My fear was not the fear of God but, as in the case of the whole Turkish secular bourgeoisie, fear of the anger of those who believe in God too zealously(...) I experienced the guilt complex as something personal, originated less from the fear of distancing myself from God than from distancing myself from the sense of community shared by the entire city . Orhan Pamuk
About This Quote

Nadezhda Mandelstam was a Soviet poet, born into the Russian intelligentsia. She was executed by Stalin for her opposition to him. In this quote she is talking about religious beliefs. She says that, instead of pursuing the "unity of the whole" that communism promised, she experienced guilt for having different beliefs from others in her city.

Source: Istanbul: Memories And The City

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