"To be an atheist requires an indefinitely greater measure of faith than to recieve all the great truths which atheism would deny"
- Joseph Addison
About this Quote
This quote by Joseph Addison recommends that it takes more faith to be an atheist than to believe in the great facts that atheism denies. He indicates that it takes a higher measure of faith to reject the existence of a greater power than to accept it. Addison is recommending that it is easier to accept the idea of a higher power than to reject it. He is likewise suggesting that it takes a greater quantity of faith to reject the presence of a greater power than to accept it. This quote is a pointer that faith is a vital part of life, which it is essential to believe something, even if it is not necessarily a higher power. It is also a tip that it takes a higher measure of faith to reject something than to accept it.
"To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization"
"Having soon discovered to be great, I must appear so, and therefore studiously avoided mixing in society, and wrapped myself in mystery, devoting my time to fasting and prayer"