Some people are that - more than a parent, more than a role model, more than anything less than a religion.

Cho’s line describes a kind of devotion that exceeds ordinary categories of influence. By stacking comparisons—parent, role model, then “anything less than a religion”—she suggests that certain figures become objects of near-sacred attachment: they shape identity, values, and emotional survival in a way that feels absolute. The phrasing also carries Cho’s characteristic comic hyperbole, using exaggeration to name a real psychological experience: when someone’s presence (or example) functions like faith, providing meaning and orientation rather than mere guidance. Implicitly, the quote critiques how people sometimes outsource belonging and purpose to individuals, elevating them beyond human scale.