--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is one thing more serious than…" description: "\"There is one thing more serious than merely to not believe, and that is to not care.\" — Sterling W Sill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/sterling-w-sill-9927_believe_there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-mer_2348465.jpg" --- # There is one thing more serious than merely to not… ![“There is one thing more serious than merely to not believe, and that is to not care.” quote by Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/sterling-w-sill-9927_believe_there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-mer_2348465.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/sterling-w-sill-9927_believe_there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-mer_2348465.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/sterling-w-sill-9927_believe_there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-mer_2348465.jpg) > “There is one thing more serious than merely to not believe, and that is to not care.” [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Not believing in something is less serious than being indifferent; apathy is a deeper moral failing. **In simple terms:** Indifference is worse than disbelief. Key Takeaway Cultivate care, avoid apathy. Themes ethics indifference belief Mood thoughtful serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - social activism - community service - political engagement Key Concepts moral responsibility human empathy Questions to Reflect On - Why is caring essential? - How can we combat apathy? A Different Perspective Indifference can be rationalized, making change harder. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [It's not enough merely to believe there is a God. You must believe in the God who is there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-enough-merely-to-believe-there-is-a-god-you-must-believe-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is only a "marginal difference" separating those who are truly successful and those who merely do well.Whether you believe you can do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/there-is-only-a-marginal-difference-separating-those-who-are-truly/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [I care for you. 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But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I have to declare in all candor that no one interested in being published in our time can afford to be so naive as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/i-have-to-declare-in-all-candor-that-no-one-interested-in-being/) [Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/) ## More by Sterling W Sill > [Hang on the walls of your mind the memory of your successes. Take counsel of your strength, not your weakness. Think of the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/hang-on-the-walls-of-your-mind-the-memory-of-your-successes-take/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [I heard of somebody once who said he was interested in doing the greatest amount of good for the greatest number, and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/i-heard-of-somebody-once-who-said-he-was-interested-in-doing-the/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Make sure that your ambitions are really lofty - not just seem to be. Sometimes instead of engaging in those so called "mountaintop employments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/make-sure-that-your-ambitions-are-really-lofty-not-just-seem-to-be/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Planning is the mother of almost every other ability. Make your plan and set a timetable for its accomplishment in writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/planning-is-the-mother-of-almost-every-other-ability-make-your-plan/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Building a successful life is much like building anything else: it should be thoroughly thought about in advance and then carried through to completion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/building-a-successful-life-is-much-like-building-anything-else-it/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [When in our minds we pre-live our marriage, we help to determine the kind of person that we would like to be when that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/when-in-our-minds-we-pre-live-our-marriage-we-help-to-determine-the/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [A story is told that Whistler once painted a tiny picture of a spray of roses. The artistry involved in the picture was magnificent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/a-story-is-told-that-whistler-once-painted-a-tiny-picture-of-a-spray/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [The greatest opportunity of our lives is to wake ourselves up and get going. 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We are ambitious or lazy, enthusiastic or dull, loyal or undependable, according to our attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/everything-depends-on-attitude-we-are-ambitious-or-lazy-enthusiastic/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [We insist on near perfection in everyone except ourselves. But if our course is questioned we become offended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/we-insist-on-near-perfection-in-everyone-except-ourselves-but-if-our/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Perhaps punctuality is a quality made even more valuable because it is found in so few people. Punctuality is not usually thought of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/perhaps-punctuality-is-a-quality-made-even-more-valuable-because-it/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Punctuality is closely related to faithfulness and dependability. Being tardy can be linked to uninterest, apathy, slothfulness and procrastination...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/punctuality-is-closely-related-to-faithfulness-and-dependability/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [You can't judge a man by watching him live. . . . I personally watched Babe Ruth at bat three times, and he struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/you-can-t-judge-a-man-by-watching-him-live-i-personally-watched-babe/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) [Explore all 69 Sterling W Sill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) ## 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. 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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": "There is one thing more serious than merely to not believe, and that is to not care.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sterling W Sill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-merely-to-not-believe-and-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-merely-to-not-believe-and-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/sterling-w-sill-9927_believe_there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-mer_2348465.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/sterling-w-sill-9927_believe_there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-mer_2348465.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/sterling-w-sill-9927_believe_there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-mer_2348465.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is one thing more serious than merely to not believe, and that is to not care.” — Sterling W Sill", "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": "Sterling W Sill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is one thing more serious...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-merely-to-not-believe-and-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/there-is-one-thing-more-serious-than-merely-to-not-believe-and-that/#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 } } ] } ```