"As the imperialist countries attained a high degree of wealth and affluence— the result both of scientific and technical progress and of their plunder of the nations of Asia and Africa— these individuals lost all self-confidence and imagined that the only way to achieve technical progress was to abandon their own laws and beliefs. When the moon landings took place, for instance, they concluded that Muslims should jettison their laws! But what is the connection between going to the moon and the laws of Islam? Do they not see that countries having opposing laws and social systems compete with each other in technical and scientific progress and the conquest of space? Let them go all the way to Mars or beyond the Milky Way; they will still be deprived of true happiness, moral virtue, and spiritual advancement and be unable to solve their own social problems. For the solution of social problems and the relief of human misery require foundations in faith and morals; merely acquiring material power and wealth, conquering nature and space, have no effect in this regard. They must be supplemented by, and balanced with, the faith, the conviction, and the morality of Islam in order truly to serve humanity instead of endangering it. This conviction, this morality, these laws that are needed, we already possess. So as soon as someone goes somewhere or invents something, we should not hurry to abandon our religion and its laws, which regulate the life of man and provide for his well-being in this world and the hereafter."
React to this quote
More by Ruhollah Khomeini
See allResonant Thoughts
"My own duty and my aim is to try and raise people out of their misery, away from catastrophe; to provide them with happiness, with a contented existence, with harmony. My own goal is to establish or r…"
Explore Further
Related Quotes
"I count myself among those politicians who operate from conviction. For me, pragmatism is not enough. Nor i…"
— Margaret Thatcher"A body of men, holding themselves accountable to nobody, ought not to be trusted by any body."
— Thomas Paine"Religion finally severed the unity which all willed but none could trust. An heroic nation of monotheists s…"
— Olaf Stapledon"It's amazing how someone's IQ seems to double as soon as you give them responsibility and indicate that you…"
— Timothy Ferriss"Rank beliefs not according to their plausibility but by the harm they may cause."
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb"In my experience, women tend to be less tribal, they tend to find it easier to establish trust more quickly"
— Caroline Lucas