“It were better to have no opinion of God at all, than such an opinion, as is unworthy of him. For the one is unbelief, the other is contumely”

—  Francis Bacon, book Essays

Of Superstition
Essays (1625)
Context: It were better to have no opinion of God at all, than such an opinion, as is unworthy of him. For the one is unbelief, the other is contumely; and certainly superstition is the reproach of the Deity.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "It were better to have no opinion of God at all, than such an opinion, as is unworthy of him. For the one is unbelief, …" by Francis Bacon?
Francis Bacon photo
Francis Bacon295
English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, and auth… 1561–1626

Related quotes

Francis Bacon photo

“It were better to have no opinion of God at all, than such an opinion, as is unworthy of him. For the one is unbelief, the other is contumely; and certainly superstition is the reproach of the Deity.”

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, and author

The Essays Or Counsels, Civil And Moral, Of Francis Ld. Verulam Viscount St. Albans (1625), Of Superstition

Xenophon photo

“But if any other course, in any one's opinion, be better than this, let him, even though he be a private soldier, boldly give us his sentiments; for the safety, which we all seek, is a general concern.”

Xenophon book Anabasis

Bk. 3, ch. 2; p. 89.
Anabasis

John Stuart Mill photo

“If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”

John Stuart Mill book On Liberty

Source: On Liberty (1859), Ch. II: Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion

Pope Sixtus I photo

“God is not the name of God, but an opinion about Him.”

Pope Sixtus I (42) pope

The Ring (c. 120).
If "The Ring" refers to the work "The Ring of Sixtus", it is highly unlikely that these quotes are attributed correctly. It is widely believed that "The Ring of Sixtus" was written by a Pythagorean philosopher.

Marcus Aurelius photo

“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.”

Marcus Aurelius book Meditations

Source: Meditations

Michel De Montaigne photo

“I am further of opinion that it would be better for us to have [no laws] at all than to have them in so prodigious numbers as we have.”

Michel De Montaigne book Essays

Book III, Ch. 13. Of Experience
Essais (1595), Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Aron Ra photo

“… God's opinion is still an opinion, and the prophets of God are only expressing their opinions too; they're just claiming more authority than they actually have. Arguments from authority are worthless. You need to have a verifiable reason that can be determined objectively, regardless of what anyone has to say about it, including God.”

Aron Ra (1962) Aron Ra is an atheist activist and the host of the Ra-Men Podcast

Youtube, Other, The Damn Commandments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u3z69YpLx0 (January 7, 2015)

Ramakrishna photo

“One should not think, "My religion alone is the right path and other religions are false." God can be realized by means of all paths. It is enough to have sincere yearning for God. Infinite are the paths and infinite the opinions.”

Ramakrishna (1836–1886) Indian mystic and religious preacher

Source: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942), p. 158

Peter Barlow (mathematician) photo

“Opinions derived from long experience are exceedingly valuable, and outweigh all others, while they are consistent with facts and with each other; but they are worse than useless when they lead, as in this instance, to directly opposite opinions.”

Peter Barlow (mathematician) (1776–1862) British mathematician and physicist

[Peter Barlow, Second report addressed to the directors and proprietors of the London and Birmingham Railway company, founded on an inspection of, and experiments made on the Liverpool and Manchester railway, B. Fellowes, 1835, 4]

Martin Van Buren photo

“There is a power in public opinion in this country- and I thank God for it: for it is the most honest and best of all powers- which will not tolerate an incompetent or unworthy man to hold in his weak or wicked hands the lives and fortunes of his fellow-citizens.”

Martin Van Buren (1782–1862) American politician, 8th President of the United States (in office from 1837 to 1841)

As quoted by William A. DeGregorio, The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents (1984) p. 133

Related topics