“When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion, it is called religion.”

Simplified Meaning:

When an individual holds a belief that is very different from what most people accept as reality, they are often thought to be crazy. However, if a large group of people shares that same unusual belief, it becomes accepted as a conventional system, often known as religion. Imagine a person believing there's an invisible creature guiding their every move. Alone, people might think that person needs help. But if thousands believe and follow practices around that same creature, it becomes a recognized faith or religion. It's like if one person thinks they have superpowers and everyone else thinks they are hallucinating. If many people across a community believe they have those powers, it becomes a shared tradition or practice. In history, consider how many once thought the earth was flat. Those individuals weren't considered mad because the majority shared that belief at the time. Only when one person challenged that idea did they seem out of touch, until their proof changed the course of science. This suggests that context and numbers can influence how certain beliefs are perceived. Applying this to our lives, it's important to understand that widely held beliefs aren't necessarily truer than those held by one person. We should evaluate ideas on their own merit rather than just how many people believe in them.