was-not-content-to-derive-his-ethics-from-the-scriptures-of-his/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [To be fair, much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/to-be-fair-much-of-the-bible-is-not-systematically-evil-but-just/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Everybody is an atheist in saying that there is a god - from Ra to Shiva - in which he does not believe. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/everybody-is-an-atheist-in-saying-that-there-is-a-god-from-ra-to/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [The Bishop goes on to the human eye, asking rhetorically, and with the implication that there is no answer, 'How could an organ so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-bishop-goes-on-to-the-human-eye-asking-rhetorically-and-with-the/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [THE MAJORITY of children born into the world tend to inherit the beliefs of their parents, and that to me is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-majority-of-children-born-into-the-world-tend-to-inherit-the/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [That there is a continuous link from humans to gorillas, with the intermediate species merely long dead, is beyond the understanding of speciesists. Tie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/that-there-is-a-continuous-link-from-humans-to-gorillas-with-the/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Either it is true that a medicine works or it isn't. It cannot be false in the ordinary sense but true in some alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/either-it-is-true-that-a-medicine-works-or-it-isn-t-it-cannot-be/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Admittedly great though these reasons be, they are not the principal grounds, that is, those which may rightfully claim for themselves the privilege of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-pico-della-mirandola/admittedly-great-though-these-reasons-be-they-are-not-the-principal/)

[Giovanni Pico della Mirandola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-pico-della-mirandola/)

> [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [One of the principal reasons why so many fail to get what they want is because they do not definitely know what they want,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/one-of-the-principal-reasons-why-so-many-fail-to-get-what-they-want/)

[Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/)

> [My first experience with football was not very good because I didn't plan on playing football. I was just playing hookie one day and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/my-first-experience-with-football-was-not-very-good-because-i-didn-t/)

[Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/)

> [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/)

[Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/)

> [Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/selfishness-is-one-of-the-principal-fruits-of-the-corruption-of-human/)

[William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/)

## 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 Dangerous quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/)

[Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/)

[Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/)

> [“It is dangerous to lock oneself away and lose track of what is happening outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/it-is-dangerous-to-lock-oneself-away-and-lose-track-of-what-is/)

[Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/)

> [Its extremely dangerous to compare anyone else to Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/its-extremely-dangerous-to-compare-anyone-else-to-shakespeare/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [In my youth-team days, I was always a left-winger who would stay close to the byline and put crosses in the box, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjen-robben/in-my-youth-team-days-i-was-always-a-left-winger-who-would-stay-close/)

[Arjen Robben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjen-robben/)

> [The temptations of God were always more dangerous for mankind than those of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-temptations-of-god-were-always-more-dangerous-for-mankind-than/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/)

[George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/)

> [Die gefährlichste Weltanschauung ist die Weltanschauung derer, die die Welt nie angeschaut haben. (The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-von-humboldt/die-gef-hrlichste-weltanschauung-ist-die-weltanschauung-derer-die-die/)

[Alexander von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-von-humboldt/)

> [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/)

[Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/)

> [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

Browse all 6,450 Dangerous quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My point is not that religion itself is the motivation for wars, murders and terrorist attacks, but that religion is the principal label, and the most dangerous one, by which a \"they\" as opposed to a \"we\" can be identified at all.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Dawkins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is-the-motivation-for-wars/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dangerous"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is-the-motivation-for-wars/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/richard-dawkins-115_dangerous_my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is_562254.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/richard-dawkins-115_dangerous_my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is_562254.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/richard-dawkins-115_dangerous_my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is_562254.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My point is not that religion itself is the motivation for wars, murders and terrorist attacks, but that…” — Richard Dawkins",
                "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": "Richard Dawkins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My point is not that religion...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is-the-motivation-for-wars/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/my-point-is-not-that-religion-itself-is-the-motivation-for-wars/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
