Often when religious leaders come together, they talk about a particular sexual ethic, or an abstruse doctrine, as though this, rather than compassion, was the test of spiritual life.
Karen ArmstrongRead
Nothing living should ever be treated with contempt. Whatever it is that lives, a man, a tree, or a bird, should be touched gently, because the time is short. Civilization is another word for respect for life.
Interpretation
All living beings deserve respect and gentle treatment, as life is precious and short.
Elizabeth Goudge emphasizes the importance of respecting all forms of life, whether human, animal, or plant. She suggests that contempt towards living beings is unacceptable and highlights that civilization is defined by our ability to show respect and kindness towards others, reminding us that life is fleeting and should be cherished.
In practice
A speaker at a wildlife conservation event might quote this to advocate for animal rights.
Often when religious leaders come together, they talk about a particular sexual ethic, or an abstruse doctrine, as though this, rather than compassion, was the test of spiritual life.
The chief value of money lies in the fact that one lives in a world in which it is overestimated.
They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction. 'Poor Grendel's had an accident,' I whisper. 'So may you all.
The civility of no race can be perfect whilst another race is degraded. It is a doctrine alike of the oldest and of the newest philosophy, that man is one, and that you cannot injure any member, without a sympathetic injury to all the members
Come with me, ladies and gentlemen who are in any wise weary of London: come with me: and those that tire at all of the world we know: for we have new worlds here.
The only unbearable thing is that nothing is unbearable.
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