What we are, how we have come to this point, whether or not we have an objective in life and what this objective is, why we die… All these questions have disturbed us and provoked our reflection since antiquity. One of the ways in which human beings have tried to answer these questions is through religion.

Throughout history, faith has been a very important element whose principles have contributed to shaping our way of thinking and understanding the world. And many have been the historical figures who have carried out different reflections based on their faith.

In this article we will see some of the religious or religion-centered phrases pronounced or written by different important historical figures.

A quarantine of religious and spiritual phrases

Below we present different phrases and statements made by different historical figures and based on their religious and/or spiritual beliefs.

1. All great religions are basically the same, as they all seek peace of mind and goodness, but it is very important to practice this in our daily lives. Not only in the church or temple

The Dalai Lama expresses in this sentence that all religions aim to give hope, but that believers should not only rely on their precepts at the time of prayer but also in their daily lives.

2. What you don’t want for yourself, you don’t want for your brothers

This phrase is part of the Jewish Talmud , expressing that we should behave towards others as we would like them to behave towards us.

3. Every work of love, carried out with all one’s heart, will always succeed in bringing people closer to God

Maria Teresa of Calcutta would pronounce this phrase, expressing that faith and love go or should go hand in hand.

4. Men who condemn are because they do not understand

Coming from the Koran, this phrase expresses that we need to understand each other and not condemn others for thinking or acting differently.

5. Pray as if everything depended on God. Work as if everything depended on you

St. Augustine is the author of this phrase, which reflects that we should not expect to be given everything but should work to achieve our goals.

6. It is time to call a truce between the war between science and the spirit. God does not threaten science, he improves it. God is not threatened by science. He made it possible

This sentence was pronounced by Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project, in an attempt to make it clear that faith and science are not opposites.

7. Religion is in the heart and not in the knees

This phrase by Douglas William Jerrold expresses that religion is not to feign or express regret or to practice certain rituals . What is important is what is truly believed.

8. I understand religion not as a set of rites and customs, but as what is at the origin of all religions, putting us face to face with the Creator

This sentence of Mahatma Gandhi reflects that what is important is not the way in which religious feeling is given or expressed but its basis, shared by all religions.

9. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free

This phrase is part of the Bible, and reflects how knowledge and wisdom allow us to be free.

10. Both believers and non-believers are human beings. We should have great respect for each other

In this sentence the Dalai Lama expresses that whether or not we believe in the precepts of any religion, we should respect each other regardless of whether our ideas do not correspond or even differ greatly from those of others.

11. Man does not pray to give God an orientation, but to properly orient himself

Again, the author of this phrase was St. Augustine , expressing the true function of prayer.

12. One faith: here is what is most necessary for man

Victor Hugo is the author of this phrase, which expresses that human beings need something to believe in.

13. No religion is worth a single drop of blood

This phrase is attributed to the Marquis de Sade, who despite his fame saw religion as something that should not cause death.

14. Love your neighbor as yourself

This well-known Bible verse expresses the need to love others.

15. If the believers of the various religions of today would endeavor to think, judge, and act in the spirit of the founders of such religions, then there would be no faith-based hostility among those believers. What is more, differences in faith would become insignificant

These phrases by Albert Einstein make us reflect on the fact that conflicts between different religions and non-religions are only the product of the dogmatic and biased interpretation that one wants to give them, not of religion itself.

16. We ask for miracles, as if it were not the most obvious miracle that we ask for them

Miguel de Unamuno points out that there is no greater miracle than being alive.

17. A deep knowledge of religions allows us to break down the barriers that separate them

Gandhi proposes that understanding what each religion means makes it easier to better understand the others by going deeper into their basis, which is generally shared among all faiths.

18. All paths of goodness lead to enlightenment and awakening

Attributed to Buddha, this phrase points out that it is goodness that leads us to fulfillment. It is one of the representative religious phrases of Buddhism.

19. The religious fact, the religious dimension, is not a subculture, it is part of the culture of any people and any nation

This phrase of Pope Francis expresses his idea that religious beliefs are part of the culture of different peoples.

20. The winds of the spirit are blowing. It is you who needs to raise the sails

The Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore left us phrases like this, in which he highlights the search for spirituality as a means to achieve peace.

21. He who knows himself knows God

This phrase of Muhammad Ali reflects the need to know ourselves. Each of us is part of the world and the universe.

22. Misunderstood religion is a fever that can lead to delirium

Voltaire warns us in this sentence against the risk of fanaticism or misrepresentation of faith.

23. If we are not at peace with ourselves, we cannot lead others in the search for peace

This sentence of Confucius reflects that we must be able to love and accept ourselves if we want to help others successfully.

24. Just as a tree has only one root and multiple branches and leaves, so there is only one true and perfect religion, but diversified in many branches by the intervention of men

Gandhi explained that all existing religions share a common intention and basis, differing only in the interpretation and approach given to it.

25. The soul has its illusions, as the little bird has its wings: it is they who support them

Victor Hugo expresses his conviction that it is the illusions and dreams, the hopes, that allow us to fight and live.

26. Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realize

The Hindu yogi Swami Sivananda expresses the different actions to be taken to make life positive and complete. One of the religious phrases focused on indicating maxims of life .

27. Do not judge others if you do not want to be judged. For with the same judgment that ye shall judge ye shall be judged, and with the same measure that ye shall measure ye shall be measured

Phrase attributed to Jesus Christ in the Bible , expresses that we should not judge and treat others in another way than we would treat ourselves.

28. The best of men is he who does more good to his fellow men

Phrase attributed to Muhammad expressing the need to do good to others.

29. Don’t think nothing happens just because you don’t see your growth…great things grow in silence

Phrase attributed to Buddha in which we are told that we grow continuously even though we do not perceive it. Every moment is important and contributes to our development.

30. You are what is your deepest desire. Just as it is your desire, so is your intention. As it is your intention, so is your will. As it is your will, so are your actions. As your actions are, so is your destiny.

These phrases belong to the Upanishads, ancient texts written in Sanskrit that contain some of the philosophical bases of Hinduism . In this case, they reflect that it is our desires that ultimately lead us to act and forge our destiny.

31. The heart of a man is a millstone that works ceaselessly. If you do not grind anything, you run the risk that it will grind itself

Martin Luther is the author of this phrase, in which he explains the need to believe and live from what we feel inside.

32. Take the first step with faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. You only have to climb the first step

Faith was a very important element for Martin Luther King, allowing us to move forward and dare to fight in spite of not knowing what might come.

33. Evil is something that circumstances, the environment or education instill in men: it is not innate

Nelson Mandela proposes that evil is learned , so that it can be avoided.

34. I believe in the God of Spinoza, who reveals to us a harmony of all living beings. I do not believe in a God who deals with the fate and actions of human beings

Not every religion believes in a God . Some do, but they do not understand it as a deity in the form of a conscious entity. An example is found in this sentence by Albert Einstein, who referred to Spinoza’s concept of deity. They consider that if a God exists it is the union of all that exists or the order of the universe.

35. Agnosticism simply means that a person will not say that he knows or believes what he has no basis to claim to believe

Aldous Huxley expresses with this phrase what it means to be agnostic.

36. Religions, like fireflies, need darkness to shine

Most religions have emerged and/or become particularly important in helping people in times of doubt, distress and pain. This sentence is by Arthur Schopenhauer.

37. There are many paths to enlightenment. Be sure to follow one with heart

Lao Tzu points out that we should follow the path we think is right , regardless of whether others push us towards other paths.

38. Man has two spiritual needs: One is forgiveness, the other is goodness

This phrase from Billy Graham highlights two virtues that are necessary in our lives and that are also part of most religions.

39. Faith is the antiseptic of the soul

This statement by Walt Whitman expresses that people’s beliefs help protect their beliefs and value systems in those situations that test them.

40. Rivers, lakes, ponds and streams all have different names but all contain water. This is how religions are: they all contain truths

Muhammad Ali indicated with this phrase that all religions have a part of truth.