You wish me to tell you why and how God should be loved. My answer is that God himself is the reason he is to be loved.
Saint BernardRead
Even the holy men who lived before the coming of Christ understood that God had in mind plans of peace for the human race.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that even before Christianity, respected spiritual figures recognized God's intentions for humanity's well-being.
Saint Bernard suggests that throughout history, wise and holy individuals, regardless of their cultural or religious background, had an inherent understanding that divine intentions were centered around peace and harmony for humanity. This acknowledgment highlights a universal belief in a benevolent higher power guiding humanity towards a better future, transcending time and religious boundaries.
Themes
GodPeaceHumanityWisdomSpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about interfaith dialogue, one might reference this quote to highlight shared understandings of peace.
More from Saint Bernard
All quotes βGod removes the sin of the one who makes humble confession, and thereby the devil loses the sovereignty he had gained over the human heart.
Saint BernardRead
Who is there that can adequately gauge the greatness of the humility, gentleness, self-surrender, revealed by the Lord of majesty in assuming human nature, in accepting the punishment of death, the shame of the cross?
Saint BernardRead
Christian, learn from Christ how you ought to love Christ. Learn a love that is tender, wise, strong; love with tenderness, not passion, wisdom, not foolishness, and strength, lest you become weary and turn away from the love of the Lord.
Saint BernardRead
There is a daily discussion with our servants about the price of food and the number of loaves: a conference with our presbyters to consider the sins of our people is a very rare occurrence.
Saint BernardRead
The mind must first reflect upon itself in order that it may frame a rule of Justice, and not be inclined to do to another what it would not have done to itself, nor refuse to another what it desires for itself. These two assuredly comprise the whole sphere of Justice.
Saint BernardRead
Similar quotes
I have a different idea of a universal. It is of a universal rich with all that is particular, rich with all the particulars there are, the deepening of each particular, the coexistence of them all.
Aime CesaireRead
The doctrine of human equality reposes on this: that there is no man really clever who has not found that he is stupid.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
We don't usually think of what we eat as a matter of ethics. Stealing, lying, hurting people - these acts are obviously relevant to our moral character. In ancient Greece and Rome, ethical choices about food were considered at least as significant as ethical choices about sex.
Peter SingerRead
Another strange notion pervading whole peoples is that the State has money of its own; and nowhere is this absurdity more firmly fixed than in America. The State has no money. It produces nothing. It existence is purely parasitic, maintained by taxation; that is to say, by forced levies on the production of others. 'Government money,' of which one hears so much nowadays, does not exist; there is no such thing.
Albert J. NockRead
True compassion is not just an emotional response, but a firm commitment founded on reason. Therefore, a truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change, even if they behave negatively. Through universal altruism, you develop a feeling of responsibility for others: the wish to help them actively overcome their problems.
Dalai LamaRead
Yesterday's rose endures in its name, we hold empty names.
Umberto EcoRead