---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion provides us with a puritanical…"
description: "\"Religion provides us with a puritanical dream, which can never be realized because it goes against human nature.\" — Youssef Ziedan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/youssef-ziedan-62130_against_religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical_2823722.png"
---

#  Religion provides us with a puritanical dream, which can…

![“Religion provides us with a puritanical dream, which can never be realized because it goes against human nature.” quote by Youssef Ziedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/youssef-ziedan-62130_against_religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical_2823722.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/youssef-ziedan-62130_against_religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical_2823722.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/youssef-ziedan-62130_against_religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical_2823722.png)

> “Religion provides us with a puritanical dream, which can never be realized because it goes against human nature.”

[Youssef Ziedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssef-ziedan/)

## About This Quote

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

Religion offers an idealized vision that clashes with innate human tendencies, making true fulfillment impossible.

**In simple terms:** Religious ideals conflict with human nature.

Key Takeaway

Question whether ideals match reality.

Themes

religion idealism human nature disillusionment philosophy

Mood

critical contemplative

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- Personal belief systems
- cultural analysis
- ethical debates
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

Existential critique theology vs anthropology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you reconcile belief with personal nature?
- Is a puritanical dream necessary?

A Different Perspective

Some find meaning despite contradictions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Against](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/against/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Provides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provides/) [Provides Puritanical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provides-puritanical-3608187/) [Puritanical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puritanical/) [Puritanical Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puritanical-dream-3608186/) [Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Provides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-provides-1179139/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/)

## Related quotes

> [Organized religion provides a model of the way all organizations, from the state down to the village garden club, end a price in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/organized-religion-provides-a-model-of-the-way-all-organizations-from/)

[Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/)

> [I believe in empathy. When religion provides that for people, it's the best thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-believe-in-empathy-when-religion-provides-that-for-people-it-s-the/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [Religion provides a healthy conscience for an unhealthy mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-lewis/religion-provides-a-healthy-conscience-for-an-unhealthy-mind/)

[Harry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-lewis/)

> [It's simply untrue that religion provides the only framework for a universal morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/it-s-simply-untrue-that-religion-provides-the-only-framework-for-a/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [Organized religion may be anathema on the political Left, but the need for the things religion provides - moral fervor, meaning, a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/organized-religion-may-be-anathema-on-the-political-left-but-the-need/)

[Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/)

> [“Perhaps religion provides the justification for wars, but science provides the weapons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rozoff/perhaps-religion-provides-the-justification-for-wars-but-science/)

[James Rozoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rozoff/)

> [“Religion provides the solace for the turmoil that it creates.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-danelius/religion-provides-the-solace-for-the-turmoil-that-it-creates/)

[Byron Danelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-danelius/)

> [Religion provides the only story that is fundamentally consoling in the face of the worst possible experiences - the death of a parent, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/religion-provides-the-only-story-that-is-fundamentally-consoling-in/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“Not only is religion thriving, but it is thriving because it helps people to adapt and survive in the world. In his book Darwin's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/not-only-is-religion-thriving-but-it-is-thriving-because-it-helps/)

[Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/)

> [The Catholic Church with its foreshortened American history and tangled puritanical roots was as inviolate to my mother and father as it was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-howard/the-catholic-church-with-its-foreshortened-american-history-and/)

[Maureen Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-howard/)

> [Europeans used to say Americans were puritanical. Then they discovered that we were not puritans. So now they say that we are obsessed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/europeans-used-to-say-americans-were-puritanical-then-they-discovered/)

[Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/)

> [American society is still puritanical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nolte/american-society-is-still-puritanical/)

[Nick Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nolte/)

> [Even when the writing seems very frivolous, I'm puritanical. I don't mean my subject matter. It's that I'm almost pathologically incapable of leaving something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/even-when-the-writing-seems-very-frivolous-i-m-puritanical-i-don-t/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [People are complicated. Personally I don't go in for puritanical people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/people-are-complicated-personally-i-don-t-go-in-for-puritanical-people/)

[Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/)

> [“The physical vanity of the diet-and-exercise obsessive is recast as the pursuit of a kind of ritual purity, hedged about with taboos and guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/the-physical-vanity-of-the-diet-and-exercise-obsessive-is-recast-as/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

## More by Youssef Ziedan

> [I analyze religious knowledge and consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssef-ziedan/i-analyze-religious-knowledge-and-consciousness/)

[Youssef Ziedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssef-ziedan/)

> [“Killing people in the name of religion does not make it religious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssef-ziedan/killing-people-in-the-name-of-religion-does-not-make-it-religious/)

[Youssef Ziedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssef-ziedan/)

> [“I whispered to him, 'but Azazeel, you are the cause of evil in the world.' 'Hypa, be sensible. I'm the one who justifies evil.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssef-ziedan/i-whispered-to-him-but-azazeel-you-are-the-cause-of-evil-in-the-world/)

[Youssef Ziedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssef-ziedan/)

> [Beelzebub is the isolated part of the human being. This part or this real human being has been obscured by religious structures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssef-ziedan/beelzebub-is-the-isolated-part-of-the-human-being-this-part-or-this/)

[Youssef Ziedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssef-ziedan/)

[Explore all 5 Youssef Ziedan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssef-ziedan/)

## More Against quotes

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [I think I am against stereotype. Generally, Asian guys are more quiet - they study and have a good work ethic. Generally, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-i-am-against-stereotype-generally-asian-guys-are-more-quiet/)

[Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/)

[Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/)

> [We do not know which irresponsible Israeli prime minister will take office and decide to use nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordechai-vanunu/we-do-not-know-which-irresponsible-israeli-prime-minister-will-take/)

[Mordechai Vanunu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordechai-vanunu/)

> [In France they spend six months training policemen, then they give them a gun and put them on the streets, and I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathieu-kassovitz/in-france-they-spend-six-months-training-policemen-then-they-give/)

[Mathieu Kassovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathieu-kassovitz/)

> [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

> [My problems are sort of more on a nuisance level. I can't stand scratchy clothes, I've got to have soft kinds of cotton against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/my-problems-are-sort-of-more-on-a-nuisance-level-i-can-t-stand/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [I don't have any regrets or hold any grudge against anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cooper-kupp/i-don-t-have-any-regrets-or-hold-any-grudge-against-anyone/)

[Cooper Kupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cooper-kupp/)

> [Ronaldo will always score against everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-chiellini/ronaldo-will-always-score-against-everyone/)

[Giorgio Chiellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-chiellini/)

> [Well, just that there would be somebody in the office and the voters - it was more or less an understanding in the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/well-just-that-there-would-be-somebody-in-the-office-and-the-voters/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/)

[Joe Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pitts/)

> [It goes way, way back when we were under Sweden's rule. We always think they are better than us. We played against them so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saku-koivu/it-goes-way-way-back-when-we-were-under-sweden-s-rule-we-always-think/)

[Saku Koivu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saku-koivu/)

> [I'm against unanswerable concentrations of power, whether that be government or private industry or religious figures - anybody who is not accountable to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/i-m-against-unanswerable-concentrations-of-power-whether-that-be/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [I'm an Indian and I shall not do anything that goes against my ethos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherlyn-chopra/i-m-an-indian-and-i-shall-not-do-anything-that-goes-against-my-ethos/)

[Sherlyn Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherlyn-chopra/)

[Browse all 2,190 Against quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/against/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Religion provides us with a puritanical dream, which can never be realized because it goes against human nature.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Youssef Ziedan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssef-ziedan/religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical-dream-which-can-never-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Against"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssef-ziedan/religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical-dream-which-can-never-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/youssef-ziedan-62130_against_religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical_2823722.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/youssef-ziedan-62130_against_religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical_2823722.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/youssef-ziedan-62130_against_religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical_2823722.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Religion provides us with a puritanical dream, which can never be realized because it goes against human…” — Youssef Ziedan",
                "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": "Youssef Ziedan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssef-ziedan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Religion provides us with a puritanical...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssef-ziedan/religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical-dream-which-can-never-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssef-ziedan/religion-provides-us-with-a-puritanical-dream-which-can-never-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
