---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Modern materialists and religious…"
description: "\"Modern materialists and religious extremists alike lack the spiritual animistic reverence for non-human beings that every culture once understood as a ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/zeena-schreck-12024_culture_modern-materialists-and-religious-extrem_2777340.jpg"
---

#  Modern materialists and religious extremists alike lack…

![“Modern materialists and religious extremists alike lack the spiritual animistic reverence for non-human beings that every culture once understood as a given.” quote by Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/zeena-schreck-12024_culture_modern-materialists-and-religious-extrem_2777340.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/zeena-schreck-12024_culture_modern-materialists-and-religious-extrem_2777340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/zeena-schreck-12024_culture_modern-materialists-and-religious-extrem_2777340.jpg)

> “Modern materialists and religious extremists alike lack the spiritual animistic reverence for non-human beings that every culture once understood as a given.”

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

## About This Quote

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

Modern thinkers often ignore reverence for non-human life, losing ancient holistic respect.

**In simple terms:** Neglecting respect for nature.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate reverence for all beings.

Themes

environment spirituality ethics

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- conservation projects
- mindful consumption
- education curricula

Key Concepts

animism interconnectedness ecology

Questions to Reflect On

- What practices restore reverence for nature?
- How can societies integrate animistic values?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on human centrality can persist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Extremist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremist/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Materialists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialists/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/)

## Related quotes

> [The modern materialists are not permitted to doubt; they are forbidden to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-modern-materialists-are-not-permitted-to-doubt-they-are-forbidden/)

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

> [I think it's very sad that the political landscape is so dotted with religious extremists who feel the need to infringe upon the lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-it-s-very-sad-that-the-political-landscape-is-so-dotted-with/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [Unlike previous wars, our enemy now is a stateless network of religious extremists. They do not obey the laws of war, they hide among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/unlike-previous-wars-our-enemy-now-is-a-stateless-network-of/)

[John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/)

> [However, the religious extremists, especially the pro-Taliban organizations, they mobilized and instigated the Islamists to come on the streets and put pressure on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahbaz-bhatti/however-the-religious-extremists-especially-the-pro-taliban/)

[Shahbaz Bhatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahbaz-bhatti/)

> [Our enemy now is a stateless network of religious extremists. They do not obey the laws of war, they hide among peaceful populations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/our-enemy-now-is-a-stateless-network-of-religious-extremists-they-do/)

[John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/)

> [Religious extremists want to show us that the only possibility is for us to kill each other, so September 11 is not only heinous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/religious-extremists-want-to-show-us-that-the-only-possibility-is-for/)

[Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/)

> [Let's not leave an educational vacuum to be filled by religious extremists who go to families who have no other option and offer meals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/let-s-not-leave-an-educational-vacuum-to-be-filled-by-religious/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Chârvâkas, a very ancient sect in India, were rank materialists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/ch-rv-kas-a-very-ancient-sect-in-india-were-rank-materialists/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Man stands in materialism; you and I are materialists. Our talking about God and Spirit is good; but it is simply the vogue in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/man-stands-in-materialism-you-and-i-are-materialists-our-talking/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [That intense faith in another world, that intense hatred for this world, that intense power of renunciation, that intense faith in God, that intense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/that-intense-faith-in-another-world-that-intense-hatred-for-this/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Materialists' is a kind of Victorian romance, because it's about the marriage market, the way that they always are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-song/materialists-is-a-kind-of-victorian-romance-because-it-s-about-the/)

[Celine Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-song/)

> [The overwhelming majority of people, including Christians, are materialists. They do not believe in the power of spirit. They believe only in material power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-overwhelming-majority-of-people-including-christians-are/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [“Those who maintain that mind is the reality and matter an evil dream are called "idealists"—a word which has a different meaning in philosophy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-maintain-that-mind-is-the-reality-and-matter-an-evil-dream/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Neither idealists nor materialists are right; we must take both idea and expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/neither-idealists-nor-materialists-are-right-we-must-take-both-idea/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Over-consumption is a cancer eating away at our spiritual vitals. It distances us from the great masses of broken bleeding humanity. It converts us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/over-consumption-is-a-cancer-eating-away-at-our-spiritual-vitals-it/)

[Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/)

## More by Zeena Schreck

> [“Many secular observers and spiritual practitioners alike mistake mystical chanting as a kind of anthropological curiosity or interesting musical diversion from secular mainstream entertainment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/many-secular-observers-and-spiritual-practitioners-alike-mistake/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“Zeena Schreck believes that the right-hand path and the left-hand path have traditionally had the same end goal; it is only the method that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/zeena-schreck-believes-that-the-right-hand-path-and-the-left-hand/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“Conventional, organized religion, in its most decadent form, is an inert parody of the genuine religious experience as much as modern occult organizations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/conventional-organized-religion-in-its-most-decadent-form-is-an-inert/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [After you've seen behind the facade of a stage set you can't take the play seriously any more. In other words, you can't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/after-you-ve-seen-behind-the-facade-of-a-stage-set-you-can-t-take-the/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [A unifying factor between the different traditions and lineages of Tantra, is that it is feminine in nature. It acknowledges the feminine as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/a-unifying-factor-between-the-different-traditions-and-lineages-of/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [Sex is like an atom bomb. A potent weapon which fascinates and frightens. We're afraid to let it loose, yet we all have our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/sex-is-like-an-atom-bomb-a-potent-weapon-which-fascinates-and/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [Environmentalists and secular humanists insist that humans will destroy the planet. Corporate capitalists and many religious fundamentalists have no regard for wildlife and nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/environmentalists-and-secular-humanists-insist-that-humans-will/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [To the non-initiate, whose experience of sexuality and bodily pleasure may be distorted by negative cultural conditioning, the introduction of sexuality into a sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/to-the-non-initiate-whose-experience-of-sexuality-and-bodily-pleasure/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [Nothing could be easier than disturbing a status quo instituted by others; the real work of the sinister current is to break the rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/nothing-could-be-easier-than-disturbing-a-status-quo-instituted-by/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [Always remember, wherever you are, whether near or far, you had a mother who really, really loved you. The original mother. Once you've found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/always-remember-wherever-you-are-whether-near-or-far-you-had-a-mother/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“One example of an uniquely Sethian approach towards initiation is for the initiate to regard his or her own life with the same urgency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/one-example-of-an-uniquely-sethian-approach-towards-initiation-is-for/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“A certain amount of native skill and training can allow many individuals to be fairly successful magicians, achieving a surprisingly high ratio of positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/a-certain-amount-of-native-skill-and-training-can-allow-many/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [The core practice of magic is: The execution of a willed intent to create change in the material world, which either defies, hastens or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/the-core-practice-of-magic-is-the-execution-of-a-willed-intent-to/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“If you have strength of character, you can use that as fuel to not only be a survivor but to transcend simply being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/if-you-have-strength-of-character-you-can-use-that-as-fuel-to-not/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [When all that’s left of us is the pure untainted consciousness without form, we’ll know what it means when the last human breath expires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/when-all-that-s-left-of-us-is-the-pure-untainted-consciousness/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

[Explore all 56 Zeena Schreck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

## More Culture quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/)

[Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/)

[Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/)

> [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/)

[Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

[Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Modern materialists and religious extremists alike lack the spiritual animistic reverence for non-human beings that every culture once understood as a given.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Zeena Schreck"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/modern-materialists-and-religious-extremists-alike-lack-the-spiritual/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Culture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/modern-materialists-and-religious-extremists-alike-lack-the-spiritual/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/zeena-schreck-12024_culture_modern-materialists-and-religious-extrem_2777340.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/zeena-schreck-12024_culture_modern-materialists-and-religious-extrem_2777340.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/zeena-schreck-12024_culture_modern-materialists-and-religious-extrem_2777340.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Modern materialists and religious extremists alike lack the spiritual animistic reverence for non-human…” — Zeena Schreck",
                "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": "Zeena Schreck",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Modern materialists and religious extremists alike...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/modern-materialists-and-religious-extremists-alike-lack-the-spiritual/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/modern-materialists-and-religious-extremists-alike-lack-the-spiritual/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
