Charity is only a waystation on the road to justice.
William Sloane CoffinRead
The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of truth and love in a world that is fraught with danger and limitations.
William Sloane Coffin's quote suggests that in a world rife with peril, only honesty can provide safety and security, while love is essential due to the interconnectedness of individuals within the limited space of our existence. It champions the idea that truth and love are fundamental to navigating life's challenges and building meaningful relationships, especially in a society that often presents myriad dangers.
Themes
TruthLoveDangerWorldPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during discussions about honesty in relationships.
More from William Sloane Coffin
All quotes →Love measures our stature: the more we love, the bigger we are.
William Sloane CoffinRead
To show compassion for an individual without showing concern for the structures of society that make him an object of compassion is to be sentimental rather than loving.
William Sloane CoffinRead
Fear destroys intimacy. It distances us from each other; or makes us cling to each other, which is the death of freedom.... Only love can create intimacy, and freedom too, for when all hearts are one, nothing else has to be one--neither clothes nor age; neither sex nor sexual preference; race nor mind-set.
William Sloane CoffinRead
Only reverence can restrain violence - reverence for human life and the environment.
William Sloane CoffinRead
Love measures our stature: the more we love, the bigger we are. There is no smaller package in all the world than that of a man all wrapped up in himself.
William Sloane CoffinRead
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