piety

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is obnoxious. The religious person's worst vice is his sincerity.

The worst vice of the fanatic is his sincerity. Oscar Wilde

is in the power to contemplate the universe with a quiet mind, not bustling to bow one's veiled head before a graven image, deluging of vow on vow.

Poor humanity, to saddle the gods with such a responsibility and throw in a vindictive temper. What griefs they hatch for themselves, what festering sores for us, what tears for our prosperity! This is not piety, this oft-repeated show of bowing a veiled head before a graven image... this bustling to every altar... this kow-towing and prostration on the ground with palms outspread before the shrines of the gods... this deluging of vow on vow. True piety lies rather in the power to contemplate the universe with a quiet mind. Lucretius

is like garlic. A little goes a long way.

Piety is like garlic. A little goes a long way

is to honor one's father because he is exceptionally intelligent.

If a son were to say, 'I obey my father not because he is my father but because he is a genius, or because his commands are always profound and brilliant,' this filial obedience is affected. The son emphasizes something altogether wrong, emphasizes the brilliance, the profundity in a command, whereas a command is simply indifferent to this qualification. The son is willing to obey on the basis of the father's profundity and brilliance, and on that basis he simply cannot obey him, because his critical attitude with regard to whether the command is profound and brilliant undermines the obedience.

is reverence for the Supreme Being, based upon His supposed resemblance to man

is that feeling of reverence we have toward the Almighty on account of His supposed resemblance to ourselves.

is indifferent whether she enters at the eye or at the ear. There is none of the senses at which she does not knock one day or other. The Puritans forgot this, and thrust Beauty out of the meeting-house and slammed the door in her face.

Piety is indifferent whether she enters at the eye or at the ear. There is none of the senses at which she does not knock one day or other. The Puritans forgot this, and thrust Beauty out of the meeting-house and slammed the door in her face.

piety, n.All

piety