--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a truism that almost any sect…" description: "\"It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.\" — Robert A. Hein..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6be/robert-a-heinlein-209_cult_it-is-a-truism-that-almost-any-sect-cult_1761808.jpg" --- # It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion… ![“It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” quote by Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6be/robert-a-heinlein-209_cult_it-is-a-truism-that-almost-any-sect-cult_1761808.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6be/robert-a-heinlein-209_cult_it-is-a-truism-that-almost-any-sect-cult_1761808.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6be/robert-a-heinlein-209_cult_it-is-a-truism-that-almost-any-sect-cult_1761808.jpg) > “It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power tends to codify any belief system into law when it gains authority. **In simple terms:** Power turns belief into law. Key Takeaway Watch for power's effect on ideology. Themes politics religion law power authority Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - government policy - religious movements - civil rights - legislative processes Key Concepts theocracy secularism legal theory Questions to Reflect On - When does power fail to impose belief? - Can law remain neutral? A Different Perspective Not all groups succeed in legislating their creed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creed Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creed-law-1699218/) [Cult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Legislate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislate/) [Legislate Creed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislate-creed-1699217/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-power/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Legislate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-legislate-1699216/) ## Related quotes > [“Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/almost-any-sect-cult-or-religion-will-legislate-its-creed-into-law-if/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/it-is-a-truism-that-almost-any-sect-cult-or-religion-will-legislate/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Among other things Jonestown was an example of a definition well known to sociologists of religion: a cult is a religion with no political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/among-other-things-jonestown-was-an-example-of-a-definition-well/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [A cult is a religion with no political power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/a-cult-is-a-religion-with-no-political-power/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [Of course, you can't legislate for how people are going to read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-people-are-going-to-read/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [“While we keep legislating for our own interests the country will not move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-bello-accioly/while-we-keep-legislating-for-our-own-interests-the-country-will-not/) [Victor Bello Accioly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-bello-accioly/) > [Though it's impossible for us to legislate one's thoughts and feelings, we still need things like affirmative action in place because without measures like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coleman/though-it-s-impossible-for-us-to-legislate-one-s-thoughts-and/) [Jonathan Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coleman/) > [I think it is very difficult to legislate for morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/i-think-it-is-very-difficult-to-legislate-for-morality/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [You can't legislate good taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/you-can-t-legislate-good-taste/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I've made it pretty clear that I can't legislate or dictate proper behavior. You can't. You do everything that you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-reynolds/i-ve-made-it-pretty-clear-that-i-can-t-legislate-or-dictate-proper/) [Kim Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-reynolds/) > [“There is very little truth in the old refrain that one cannot legislate equality. Laws not only provide concrete benefits, they can even change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-king/there-is-very-little-truth-in-the-old-refrain-that-one-cannot/) [Gilbert King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-king/) > [If you're not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-harris/if-you-re-not-electing-christians-then-in-essence-you-are-going-to/) [Katherine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-harris/) > [Pat Moynihan could write books with one hand and legislate with the other. I can't; I have a short attention span. The slightest distraction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-frank/pat-moynihan-could-write-books-with-one-hand-and-legislate-with-the/) [Barney Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-frank/) > [I can't legislate a song into being; it just will not happen for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/i-can-t-legislate-a-song-into-being-it-just-will-not-happen-for-me/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [You can't legislate good will - that comes through education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/you-can-t-legislate-good-will-that-comes-through-education/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## More by Robert A. Heinlein > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ninety-percent-of-all-human-wisdom-is-the-ability-to-mind-your-own/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If we blow ourselves up we will do it by misapplication of science; if we manage to keep from blowing ourselves up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-we-blow-ourselves-up-we-will-do-it-by-misapplication-of-science-if/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/no-statement-should-be-believed-because-it-is-made-by-an-authority/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“The instinct to survive is human nature itself, and every aspect of our personalities derives from it. Anything that conflicts with the survival instinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-instinct-to-survive-is-human-nature-itself-and-every-aspect-of/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“I tried to dig out of the computer a call directory for Luna. But it was still sulking. I could not get it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-tried-to-dig-out-of-the-computer-a-call-directory-for-luna-but-it/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“this has more aspects than a cat has hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/this-has-more-aspects-than-a-cat-has-hair/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Never own more than you can carry in both hands at a dead run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/never-own-more-than-you-can-carry-in-both-hands-at-a-dead-run/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“In Wilson's scale of evaluations breakfast rated just after life itself and ahead of the chance of immortality." ~ By His Bootstraps / Robert A. Heinlein”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/in-wilson-s-scale-of-evaluations-breakfast-rated-just-after-life/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ignorance-is-curable-stupid-is-forever/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) [Explore all 888 Robert A. Heinlein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More Cult quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. 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