Q. I find that people’s ideas of religion vary so greatly that I think you ought to define what is religion.

A. I do not know that there is any real reason why I should define what religion is. That has been done by many people far better qualified to do so. I can only give my own personal definition, which has no foundation in theology. Religion to me is simply the conviction that all human beings must hold some belief in a Power greater than themselves, and that whatever their religious belief may be, it must move them to live better in this world and to approach whatever the future holds with serenity.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) First Lady of the US (1933–1945), politician, diplomat, activist

Column (1941-10), “If You Ask Me,” Ladies’ Home Journal, Vol. 58
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