--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion should not only comfort us when…" description: "\"Religion should not only comfort us when we are disturbed; it should also disturb us when we are comfortable.\" — Sidney Greenberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/sidney-greenberg-51567_comfort_religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when_594629.jpg" --- # Religion should not only comfort us when we are disturbed… ![“Religion should not only comfort us when we are disturbed; it should also disturb us when we are comfortable.” quote by Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/sidney-greenberg-51567_comfort_religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when_594629.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/sidney-greenberg-51567_comfort_religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when_594629.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/sidney-greenberg-51567_comfort_religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when_594629.jpg) > “Religion should not only comfort us when we are disturbed; it should also disturb us when we are comfortable.” [Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith must challenge complacency, not just soothe distress, urging growth beyond comfort. **In simple terms:** Religion should provoke, not just soothe. Key Takeaway Seek discomfort to grow. Themes faith comfort growth challenge Mood thoughtful provocative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - community dialogue - ethical decision making Key Concepts spirituality social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can faith inspire action when life feels stable? - What comforts might you be avoiding? A Different Perspective None; can be unsettling for some; ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Comfort Disturbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort-disturbed-717065/) [Comfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfortable/) [Disturb Comfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturb-comfortable-1012097/) [Disturbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturbed/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-comfort-2259728/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) ## Related quotes > [ART SHOULD COMFORT THE DISTURBED & DISTURB THE COMFORTABLE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-shah/art-should-comfort-the-disturbed-disturb-the-comfortable/) [SAMIR SHAH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-shah/) > [The duty of the church is to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ramsey/the-duty-of-the-church-is-to-comfort-the-disturbed-and-to-disturb-the/) [Michael Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ramsey/) > [“Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed." -Unknown”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caddy-rowland/art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-comfort-the-disturbed-unknown/) [Caddy Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caddy-rowland/) > [Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/art-should-comfort-the-disturbed-and-disturb-the-comfortable/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [“I had a teacher I liked who used to say good fiction’s job was to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-had-a-teacher-i-liked-who-used-to-say-good-fiction-s-job-was-to/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“Good fiction’s job is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/good-fiction-s-job-is-to-comfort-the-disturbed-and-disturb-the/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [How could one comfort a disturbed person? He is already assailed with doubts about his faith. He would have to despair with such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-f-w-walther/how-could-one-comfort-a-disturbed-person-he-is-already-assailed-with/) [C. F. W. Walther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-f-w-walther/) > [The light will disturb us when we're comfortable, and comfort us when we're disturbed. We turn to spirit for help when our foundations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/the-light-will-disturb-us-when-we-re-comfortable-and-comfort-us-when/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Nobody can deny but religion is a comfort to the distressed, a cordial to the sick, and sometimes a restraint on the wicked; therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/nobody-can-deny-but-religion-is-a-comfort-to-the-distressed-a-cordial/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [“I have never looked to religion for comfort - belief is just not in my genes. But reading Mastering the Art of French Cooking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/i-have-never-looked-to-religion-for-comfort-belief-is-just-not-in-my/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [Nobody can deny but religion is a comfort to the distressed, a cordial to the sick, and sometimes a restraint on the wicked...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/nobody-can-deny-but-religion-is-a-comfort-to-the-distressed-a-cordial-2/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [“Art Should Comfort The Disturbed And Disturb The Comforted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-cruz/art-should-comfort-the-disturbed-and-disturb-the-comforted/) [Cesar Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-cruz/) > [I was more comfortable somehow in a European Tour setting. I have never really felt comfortable in the States and therefore I have never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-montgomerie/i-was-more-comfortable-somehow-in-a-european-tour-setting-i-have/) [Colin Montgomerie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-montgomerie/) > [My style is mainly about comfort. It has to be comfortable, it has to lay right on me, know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/my-style-is-mainly-about-comfort-it-has-to-be-comfortable-it-has-to/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I have no problem with the idea of comfort, but it is not an important thing aesthetically. If you look at a shoe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/i-have-no-problem-with-the-idea-of-comfort-but-it-is-not-an-important/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) ## More by Sidney Greenberg > [Life is a journey, not a destination. Happiness is not "there" but here, not "tomorrow" but today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/life-is-a-journey-not-a-destination-happiness-is-not-there-but-here/) [Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/) > [We may gamble on outsmarting the law; we may even gamble on the leniency of man and the mercy of God-but no man ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/we-may-gamble-on-outsmarting-the-law-we-may-even-gamble-on-the/) [Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/) > [War determines not who is right but who is left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/war-determines-not-who-is-right-but-who-is-left/) [Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/) > [For all the unkind things said about envy, it would only be fair to acknowledge that not all envy is destructive. If envy leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/for-all-the-unkind-things-said-about-envy-it-would-only-be-fair-to/) [Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/) > [Among the humble and great alike, those who achieve success do so not because fate and circumstance are especially kind to them. Often the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/among-the-humble-and-great-alike-those-who-achieve-success-do-so-not/) [Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/) > [Character is distilled out of our daily confrontation with temptation, out of our regular response to the call of duty. It is formed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/character-is-distilled-out-of-our-daily-confrontation-with-temptation/) [Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/) [Explore all 7 Sidney Greenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/) ## More Comfort quotes > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I think that comfort is underrated in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/i-think-that-comfort-is-underrated-in-a-lot-of-ways/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) [Browse all 4,542 Comfort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Religion should not only comfort us when we are disturbed; it should also disturb us when we are comfortable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sidney Greenberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when-we-are-disturbed-it-should/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comfort" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when-we-are-disturbed-it-should/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/sidney-greenberg-51567_comfort_religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when_594629.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/sidney-greenberg-51567_comfort_religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when_594629.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/sidney-greenberg-51567_comfort_religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when_594629.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Religion should not only comfort us when we are disturbed; it should also disturb us when we are comfortable.” — Sidney Greenberg", "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": "Sidney Greenberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Religion should not only comfort us...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when-we-are-disturbed-it-should/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when-we-are-disturbed-it-should/#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 } } ] } ```