Faith consists in being vitally concerned with that ultimate reality to which I give the symbolical name of God. Whoever reflects earnestly on the meaning of life is on the verge of an act of faith.
Paul TillichRead
We can speak without voice to the trees and the clouds and the waves of the sea. Without words they respond through the rustling of leaves and the moving of clouds and the murmuring of the sea.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the idea that nature communicates with us silently, and we can understand it through observation.
In this quote, Paul Tillich highlights the profound connection between humans and nature, suggesting that even in silence, there is a form of communication that transcends words. The rustling of leaves, the movement of clouds, and the murmuring of the sea are all ways through which nature reveals its essence to us, inviting us to engage with it on a deeper emotional and spiritual level.
Themes
NatureCommunicationSilenceConnectionObservation
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about environmental conservation, one could include this quote to emphasize the importance of listening to nature.
More from Paul Tillich
All quotes →Cruelty towards others is always also cruelty towards ourselves.
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He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.
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The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable.
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The citizens of a city are not guilty of the crimes committed in their city; but they are guilty as participants in the destiny of [humanity] as a whole and in the destiny of their city in particular; for their acts in which freedom was united with destiny have contributed to the destiny in which they participate. They are guilty, not of committing the crimes of which their group is accused, but of contributing to the destiny in which these crimes happened.
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Wine is like the incarnation--it is both divine and human
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Only nature knows how to justly proportion to the fault the punishment it deserves.
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To watch this crystal globe just sent from heaven to associate with me. While these clouds and this somber drizzling weather shut all in, we two draw nearer and know one another.
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