He did not wish to be divine. If there had never been a God, the emperor thought, it might have been easier to work out what goodness was. This business of worship, of the abnegation of self in the face of the Almighty, was a distraction, a false trail. Wherever goodness lay, it did not lie in ritual, unthinking obeisance before a deity but rather, perhaps, in the slow, clumsy, error-strewn working out of an individual or collective path. . Salman Rushdie
About This Quote

The emperor of China, who had spent his life trying to perfect himself, was not happy with the notion of divine providence. After all, if there was no God, he reasoned, it would be easier to work out what goodness was. He thought that the worship of God might be a distraction, a false trail. Wherever goodness lay, it did not lie in ritual. It lay in the slow, clumsy, error-strewn working out of an individual or collective path.

Source: The Enchantress Of Florence

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