--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To believe in immortality is one thing…" description: "\"To believe in immortality is one thing, but it is first needful to believe in life.\" — Robert Louis Stevenson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/robert-louis-stevenson-289_believe_to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-b_1705644.jpg" --- # To believe in immortality is one thing, but it is first… ![“To believe in immortality is one thing, but it is first needful to believe in life.” quote by Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/robert-louis-stevenson-289_believe_to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-b_1705644.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/robert-louis-stevenson-289_believe_to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-b_1705644.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/robert-louis-stevenson-289_believe_to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-b_1705644.jpg) > “To believe in immortality is one thing, but it is first needful to believe in life.” [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing in an afterlife is easy, but valuing the present life is essential. **In simple terms:** Life matters more than afterlife. Key Takeaway Prioritize living fully now. Themes life meaning existence Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - daily gratitude - health choices - relationship building Key Concepts philosophy existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance present joy with future responsibility? - What does “life” mean to you? A Different Perspective Neglecting future consequences can lead to reckless behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) ## Related quotes > [Immortality is the only thing which doesn't tolerate being postponed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/immortality-is-the-only-thing-which-doesn-t-tolerate-being-postponed/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [“There is nothing called immortality only thing that remain are deeds, indeed! ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/there-is-nothing-called-immortality-only-thing-that-remain-are-deeds/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [I believe in the immortality of the soul because I have within me immortal longings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-the-soul-because-i-have-within-me/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [I believe in the immortality of all creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egon-schiele/i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-all-creatures/) [Egon Schiele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egon-schiele/) > [I do not believe I have any immortality. The greatest evil in the world today is the Christian religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/i-do-not-believe-i-have-any-immortality-the-greatest-evil-in-the/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [I believe in the immortality of the soul because I cannot conceive of an intelligent First Cause creating human beings through long process of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hegan-rice/i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-the-soul-because-i-cannot-conceive-of/) [Alice Hegan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hegan-rice/) > [You can believe in God without believing in immortality, but it is hard to see how anyone can believe in immortality and not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-dimnet/you-can-believe-in-god-without-believing-in-immortality-but-it-is/) [Ernest Dimnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-dimnet/) > [I wish to believe in immortality-I wish to live with you forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-wish-to-believe-in-immortality-i-wish-to-live-with-you-forever/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“One of them said to me once, “I believe in the immortality of the soul for six months at a time; my opinions depend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/one-of-them-said-to-me-once-i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-the-soul/) [Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/) > [We do not believe in immortality because we can't prove it, but we try to prove it because we cannot help believing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-martineau/we-do-not-believe-in-immortality-because-we-can-t-prove-it-but-we-try/) [Harriet Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-martineau/) > [I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-individual-and-i-consider/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Believe in the immortality and everlasting effects of your goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-muller/believe-in-the-immortality-and-everlasting-effects-of-your-goodness/) [Robert Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-muller/) > [Do you believe in immortality? No, and one life is enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/do-you-believe-in-immortality-no-and-one-life-is-enough-for-me/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I believe in the immortality of the Theatre, it is a most joyous place to hide, for all those who have secretly put their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-reinhardt/i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-the-theatre-it-is-a-most-joyous-place/) [Max Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-reinhardt/) > [“I’m pretty sure he did not believe in God or an afterlife, but he had to believe that there is an immortality in living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radosh/i-m-pretty-sure-he-did-not-believe-in-god-or-an-afterlife-but-he-had/) Daniel Radosh ## More by Robert Louis Stevenson > [You must suffer me to go my own dark way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/you-must-suffer-me-to-go-my-own-dark-way/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Nobody speaks of a beautifful view for 5 minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/nobody-speaks-of-a-beautifful-view-for-5-minutes/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find is an honest friend. He is a fortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/we-are-all-travelers-in-the-wilderness-of-this-world-and-the-best/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-little-rift-between-the-sexes-is-astonishingly-widened-by-simply/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The problem of education is twofold: first to know, and then to utter. Everyone who lives any semblance of an inner life thinks more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-problem-of-education-is-twofold-first-to-know-and-then-to-utter/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“For thirty years," he said, "I've sailed the seas and seen good and bad, better and worse, fair weather and foul, provisions running out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/for-thirty-years-he-said-i-ve-sailed-the-seas-and-seen-good-and-bad/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“Mutiny, it was plain, hung over us like a thunder-cloud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/mutiny-it-was-plain-hung-over-us-like-a-thunder-cloud/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Jealousy is the most radical primeval and naked form of admiration in war paint, so to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/jealousy-is-the-most-radical-primeval-and-naked-form-of-admiration-in/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [It is the property of things seen for the first time, or for the first time after long, like the flowers in spring, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-the-property-of-things-seen-for-the-first-time-or-for-the-first/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [You have no idea, unless you have tried it, how endlessly long is a summer's day, that you measure out only by hunger, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/you-have-no-idea-unless-you-have-tried-it-how-endlessly-long-is-a/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Do not measure success by today's harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/do-not-measure-success-by-today-s-harvest-measure-success-by-the/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-be-idle-requires-a-strong-sense-of-personal-identity/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Saints are sinners who kept on going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/saints-are-sinners-who-kept-on-going/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/loving-god-help-us-remember-the-birth-of-jesus-that-we-may-share-in/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The friendly cow, all red and white, I love with all my heart; She gives me cream with all her might, To eat with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-friendly-cow-all-red-and-white-i-love-with-all-my-heart-she-gives/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) [Explore all 701 Robert Louis Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## 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": "To believe in immortality is one thing, but it is first needful to believe in life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Louis Stevenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-but-it-is-first-needful-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-but-it-is-first-needful-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/robert-louis-stevenson-289_believe_to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-b_1705644.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/robert-louis-stevenson-289_believe_to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-b_1705644.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/robert-louis-stevenson-289_believe_to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-b_1705644.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To believe in immortality is one thing, but it is first needful to believe in life.” — Robert Louis Stevenson", "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 Louis Stevenson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To believe in immortality is one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-but-it-is-first-needful-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-believe-in-immortality-is-one-thing-but-it-is-first-needful-to/#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 } } ] } ```