Never let your zeal outrun your charity. The former is but human, the latter is divine.
Hosea BallouRead
Religion which requires persecution to sustain, it is of the devil's propagation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques religions that rely on persecution to maintain power, suggesting they are morally corrupt.
Hosea Ballou's quote challenges the moral foundation of any religion that thrives on the oppression of others. It implies that true spirituality should not require violence or coercion to exist; rather, it should be rooted in love and understanding. Such a view invites individuals to reflect on the authenticity of their beliefs and question the ethical implications of their practices, as well as the role of faith in society.
Themes
ReligionPersecutionMoralityFaithBelief
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of faith in modern society, this quote can highlight the dangers of dogma.
More from Hosea Ballou
All quotes βReal happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit.
Hosea BallouRead
Similar quotes
The characteristic feature of militarism is not the fact that a nation has a powerful army or navy. It is the paramount role assigned to the army within the political structure. Even in peacetime the army is supreme; it is the predominant factor in political life. The subjects must obey the government as soldiers must obey their superiors. Within a militarist community there is no freedom; there are only obedience and discipline.
Ludwig Von MisesRead
It's easy to confuse a woman for a philosophy
Zadie SmithRead
Much as we deplore our condition in life, nothing would make us more satisfied with it than the changing of places, for a few days, with our neighbors.
Phillips BrooksRead
Our object now, as then, is to vindicate the principles of peace and justice in the life of the world as against selfish and autocratic power, and to set up among the really free and self-governed peoples of the world such a concert of purpose and of action as will henceforth insure the observance of those principles.
Woodrow WilsonRead
Wealth is a tool of freedom, but the pursuit of wealth is the way to slavery.
Frank HerbertRead
Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to divide and to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and deserves to be met head-on and stamped out.
Pierre BertonRead