--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no arguing with the pretenders…" description: "\"There is no arguing with the pretenders to a divine knowledge and to a divine mission. They are possessed with the sin of pride, they have yielded to t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/walter-lippmann-1083_arguing_there-is-no-arguing-with-the-pretenders_792987.jpg" --- # There is no arguing with the pretenders to a divine… ![“There is no arguing with the pretenders to a divine knowledge and to a divine mission. They are possessed with the sin of pride, they have yielded to the perennial temptation.” quote by Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/walter-lippmann-1083_arguing_there-is-no-arguing-with-the-pretenders_792987.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/walter-lippmann-1083_arguing_there-is-no-arguing-with-the-pretenders_792987.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/walter-lippmann-1083_arguing_there-is-no-arguing-with-the-pretenders_792987.jpg) > “There is no arguing with the pretenders to a divine knowledge and to a divine mission. They are possessed with the sin of pride, they have yielded to the perennial temptation.” [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pride blinds pretenders to divine claims, leading to arrogance and false missions. **In simple terms:** Pride corrupts spiritual claims. Key Takeaway Beware pride in spiritual or ideological claims. Themes pride hubris spirituality authority delusion Mood cautious critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - Religious debates - political rhetoric - leadership - self‑reflection Key Concepts Moral philosophy religious criticism intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards prevent pride in belief systems? - How to discern genuine insight from ego? A Different Perspective Not all claimed authority is prideful; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arguing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/) [Arguing Pretenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing-pretenders-6086386/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Possessed Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessed-sin-6086387/) [Pretenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretenders/) [Pretenders Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretenders-divine-6086385/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sin of pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin-of-pride/) [Sin Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin-pride-429568/) [Temptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptation/) ## Related quotes > [The sin of pride is the sin of sins; in which all subsequent sins are included, as in their germ; they are but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-chenevix-trench/the-sin-of-pride-is-the-sin-of-sins-in-which-all-subsequent-sins-are/) [Richard Chenevix Trench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-chenevix-trench/) > [Part of the sin of Pride is a subtle but deep racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-p-yohannan/part-of-the-sin-of-pride-is-a-subtle-but-deep-racism/) [K.P. Yohannan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-p-yohannan/) > [“You came clothed with the virtue of humility; and because God blessed your enterprises accordingly, you have stained yourself with the sin of pride.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-came-clothed-with-the-virtue-of-humility-and-because-god-blessed/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Angela was being reassuring. Someone must have been getting at the child. Wouldn’t you think they’d be delighted to see someone try to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/angela-was-being-reassuring-someone-must-have-been-getting-at-the/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [“I shouldn’t complain about God’s mercy to others while thanking Him for His mercy to me. I shouldn’t commit the sin of pride by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-schultz/i-shouldn-t-complain-about-god-s-mercy-to-others-while-thanking-him/) [Teresa Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-schultz/) > [One of the things capitalism does is, it does enhance and exacerbate the sin of pride, making yourself, the material world the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/one-of-the-things-capitalism-does-is-it-does-enhance-and-exacerbate/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Before we become too arrogant with the most deadly of the seven deadly sins, the sin of pride, let us remember that the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/before-we-become-too-arrogant-with-the-most-deadly-of-the-seven/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy - the root of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-ask-god-to-give-you-power-to-fight-against-the-sin-of-pride/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The sin of pride may be a small or a great thing in someone's life, and hurt vanity a passing pinprick, or a self-destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/the-sin-of-pride-may-be-a-small-or-a-great-thing-in-someone-s-life/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Theologians consider that it was the sin of pride, the sinful thought conceived in an instant: non serviam: I will not serve. That instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/theologians-consider-that-it-was-the-sin-of-pride-the-sinful-thought/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [No one wrote better about the sin of pride, the corruption of power and the redemption of love. I will miss you, Gabriel García…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/no-one-wrote-better-about-the-sin-of-pride-the-corruption-of-power/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [“A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/a-person-who-is-obsessed-with-jesus-knows-that-the-sin-of-pride-is/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [People who parade their holiness are operating dangerously close to the sin of pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mardy-grothe/people-who-parade-their-holiness-are-operating-dangerously-close-to/) [Mardy Grothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mardy-grothe/) > [It's a big mistake to think that your own cause, or your own country, or your own side has God in its corner. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-a-big-mistake-to-think-that-your-own-cause-or-your-own-country/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“If there are so many references in the Mass to poverty, sadness, failure and loss, it is because the Church views the ill, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/if-there-are-so-many-references-in-the-mass-to-poverty-sadness/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) ## More by Walter Lippmann > [The emancipated woman has to fight something worse than the crusted prejudices of her uncles; she has to fight the bewilderment in her own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-emancipated-woman-has-to-fight-something-worse-than-the-crusted/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Even God has been defended with nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/even-god-has-been-defended-with-nonsense/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [A better distribution of incomes would increase that efficiency by diverting a great fund of wealth from the useless to the useful members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/a-better-distribution-of-incomes-would-increase-that-efficiency-by/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [There is but one bond of peace that is both permanent and enriching: The increasing knowledge of the world in which experiment occurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/there-is-but-one-bond-of-peace-that-is-both-permanent-and-enriching/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. 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A great society is simply a big and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/a-free-press-is-not-a-privilege-but-an-organic-necessity-in-a-great/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [“Since position and contact play so big a part in determining what can be seen, heard, read, and experienced, as well as what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/since-position-and-contact-play-so-big-a-part-in-determining-what-can/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [An alliance is like a chain. It is not made stronger by adding weak links to it. A great power like the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/an-alliance-is-like-a-chain-it-is-not-made-stronger-by-adding-weak/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [The chief element in the art of statesmanship under modern conditions is the ability to elucidate the confused and clamorous interests which converge upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-chief-element-in-the-art-of-statesmanship-under-modern-conditions/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [At the core of every moral code there is a picture of human nature, a map of the universe, and a version of history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/at-the-core-of-every-moral-code-there-is-a-picture-of-human-nature-a/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [The tendency of the casual mind is to pick out or stumble upon a sample which supports or defies its prejudices, and then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-tendency-of-the-casual-mind-is-to-pick-out-or-stumble-upon-a/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [There is only one purpose to which a whole society can be directed by a deliberate plan. That purpose is war, and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/there-is-only-one-purpose-to-which-a-whole-society-can-be-directed-by/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [In a democracy, the opposition is not only tolerated as constitutional, but must be maintained because it is indispensable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/in-a-democracy-the-opposition-is-not-only-tolerated-as-constitutional/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) [Explore all 296 Walter Lippmann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) ## More Arguing quotes > [I do wish you wouldn't argue with me when I'm knitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-durrell/i-do-wish-you-wouldn-t-argue-with-me-when-i-m-knitting/) [Gerald Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-durrell/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [When Eudæmonidas heard a philosopher arguing that only a wise man can be a good general, "This is a wonderful speech," said he; "but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/when-eud-monidas-heard-a-philosopher-arguing-that-only-a-wise-man-can/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Fasting is required, staying away from fighting and arguing and bombing of masjids is still going on. Hatred is still manifested between Sunni and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/fasting-is-required-staying-away-from-fighting-and-arguing-and/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [The problem for the Left, however, is that the moment it stops painting the Right as vile, it has to argue the issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/the-problem-for-the-left-however-is-that-the-moment-it-stops-painting/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-argue-with-a-person-who-has-renounced-the-use-of-reason-is-like/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [You can argue that the Terminator movies reboot their world each time they go back in time, but that doesn't negate the value of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hayter/you-can-argue-that-the-terminator-movies-reboot-their-world-each-time/) [David Hayter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hayter/) > [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/) [Dorothy L. 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