478 Quotes by Albert Schweitzer

Jesus as a concrete historical personality remains a stranger to our time, but His spirit, which lies hidden in His words, is known in simplicity, and its influence is direct.

If there is anything I have learned about men and women, it is that there is a deeper spirit of altruism than is ever evident. Just as the rivers we see are minor compared to the underground streams, so, too, the idealism that is visible is minor compared to what people carry in their hearts unreleased or scarcely released.

Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier.

Every start on an untrodden path is a venture which only in unusual circumstances looks sensible and likely to succeed.

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.

Man is a clever aninmal who behaves like an imbecile.

The highest knowledge is to know that we are surrounded by mystery. Neither knowledge nor hope for the future can be the pivot of our life or determine its direction. It is intended to be solely determined by our allowing ourselves to be gripped by the ethical God, who reveals Himself in us, and by our yielding our will to His.

The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.

No one has ever come back from the other world. I can't console you, but one thing I can tell you, as long as my ideas are alive I will be alive. We live in a dark frightening age. One reason for this is the part played by the ideology of inhumanity