#pious

A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side. ↗

— Aristotle

#appearance #apprehensive #believing #consider #devotion

Bernard always had a few prayers in the hall and some whiskey afterwards as he was rather pious. ↗

— Daisy Ashford

#always #bernard #few #had #hall

From my close observation of writers... they fall into two groups: 1) those who bleed copiously and visibly at any bad review, and 2) those who bleed copiously and secretly at any bad review. ↗

— Isaac Asimov

#bad #bad review #bleed #close #copiously

Pious XII was too neutral to mention the gas chambers; decent people like my own family were turned into devils by crude Christianity. ↗

— Lionel Blue

#christianity #crude #decent #decent people #devils

The pious ones of Plymouth who, reaching the Rock, first fell upon their own knees and then upon the aborigines. ↗

— William M. Evarts

#first #knees #ones #own #pious

Incidentally, why was it that none of all the pious ever discovered psycho-analysis? Why did it have to wait for a completely godless Jew? ↗

— Sigmund Freud

#did #discovered #ever #godless #incidentally

Not all human souls but only the pious ones are divine. ↗

— Georg Hermes

#human #human souls #ones #only #pious

Until the building of Solomon's temple the unity of worship according to it had, properly speaking, never had any existence; and, moreover, it is easy to read between the lines that even after that date it was more a pious wish than a practical demand. ↗

— Julius Wellhausen

#after #any #between #building #date

There may be some truth (atheists) do not need to believe in a god to be good, but then if they do not believe in a god, who do they believe gives the Universal Law of following good and shunning evil? Obviously, mankind. But then that is a dangerous thing, for if a man does not believe in a god capable of giving perfect laws, he is in the position of declaring all laws come from man, and as man is imperfect, he can declare that as fallible men make imperfect laws, he can pick and choose what he wishes to follow, that which, in his own mind seems good. He does not believe in divine retribution, therefore he can also declare his own morality contrary to what the divine may decree simply because he believes there is no divine decree. He may follow his every whim and passion, declaring it to be good when it may be very evil, for he like all men is imperfect, so how can he tell what is verily good? The atheist is in danger of mistaking vice for good and consequently follow another slave master and tyrant, his own physical and mental weakness. Evil would be wittingly or unwittingly perpetrated, therefore, to recognise the existence of a perfect divine being that gives perfect Universal Laws is much better than not to believe in a god, for if there is a perfect god, they will not allow their laws to be broken with impunity as in the case with many corrupt judges on earth, but will punish accordingly in due time. Therefore, to be pious and reverent is the surest path to true freedom as a perfect god will give perfect laws to prevent all manner of slavery, tyranny and moral wantonness, even if we do not understand why they are good laws at times. ↗

— E.A. Bucchianeri

#atheist #atheists #evil #free-will #freedom

Volumes might be written upon the impiety of the pious. ↗

— Herbert Spencer

#might #pious #upon #volumes #written