Atheism Quote by Thomas Paine
“The prejudice of unfounded belief often degenerates into the prejudice of custom, and becomes at last rank hypocrisy. When men, from custom or fashion or any worldly motive, profess or pretend to believe what they do not believe, nor can give any reason for believing, they unship the helm of their morality, and being no longer honest to their own minds they feel no moral difficulty in being unjust to others.”
About This Quote
Source Pamphlet: Rights of Man, 1791
Blind adherence to tradition leads to hypocrisy and moral weakness.
In simple terms: Following customs without belief creates hypocrisy.
Key Takeaway
Question traditions critically.
Themes
hypocrisy
tradition
morality
Mood
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- education
- personal decision making
- social movements
Key Concepts
critical thinking
ethical integrity
Questions to Reflect On
- What customs do you follow without belief?
- How can societies foster honest moral reasoning?
A Different Perspective
Changing deep‑seated customs is difficult.
![“But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, [4:2] through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron; [4:3] forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ccd/anonymous-1_faith_but-the-spirit-saith-expressly-that-in-l_1158860.jpg)
