Tao Te Ching

The Power of Goodness, the Wisdom Beyond Words
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Albert Schweitzer

1875 – 1965 CE

An authentic Christian who didn't hesitate to criticize Christian extremism and hypocrisy, who genuinely practiced his faith by effective humanitarian work in Africa, and who realized a mystical and scientific union of individual and environment; Albert Schweitzer conveyed a deep reverence for all life and taught how destroying our environment is also destroys ourselves. Considered the greatest humanitarian of his day, he gave up a comfortable life as a professor and scholar to become a medical missionary in some of the world's most poverty-stricken places in Africa. After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952, he gave what many consider one of the best speeches ever given. His work against developing the atomic bomb, however, brought him under FBI/CIA scrutiny, public criticism, and the loss of financial support.

Eras

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Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

Quotes by Albert Schweitzer (30 quotes)

“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats.”

Themes: Music

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“I am life which wills to live, and I exist in the midst of life which wills to live.”

Themes: True Self

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“The laying down of the commandment to not kill and to not damage is one of the greatest events in the spiritual history of mankind.”

Themes: Aggression

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“For possibly the first time clearly expressed by Jainism, ancient Indian thought reached the tremendous discovery that ethics know no bounds.”

Themes: Hinduism

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“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

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“Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.”

from Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

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“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”

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“Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.”

Themes: Health Memory Forget

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“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”

Themes: Meaningfulness

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“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”

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“Eventually all things fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know everything happens for a reason.”

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“Any religion or philosophy which is not based on a respect for life is not a true religion or philosophy.”

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“A man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help.”

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“If you own something you cannot give away, then you don't own it, it owns you.”

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“Nature compels us to recognize the fact of mutual dependence, each life necessarily helping the other lives who are linked to it. In the very fibers of our being, we bear within ourselves the fact of the solidarity of life.”

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“At 20 everyone has the face that God gave them, at 40 the face that life gave them, and at 60 the face they earned.”

Themes: Old Age

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“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight... the truly wise person is colorblind.”

Themes: Middle Way Wisdom

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“The result of the voyage does not depend on the speed of the ship, but on whether or not it keeps a true course.”

Themes: Travel

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“Awakening of Western thought will not be complete until that thought steps outside itself and comes to an understanding with the search for a world-view as this manifests itself in the thought of mankind as a whole.”

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“The disastrous feature of our civilization is that it is far more developed materially than spiritually. Its balance is disturbed.”

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“In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet.”

Themes: Moon Hope

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“At that point in life where your talent meets the needs of the world, that is where God wants you to be.”

Themes: Livelihood

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“National consciousness… no longer allowed peoples to be guided by historical realities and by reason. Nationalism of the worst sort was displayed in the last two wars, and it may be regarded today as the greatest obstacle to mutual understanding between peoples.”

from Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

Themes: Nationalism

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“We dare to appeal to the whole man, to his capacity to think and feel, exhorting him to know himself and to be true to himself. We reaffirm our trust in the profound qualities of his nature. And our living. experiences are proving us right.”

from Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

Themes: Reason Confidence

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“Many a truth has lain unnoticed for a long time, ignored simply because no one perceived its potential for becoming reality.”

Themes: Reality

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“Since we now know what a terrible evil war is, we must spare no effort to prevent its recurrence.”

from Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

Themes: Evil War

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“Because we lack [superhuman reason], the conquests of science and technology become a mortal danger to us rather than a blessing.”

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“The conquest of the air marked a decisive advance for humanity. Yet we grasped at once the opportunity it offered to kill and destroy from the skies…. and obliged us to seek refuge underground like a hunted animal… the more the superman gains in strength, the poorer he becomes… we are becoming inhuman to the extent that we become supermen.”

Themes: Paradox Poverty

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“In resigning ourselves to our fate without a struggle, we are guilty of inhumanity.”

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“Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.”

Themes: Friendship

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Quotes about Albert Schweitzer (1 quotes)

“They resemble each other like two brothers: Saint Francis of Assisi and Albert Schweitzer... my heart could nevermore distinguish between these two deeply enticing figures so far removed in transitory time, so closely united in eternity”

Nikos Kazantzakis 1883 – 1957 CE via P. A. Bien
from Report to Greco

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