--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Infidelity does not consist in believing…" description: "\"Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. It is impossible to calcul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/thomas-paine-267_belief_infidelity-does-not-consist-in-believing_2792563.png" --- # Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in… ![“Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the…” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/thomas-paine-267_belief_infidelity-does-not-consist-in-believing_2792563.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/thomas-paine-267_belief_infidelity-does-not-consist-in-believing_2792563.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/thomas-paine-267_belief_infidelity-does-not-consist-in-believing_2792563.png) > “Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime.” [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral corruption begins when one pretends to hold beliefs they do not truly accept, leading to broader ethical decay. **In simple terms:** Pretending to believe false things erodes morality. Key Takeaway Align belief with genuine conviction. Themes integrity honesty morality Mood critical reflective Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - political rhetoric - personal relationships - professional conduct Key Concepts cognitive dissonance ethical decay Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever endorse ideas you don’t truly support? - How does false belief affect trust? A Different Perspective If belief is merely performative, it may still cause harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Chastity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chastity/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Infidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infidelity/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mischief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mischief/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) ## Related quotes > [“Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/infidelity-does-not-consist-in-believing-or-in-disbelieving-it/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“Tom Paine wrote in The Age of Reason: Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/tom-paine-wrote-in-the-age-of-reason-infidelity-does-not-consist-in/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. 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When a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-is-impossible-to-calculate-the-moral-mischief-if-i-may-so-express/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [By liberty of conscience, we understand not only a mere liberty of the mind, in believing or disbelieving this or that principle or doctrine;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/by-liberty-of-conscience-we-understand-not-only-a-mere-liberty-of-the/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [One may forgive infidelity, but one does not forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-la-fayette/one-may-forgive-infidelity-but-one-does-not-forget-it/) [Madame de La Fayette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-la-fayette/) > [It was not a matter of believing or disbelieving what I read, but of feeling something new, of being affected by something that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wright/it-was-not-a-matter-of-believing-or-disbelieving-what-i-read-but-of/) [Richard Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wright/) > [A woman's chastity consists, like an onion, of a series of coats. 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By touch we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/touch-it-is-touch-that-is-the-deadliest-enemy-of-chastity-loyalty/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Where cheating is, there's mischief there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/where-cheating-is-there-s-mischief-there/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [ When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to \[profess\] things he does not believe, he has… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/when-a-man-has-so-far-corrupted-and-prostituted-the-chastity-of-his/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property... 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