If thou wouldst be justified, acknowledge thine injustice. He that confesses his sin, begins his journey toward salvation. He that is sorry for it, mends his pace. He that forsakes it, is at his journey's end.
Francis QuarlesRead
He that gives all, though but little, gives much; because God looks not to the quantity of the gift, but to the quality of the givers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True generosity is measured by the spirit of giving, not by the size of the gift.
This quote emphasizes that the act of giving should be valued for the intention behind it rather than the monetary or material size of the gift. It suggests that even a small offering can be of great significance if it comes from the heart and with genuine intentions; thus, the quality of the giver's heart is what truly matters to God.
Themes
GenerosityGivingQualityHeartIntention
In practice
Example use cases
In a charity event speech to emphasize the importance of thoughtful donations.
More from Francis Quarles
All quotes βBeware of him that is slow to anger; for when it is long coming, it is the stronger when it comes, and the longer kept. Abused patience turns to fury.
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Hath any wounded thee with injuries? Meet them with patience. Hasty words rankle the wound; soft language dresses it.
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Proportion thy charity to the strength of thine estate, lest God proportion thine estate to the weakness of thy charity. Let the lips of the poor be the trumpet of thy gift, lest in seeking applause, thou lose thy reward. Nothing is more pleasing to God than an open hand and a closed mouth.
Francis QuarlesRead
Charity feeds the poor, so does pride; charity builds an hospital, so does pride. In this they differ: charity gives her glory to God; pride takes her glory from man.
Francis QuarlesRead
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