Religion does not help me. The faith that others give to what is unseen, I give to what one can touch, and look at. My gods dwell in temples made with hands; and within the circle of actual experience is my creed made perfect and complete: too complete, it may be, for like many or all of those who have placed their heaven in this earth, I have found in it not merely the beauty of heaven, but the horror of hell also.Oscar Wilde
About This Quote
The idea that we can put our faith in something other than what we can touch and see is a good one. It allows us to believe in something that we cannot see. However, we cannot see or touch God, and we cannot see or touch the afterlife. So, in this quote Nelson Mandela shows the same problem most of us have when it comes to religion. We can’t see it, so why should we believe in it?
Source: De Profundis And Other Writings