Anne Louise Germaine de Staël; reported in Abel Stevens' Life of Madame de Staël, Chapter XXXIV.
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Superstition is related to this life, religion to the next; superstition is allied to fatality, religion to virtue; it is by the vivacity of earthly desires that we become superstitious; it is, on the contrary, by the sacrifice of these desires that we become religious.
— Anne Louise Germaine de Staël on Superstition
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Superstition is related to this life, religion to the next; superstition is allied to fatality, religion to virtue; it is by the vivacity of earthly desires that we become superstitious; it is, on the contrary, by the sacrifice of these desires that we become religious." in the context of "Anne Louise Germaine de Staël; reported in Abel Stevens' Life of Madame de Staël, Chapter XXXIV." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Superstition" (Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations: Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 770-71.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Anne Louise Germaine de Staël
Anne Louise Germaine de Staël (April 22, 1766 – July 14, 1817), commonly known as Madame de Staël, was a French-speaking Swiss author living in Paris and abroad, who determined literary tastes of Europe at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
About Anne Louise Germaine de Staël
Anne Louise Germaine de Staël (April 22, 1766 – July 14, 1817), commonly known as Madame de Staël, was a French-speaking Swiss author living in Paris and abroad, who determined literary tastes of Europe at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
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