Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, that all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, that all novelty is but oblivion.
Francis BaconRead
The quarrels and divisions about religion were evils unknown to the heathen. The reason was because the religion of the heathen consisted rather in rites and ceremonies than in any constant belief.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Bacon suggests that heathens were free from religious conflict because their beliefs were more ritualistic than dogmatic.
In this quote, Francis Bacon reflects on the nature of religion and its impact on society. He argues that the quarrels and divisions that often arise from different religious beliefs are primarily absent in heathen cultures, which focus on rituals rather than strict doctrines. By highlighting this contrast, Bacon implies that the rigid beliefs of organized religions can lead to conflict, while a more flexible, ceremony-based approach tends to foster social harmony.
Themes
ReligionConflictBeliefsRitualsSociety
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could provoke thought during a panel discussion on the role of religion in modern society.
More from Francis Bacon
All quotes →Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
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Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.
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Great art is always a way of concentrating, reinventing what is called fact, what we know of our existence- a reconcentration… tearing away the veils, the attitudes people acquire of their time and earlier time. Really good artists tear down those veils
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Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
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Knowledge and human power are synonymous.
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