Religion is so frequently a source of confusion in political life, and so frequently dangerous to democracy, precisely because it introduces absolutes into the realm of relative values.
Reinhold NiebuhrRead
Self-righteousness is the inevitable fruit of simple moral judgments.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Self-righteousness arises when moral judgments are made without nuance or understanding.
This quote by Reinhold Niebuhr highlights the danger of making simplistic moral judgments. When individuals assert their moral righteousness without considering the complexities of human behavior and circumstances, they risk becoming self-righteous, which can lead to a lack of empathy and an inability to engage in meaningful dialogue with others who may hold different views.
Themes
Self-RighteousnessMoral JudgmentsEmpathyNuanceComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about ethical dilemmas, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of understanding different perspectives.
More from Reinhold Niebuhr
All quotes βThe tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan value and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism.
Reinhold NiebuhrRead
The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self mastery.
Reinhold NiebuhrRead
All you earnest young men out to save the world. . . please, have a laugh.
Reinhold NiebuhrRead
Forgiveness is the final form of love.
Reinhold NiebuhrRead
God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed.
Reinhold NiebuhrRead
Similar quotes
My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double. And that's what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people who are in need, God has helped me more.
Cristiano RonaldoRead
At bottom, every state regards another as a gang of robbers who will fall upon it as soon as there is an opportunity.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses.
Thomas JeffersonRead
Maybe I am naive, but I don't think talking about the Holocaust with total and complete cynicism is possible for Israeli politicians. It's inevitable that the Holocaust is part of Israeli politics.
Timothy D. SnyderRead
Isolation is a way to know ourselves.
Franz KafkaRead
Direct action against the authority in the shop, direct action against the authority of the law, direct action against the invasive, meddlesome authority of our moral code, is the logical, consistent method of Anarchism. Will it not lead to a revolution? Indeed, it will. No real social change has ever come without a revolution. People are either not familiar with their history, or they have not yet learned that revolution is but thought carried into action.
Emma GoldmanRead