--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s funny how the devout pretend like…" description: "\"“It’s funny how the devout pretend like they want people to ask questions, but really they only want you to ask the questions that they have answers to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/tal-m-klein-56510_ask-questions_it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-t_26250.jpg" --- # It’s funny how the devout pretend like they want people to… ![“It’s funny how the devout pretend like they want people to ask questions, but really they only want you to ask the questions that they have answers to. You ask the wrong questions, things they don’t want to answer, they get mad.” quote by Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/tal-m-klein-56510_ask-questions_it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-t_26250.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/tal-m-klein-56510_ask-questions_it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-t_26250.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/tal-m-klein-56510_ask-questions_it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-t_26250.jpg) > ““It’s funny how the devout pretend like they want people to ask questions, but really they only want you to ask the questions that they have answers to. You ask the wrong questions, things they don’t want to answer, they get mad.”” [Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how some religious individuals encourage questioning only within boundaries that preserve their doctrines, punishing inquiries that challenge core beliefs. **In simple terms:** Selective openness in faith Key Takeaway Questioning is often controlled Themes hypocrisy authority faith critical thinking power dynamics Mood skeptical ironic critical Type observation critique philosophical When to use this quote - theological debates - educational settings - interfaith dialogues - online forums - personal spiritual exploration Key Concepts dogma inquiry control repression Practical Applications - Designing curricula that foster genuine critical inquiry - Creating safe spaces for challenging religious assumptions Questions to Reflect On - How can we distinguish genuine openness from strategic questioning? - What mechanisms protect dissenting voices in religious communities? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“Most people only ask questions so they can listen to themselves talk. Or hear something they are able to cope with, but please, nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/most-people-only-ask-questions-so-they-can-listen-to-themselves-talk/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [Most people ask questions because they want to know the answer; lawyers are trained never to ask questions unless they already know the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lani-guinier/most-people-ask-questions-because-they-want-to-know-the-answer/) Lani Guinier > [Successful people ask questions. They seek new teachers. They're always learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/successful-people-ask-questions-they-seek-new-teachers-they-re-always/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Television is a great leveler. You always end up sounding like the people who ask the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/television-is-a-great-leveler-you-always-end-up-sounding-like-the/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sometimes I get a little nervous when people ask questions, because I don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-ortiz/sometimes-i-get-a-little-nervous-when-people-ask-questions-because-i/) [Luis Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-ortiz/) > [I think that's always the goal of art, is to make people ask themselves questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/i-think-that-s-always-the-goal-of-art-is-to-make-people-ask/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [When you ask for help listen. It's one thing to ask the question and it's another thing to listen to the answer. Many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/when-you-ask-for-help-listen-it-s-one-thing-to-ask-the-question-and/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [“The only people who ask questions like ‘Did he want to be something besides a bartender?’ are people who can become whatever they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/the-only-people-who-ask-questions-like-did-he-want-to-be-something/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [The most subversive people are those who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The people who ask questions decide the quality of their conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-dutta/the-people-who-ask-questions-decide-the-quality-of-their-conversation/) Vikrant Dutta > [There is no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid people who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-berman/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question-just-stupid-people-who/) Chris Berman > [We are trained to ask "What's wrong and how we fix it?" Instead, start by asking - "What works, what have we got, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kenyon/we-are-trained-to-ask-what-s-wrong-and-how-we-fix-it-instead-start-by/) [Peter Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kenyon/) > [If people disobey, don't ask what is wrong with them, ask what's wrong with their leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/if-people-disobey-don-t-ask-what-is-wrong-with-them-ask-what-s-wrong/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [When you see someone as a human being, you begin to understand most people are doing what they believe is right. I ask myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-you-see-someone-as-a-human-being-you-begin-to-understand-most/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I am a conservative type of person, so sometimes when I'm chilling with myself, people always come ask me, 'What's wrong with you? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-wonder/i-am-a-conservative-type-of-person-so-sometimes-when-i-m-chilling/) [Wayne Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-wonder/) ## More by Tal M. Klein > [“in 2147 governments still existed, but they were mostly for show, like the royal family in Great Britain had been for several centuries. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/in-2147-governments-still-existed-but-they-were-mostly-for-show-like/) [Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) > [“When railroads were first introduced, some people thought the speed would be so intense, it would cause their organs to shoot out of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/when-railroads-were-first-introduced-some-people-thought-the-speed/) [Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) > [“I’m guessing if you asked anyone from IT about the moral implications, they would likely extol humanity’s well-documented historical grapples with new transportation technologies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/i-m-guessing-if-you-asked-anyone-from-it-about-the-moral-implications/) [Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) > [“Imagine looking in the mirror and not knowing who you are. An empty face staring back. No one. We rarely think about how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/imagine-looking-in-the-mirror-and-not-knowing-who-you-are-an-empty/) [Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) > [“This is like a reverse clown car.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/this-is-like-a-reverse-clown-car/) [Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) [Explore all 6 Tal M. Klein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) ## More Ask questions quotes > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) > [I was allowed to believe things that weren't true and I would ask questions about them and talk about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/i-was-allowed-to-believe-things-that-weren-t-true-and-i-would-ask/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [What makes us human, I think, is an ability to ask questions, a consequence of our sophisticated spoken language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/what-makes-us-human-i-think-is-an-ability-to-ask-questions-a/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“you do that all the time you know. you ask me questions when you know the answer will piss you off. ask me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/you-do-that-all-the-time-you-know-you-ask-me-questions-when-you-know/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [I feel really strongly about not wanting to overly guide the reader about what he or she should think. I really trust the reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-feel-really-strongly-about-not-wanting-to-overly-guide-the-reader/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [...all the answers are but waiting for us while we, poor fools, ask questions and wait for the secrets of God to open themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-asad/all-the-answers-are-but-waiting-for-us-while-we-poor-fools-ask/) [Muhammad Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-asad/) > [“This was a success in itself, but it came with an added and unexpected benefit: The act of thinking about the problem and responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-was-a-success-in-itself-but-it-came-with-an-added-and-unexpected/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [I feel like a good director provokes you to ask questions about your character, but doesn't answer them for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-reed/i-feel-like-a-good-director-provokes-you-to-ask-questions-about-your/) [Crystal Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-reed/) > [“You ask questions. You take your life seriously, but you don't take yourself too seriously. You're going to take over the world, and change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/you-ask-questions-you-take-your-life-seriously-but-you-don-t-take/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [The most subversive people are those who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Rules for texting a girl: 1. Don't take 40 minutes to reply. 2. Use good grammar. 3. Ask Questions. 4. Use the :) face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rules-for-texting-a-girl-1-don-t-take-40-minutes-to-reply-2-use-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I could give my younger self some advice at that time, I'd tell her to enjoy the ride and don't be afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-valletta/if-i-could-give-my-younger-self-some-advice-at-that-time-i-d-tell-her/) [Amber Valletta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-valletta/) Browse all 828 Ask questions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s funny how the devout pretend like they want people to ask questions, but really they only want you to ask the questions that they have answers to. You ask the wrong questions, things they don’t want to answer, they get mad.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tal M. Klein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-they-want-people-to-ask/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ask questions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-they-want-people-to-ask/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/tal-m-klein-56510_ask-questions_it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-t_26250.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/tal-m-klein-56510_ask-questions_it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-t_26250.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/605/tal-m-klein-56510_ask-questions_it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-t_26250.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It’s funny how the devout pretend like they want people to ask questions, but really they only want you to…” — Tal M. Klein", "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": "Tal M. Klein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It’s funny how the devout pretend...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-they-want-people-to-ask/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-they-want-people-to-ask/#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 } } ] } ```