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Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Judging others distracts us from our own flaws and prevents us from recognizing the good in everyone.

This quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer emphasizes that judgment towards others can lead to a self-imposed blindness, where we fail to see our own shortcomings and the inherent worth of others. Instead of fostering understanding and compassion, judgment creates barriers that obscure the love and grace that are essential to our shared humanity.

Themes

JudgmentLoveGraceCompassionSelf-Awareness

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the importance of compassion, one might say, 'As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wisely stated, judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating.'

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...And then, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our ideas are wrong, and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all.
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Anyone who thinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies.
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Quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer | QuoteProject