---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Priests are often well-meaning people who…"
description: "\"Priests are often well-meaning people who haven't yet looked too thoroughly into comparative religion.\" — Robert Genn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/robert-genn-2179_comparative_priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-wh_798224.png"
---

#  Priests are often well-meaning people who haven't yet…

![“Priests are often well-meaning people who haven't yet looked too thoroughly into comparative religion.” quote by Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/robert-genn-2179_comparative_priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-wh_798224.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/robert-genn-2179_comparative_priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-wh_798224.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/robert-genn-2179_comparative_priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-wh_798224.png)

> “Priests are often well-meaning people who haven't yet looked too thoroughly into comparative religion.”

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Priests may lack deep comparative religious knowledge despite good intentions.

**In simple terms:** Priests often lack deep comparative knowledge.

Key Takeaway

Encourage interfaith learning.

Themes

religion education open‑mindedness

Mood

inquisitive respectful

Type

educational inspirational

When to use this quote

- seminars
- interfaith dialogues
- personal study

Key Concepts

comparative theology bias awareness learning

Questions to Reflect On

- How can religious leaders broaden their understanding?
- What benefits arise from comparative study?

A Different Perspective

May overlook individual priest experiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comparative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparative/) [Comparative religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparative-religion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Priests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priests/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [Comparative religion is an admirable recipe for making people comparatively religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-knox/comparative-religion-is-an-admirable-recipe-for-making-people/)

[Ronald Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-knox/)

> [It is not sufficiently considered in the hour of exultation, that all human excellence is comparative; that no man performs much but in proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/it-is-not-sufficiently-considered-in-the-hour-of-exultation-that-all/)

[Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/)

> [Occasionally, I just need to escape from my work or be reminded of the comparative bliss of my own life, so I pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-macaulay/occasionally-i-just-need-to-escape-from-my-work-or-be-reminded-of-the/)

[David Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-macaulay/)

> [I had no intention of becoming a performer, and yet under miraculous circumstances I was brought into the music industry fold. If divine powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-washburn/i-had-no-intention-of-becoming-a-performer-and-yet-under-miraculous/)

[Abigail Washburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-washburn/)

> [All human excellence is but comparative. There may be persons who excel us, as much as we fancy we excel the meanest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/all-human-excellence-is-but-comparative-there-may-be-persons-who/)

[Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/)

> [Events that get covered in the U.S. one way are not very important elsewhere or are given a completely different slant ,and one needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/events-that-get-covered-in-the-u-s-one-way-are-not-very-important/)

[Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/)

> [Wine writers have been around for almost as long as there has been wine, but in the past, generally speaking, most wine writing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-parker-jr/wine-writers-have-been-around-for-almost-as-long-as-there-has-been/)

[Robert M. Parker, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-parker-jr/)

> [“As enunciated today, "progress" is simply a comparative of which we have not settled the superlative.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/as-enunciated-today-progress-is-simply-a-comparative-of-which-we-have/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [As in all of biology, comparative studies showing differences among species are often helpful for a better understanding of the basic mechanisms; with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyler-bonner/as-in-all-of-biology-comparative-studies-showing-differences-among/)

[John Tyler Bonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyler-bonner/)

> [There are men who are wanting in the comparative, they as a rule are the most interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/there-are-men-who-are-wanting-in-the-comparative-they-as-a-rule-are/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [I'm a professor of comparative literature, among other things, so I'm able to read in a couple of other languages, and I understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/i-m-a-professor-of-comparative-literature-among-other-things-so-i-m/)

[Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/)

> [The methodologies of examining hip hop are borrowed from sociology, politics, religion, economics, urban studies, journalism, communications theory, American studies, transatlantic studies, black studies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/the-methodologies-of-examining-hip-hop-are-borrowed-from-sociology/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [The history of religions, of which Christianity is a transcendent element, awaits the deepest study. It requires Bibles to free from Bibles. Comparative theology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/the-history-of-religions-of-which-christianity-is-a-transcendent/)

[Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/)

> [Lets take away the incentives to do 'to' patients and instead create incentives to do 'for' patients, to be 'with' patients. We don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/lets-take-away-the-incentives-to-do-to-patients-and-instead-create/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [The critical task is necessarily comparative, and younger people do not truly know what is new](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/the-critical-task-is-necessarily-comparative-and-younger-people-do/)

[Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/)

## More by Robert Genn

> [We artists give daily thanks for the miracle of our planet and for the inclination and the capability to honour it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/we-artists-give-daily-thanks-for-the-miracle-of-our-planet-and-for/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Pushing yourself to extremes blows out the cobwebs of trusted habit. It shakes up what you know to be reliably safe and substitutes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/pushing-yourself-to-extremes-blows-out-the-cobwebs-of-trusted-habit/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Keep busy while you are waiting for something to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/keep-busy-while-you-are-waiting-for-something-to-happen/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Art is a course in personal development that has no reliable diploma and no known end. The pursuit of art instructs in beauty as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/art-is-a-course-in-personal-development-that-has-no-reliable-diploma/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Great paintings have gradations, large and small... They serve to lift the subject off the two-dimensionality of the canvas. Gradations are an essential abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/great-paintings-have-gradations-large-and-small-they-serve-to-lift/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Evolved creators are just as curious about their failures as they are of their successes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/evolved-creators-are-just-as-curious-about-their-failures-as-they-are/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Art is a path on which we honour our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/art-is-a-path-on-which-we-honour-our-world/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [With repetition, the alternate approaches become clear, options open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/with-repetition-the-alternate-approaches-become-clear-options-open/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [When shucked and released from its edges, the windowless subject stands alone as its own thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/when-shucked-and-released-from-its-edges-the-windowless-subject/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Mountains in all their moods are symbols of something greater, something worth aspiring to. Mountains are powerful, dangerous, beautiful, noble and mysterious. Mountains get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/mountains-in-all-their-moods-are-symbols-of-something-greater/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Our bodies, apart from their brilliant role as drawing exercises, are the temples of our being. Like the bodies of all fauna, they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/our-bodies-apart-from-their-brilliant-role-as-drawing-exercises-are/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [When I'm in the studio I often hunger for the road. And when away I long for the efficiency of the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/when-i-m-in-the-studio-i-often-hunger-for-the-road-and-when-away-i/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [In life and art it's better to be an enthusiastic amateur than a jaded professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/in-life-and-art-it-s-better-to-be-an-enthusiastic-amateur-than-a/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

[Explore all 181 Robert Genn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

## More Comparative quotes

> [It is not sufficiently considered in the hour of exultation, that all human excellence is comparative; that no man performs much but in proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/it-is-not-sufficiently-considered-in-the-hour-of-exultation-that-all/)

[Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/)

> [Lets take away the incentives to do 'to' patients and instead create incentives to do 'for' patients, to be 'with' patients. We don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/lets-take-away-the-incentives-to-do-to-patients-and-instead-create/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [The history of religions, of which Christianity is a transcendent element, awaits the deepest study. It requires Bibles to free from Bibles. Comparative theology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/the-history-of-religions-of-which-christianity-is-a-transcendent/)

[Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/)

> [The methodologies of examining hip hop are borrowed from sociology, politics, religion, economics, urban studies, journalism, communications theory, American studies, transatlantic studies, black studies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/the-methodologies-of-examining-hip-hop-are-borrowed-from-sociology/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I'm a professor of comparative literature, among other things, so I'm able to read in a couple of other languages, and I understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/i-m-a-professor-of-comparative-literature-among-other-things-so-i-m/)

[Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/)

> [Comparative religion is an admirable recipe for making people comparatively religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-knox/comparative-religion-is-an-admirable-recipe-for-making-people/)

[Ronald Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-knox/)

> [There are men who are wanting in the comparative, they as a rule are the most interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/there-are-men-who-are-wanting-in-the-comparative-they-as-a-rule-are/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [As in all of biology, comparative studies showing differences among species are often helpful for a better understanding of the basic mechanisms; with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyler-bonner/as-in-all-of-biology-comparative-studies-showing-differences-among/)

[John Tyler Bonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyler-bonner/)

> [“As enunciated today, "progress" is simply a comparative of which we have not settled the superlative.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/as-enunciated-today-progress-is-simply-a-comparative-of-which-we-have/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [Wine writers have been around for almost as long as there has been wine, but in the past, generally speaking, most wine writing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-parker-jr/wine-writers-have-been-around-for-almost-as-long-as-there-has-been/)

[Robert M. Parker, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-parker-jr/)

> [Events that get covered in the U.S. one way are not very important elsewhere or are given a completely different slant ,and one needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/events-that-get-covered-in-the-u-s-one-way-are-not-very-important/)

[Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/)

> [All human excellence is but comparative. There may be persons who excel us, as much as we fancy we excel the meanest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/all-human-excellence-is-but-comparative-there-may-be-persons-who/)

[Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/)

> [I had no intention of becoming a performer, and yet under miraculous circumstances I was brought into the music industry fold. If divine powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-washburn/i-had-no-intention-of-becoming-a-performer-and-yet-under-miraculous/)

[Abigail Washburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-washburn/)

> [Occasionally, I just need to escape from my work or be reminded of the comparative bliss of my own life, so I pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-macaulay/occasionally-i-just-need-to-escape-from-my-work-or-be-reminded-of-the/)

[David Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-macaulay/)

> [The critical task is necessarily comparative, and younger people do not truly know what is new](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/the-critical-task-is-necessarily-comparative-and-younger-people-do/)

[Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/)

[Browse all 23 Comparative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparative/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Priests are often well-meaning people who haven't yet looked too thoroughly into comparative religion.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Genn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-who-haven-t-yet-looked-too/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Comparative"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-who-haven-t-yet-looked-too/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/robert-genn-2179_comparative_priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-wh_798224.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/robert-genn-2179_comparative_priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-wh_798224.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/robert-genn-2179_comparative_priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-wh_798224.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Priests are often well-meaning people who haven't yet looked too thoroughly into comparative religion.” — Robert Genn",
                "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": "Robert Genn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Priests are often well-meaning people who...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-who-haven-t-yet-looked-too/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/priests-are-often-well-meaning-people-who-haven-t-yet-looked-too/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```