If thou wouldst be justified, acknowledge thine injustice. He that confesses his sin, begins his journey toward salvation. He that is sorry for it, mends his pace. He that forsakes it, is at his journey's end.
Francis QuarlesRead
Charity feeds the poor, so does pride; charity builds an hospital, so does pride. In this they differ: charity gives her glory to God; pride takes her glory from man.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Charity and pride can have similar actions, but their motivations and sources of glory differ significantly.
This quote by Francis Quarles highlights the distinction between charity and pride, illustrating that while both can result in positive outcomes such as feeding the poor or building hospitals, the essence of their intentions diverges. Charity is rooted in a selfless desire to help others and ultimately seeks glory in the divine, while pride is self-serving, aiming for recognition and esteem from other people.
Themes
CharityPrideGlorySelflessnessRecognition
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a charity event to emphasize the importance of selfless giving.
More from Francis Quarles
All quotes βHe that gives all, though but little, gives much; because God looks not to the quantity of the gift, but to the quality of the givers.
Francis QuarlesRead
Beware of him that is slow to anger; for when it is long coming, it is the stronger when it comes, and the longer kept. Abused patience turns to fury.
Francis QuarlesRead
Hath any wounded thee with injuries? Meet them with patience. Hasty words rankle the wound; soft language dresses it.
Francis QuarlesRead
Proportion thy charity to the strength of thine estate, lest God proportion thine estate to the weakness of thy charity. Let the lips of the poor be the trumpet of thy gift, lest in seeking applause, thou lose thy reward. Nothing is more pleasing to God than an open hand and a closed mouth.
Francis QuarlesRead
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