---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion . . . shall mean for us the…"
description: "\"Religion . . . shall mean for us the feelings, acts and experiences of individual men in their solitude.\" — William James"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a42/william-james-228_feelings_religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings_1630138.png"
---

#  Religion . . . shall mean for us the feelings, acts and…

![“Religion . . . shall mean for us the feelings, acts and experiences of individual men in their solitude.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a42/william-james-228_feelings_religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings_1630138.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a42/william-james-228_feelings_religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings_1630138.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a42/william-james-228_feelings_religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings_1630138.png)

> “Religion . . . shall mean for us the feelings, acts and experiences of individual men in their solitude.”

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Religion is understood as personal feelings, actions, and experiences when one is alone.

**In simple terms:** Religion is personal inner experience.

Key Takeaway

Value solitude and personal reflection.

Themes

spirituality individualism solitude

Mood

contemplative introspective

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- personal meditation
- solo travel
- private worship
- creative solitude

Key Concepts

psychology phenomenology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does solitude shape your spiritual life?
- What personal experiences define your faith?

A Different Perspective

May overlook communal aspects of faith.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuality/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-experience/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/)

## Related quotes

> [The more experiences you can have as an individual makes you a fuller person and a fuller actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominik-garcia-lorido/the-more-experiences-you-can-have-as-an-individual-makes-you-a-fuller/)

[Dominik Garcia-Lorido](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominik-garcia-lorido/)

> [You think that I am impoverishing myself withdrawing from men, but in my solitude I have woven for myself a silken web or chrysalis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/you-think-that-i-am-impoverishing-myself-withdrawing-from-men-but-in/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Childhood knows unhappiness through men. In solitude, it can relax its aches. When the human world leaves him in peace, the child feels like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/childhood-knows-unhappiness-through-men-in-solitude-it-can-relax-its/)

[Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/)

> [We early arrive at the great discovery that there is one mind common to all individual men: that what is individual is less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-early-arrive-at-the-great-discovery-that-there-is-one-mind-common/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A culture is not the anonymous product of undifferentiate d masses, but the sum of the intellectual achievements of individual men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-culture-is-not-the-anonymous-product-of-undifferentiate-d-masses/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [The People, though we think of a great entity when we use the word, means nothing more than so many millions of individual men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryce/the-people-though-we-think-of-a-great-entity-when-we-use-the-word/)

[James Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryce/)

> [I observe that there are two entirely different theories according to which individual men seek to get on in the world. One theory leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/i-observe-that-there-are-two-entirely-different-theories-according-to/)

[Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/)

> [No one knows 'men' as such, any more than anyone knows 'women,' and if they do generalise they're probably trying to hide their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/no-one-knows-men-as-such-any-more-than-anyone-knows-women-and-if-they/)

[Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/)

> [There is one mind common to all individual men. Every man is an inlet to the same and to all of the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-one-mind-common-to-all-individual-men-every-man-is-an-inlet/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [It all comes down, as it must, to the desires of individual men. Oh, and women too of course, bless their empty little heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/it-all-comes-down-as-it-must-to-the-desires-of-individual-men-oh-and/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [Wisdom and understanding can only become the possession of individual men by travelling the old road of observation, attention, perseverance, and industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/wisdom-and-understanding-can-only-become-the-possession-of-individual/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [There is one mind common to all individual men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-one-mind-common-to-all-individual-men/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-is-no-such-thing-as-society-there-are-individual-men-and-women/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [“We must judge the tree by its fruit. The best fruits of the religious experience are the best things history has to offer. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-must-judge-the-tree-by-its-fruit-the-best-fruits-of-the-religious/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It makes a tremendous emotional and practical difference to one whether one accepts the universe in the drab discolored way of stoic resignation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-makes-a-tremendous-emotional-and-practical-difference-to-one/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

## More by William James

> [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

## More Feelings quotes

> [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [We never realize the importance of any our action until we be the hunt of same situation in reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fadi/we-never-realize-the-importance-of-any-our-action-until-we-be-the/)

[Fadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fadi/)

> [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/)

[Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [If someone really loves you, no matter how many other people they meet, their feelings for you wouldn't change. A real lover cant be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-really-loves-you-no-matter-how-many-other-people-they-meet/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [“I urge you: don't cut short these thought-trains of yours. Follow them through to their end. Your thoughts and your feelings. Follow them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-urge-you-don-t-cut-short-these-thought-trains-of-yours-follow-them/)

[J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

> [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/)

[Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/)

> [You will never fully understand how much you mean to me, because there are no amount of words that can begin to describe my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-fully-understand-how-much-you-mean-to-me-because-there/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/)

[Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/)

[Browse all 21,172 Feelings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Religion . . . shall mean for us the feelings, acts and experiences of individual men in their solitude.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William James"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings-acts-and-experiences-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feelings"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings-acts-and-experiences-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a42/william-james-228_feelings_religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings_1630138.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a42/william-james-228_feelings_religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings_1630138.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a42/william-james-228_feelings_religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings_1630138.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Religion . . . shall mean for us the feelings, acts and experiences of individual men in their solitude.” — William James",
                "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": "William James",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Religion . . . shall mean...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings-acts-and-experiences-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/religion-shall-mean-for-us-the-feelings-acts-and-experiences-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
