--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a man cannot see a church, it is…" description: "\"If a man cannot see a church, it is preposterous to take his opinion about its altar-piece or painted window.\" — Thomas Huxley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/thomas-huxley-1183_altars_if-a-man-cannot-see-a-church-it-is-prepo_2167755.png" --- # If a man cannot see a church, it is preposterous to take… ![“If a man cannot see a church, it is preposterous to take his opinion about its altar-piece or painted window.” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/thomas-huxley-1183_altars_if-a-man-cannot-see-a-church-it-is-prepo_2167755.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/thomas-huxley-1183_altars_if-a-man-cannot-see-a-church-it-is-prepo_2167755.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/thomas-huxley-1183_altars_if-a-man-cannot-see-a-church-it-is-prepo_2167755.png) > “If a man cannot see a church, it is preposterous to take his opinion about its altar-piece or painted window.” [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizing shallow judgments about art without experiencing its context. **In simple terms:** Don’t judge art without seeing the whole building. Key Takeaway Seek full context before forming opinions. Themes art criticism context perception Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - museum visits - art education - personal reflection Key Concepts aesthetics subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does environment shape your view of art? - Can you appreciate a piece without seeing its setting? A Different Perspective Limited to visual arts, not universal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Altars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altars/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) ## Related quotes > [A good man, is a good man, whether in this church, or out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/a-good-man-is-a-good-man-whether-in-this-church-or-out-of-it/) [Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/) > [The Bible account of the creation of Eve is a preposterous fable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/the-bible-account-of-the-creation-of-eve-is-a-preposterous-fable/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [The value of failure is greatly over-rated. It's a preposterous myth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/the-value-of-failure-is-greatly-over-rated-it-s-a-preposterous-myth/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [The state of being in love is so inherently preposterous. It usually lends itself to romantic comedy. I think we've all been there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/the-state-of-being-in-love-is-so-inherently-preposterous-it-usually/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [Our rulers at the present day, with their machines and their preachers, are all occupied in putting into our heads the preposterous notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/our-rulers-at-the-present-day-with-their-machines-and-their-preachers/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“The central ideas of Christianity — an angry God and vicarious atonement — are contrary to every fact in nature, as also to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/the-central-ideas-of-christianity-an-angry-god-and-vicarious/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) > [You see something happen to a population whereby everyone adopts something that's just preposterous in a way that makes it normal instantly. If any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-albini/you-see-something-happen-to-a-population-whereby-everyone-adopts/) [Steve Albini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-albini/) > [I wanted to be president of the United States. I really did. The older I get, the less preposterous the idea seems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/i-wanted-to-be-president-of-the-united-states-i-really-did-the-older/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [Sleep with Seth Mortensen? Good grief. It was the most preposterous thing I'd ever heard. It was appalling. 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Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/go-not-to-the-temple-to-put-flowers-upon-the-feet-of-god-first-fill/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [And in any preaching you do, admonish the people concerning repentance, and that nobody can be saved except he who receives the most holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/and-in-any-preaching-you-do-admonish-the-people-concerning-repentance/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) > [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [The revolting details of childbirth had been hidden from me with such care that I was as surprised as I was horrified, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/the-revolting-details-of-childbirth-had-been-hidden-from-me-with-such/) [Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/) > [Heroism, self-denial, and magnanimity, in all instances where they do not spring from a principle of religion, are but splendid altars on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/heroism-self-denial-and-magnanimity-in-all-instances-where-they-do/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is by far the most elegant worship, hardly excepting the Greek mythology. 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