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Mundus vult decipi’—the world wants to be deceived.

Abraham Joshua Heschel

We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Asking Closer God Question Thinking
Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things, a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand, however remotely, for something supreme.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Analysis Dignity Intuition Realization Simple Stand
It is of the essence of virtue that the good is not to be done for the sake of a reward.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Done Essence Good Prize Reward Sake Virtue
The Sabbath is not for the sake of the weekdays; the weekdays are for the sake of Sabbath. It is not an interlude but the climax of living.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Day Interlude Passion Sabbath Sake Week Weekday
We worry a great deal about the problem of church and state. Now what about the church and God?
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Church Deal God Great Problem Provoking Sometimes Worry
Awe is a sense for transcendence, for the reference everywhere to mystery beyond all things. It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Awe Everything Mystery Reference Sense Transcendence
Morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings, that indifference to evil is worse than evil itself, that in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Concern Evil Human Being Limit Morally Suffering
Prayer begins where our power ends.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Dedicate Dedication End Power Prayer Soul True Will Worship
This may be the vocation of man: to say “Amen” to being and to the Author of being; to live in defiance of absurdity, notwithstanding futility and defeat; to attain faith in God even in spite of God.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Absurdity Amen Author Defiance Vocation
When religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion, its message becomes meaningless.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Authority Compassion Message Name Religion Speak Voice
Reality to us is thinghood , consisting of substances that occupy space; even God is conceived by most of us as a thing.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Conceive God Most Reality Substance Thing Thinghood
We may not know whether our understanding is correct, or whether our sentiments are noble, but the air of the day surrounds us like spring which spreads over the land without our aid or notice.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Air Spring Sunday
All that is left is to us is our being horrified at the loss of our sense of horror.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Horrified Horror Left Loss Sense
I would say about individuals, A Individual dies when they cease to to be surprised. I am surprised every morning when I see the sunshine again.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Cease Evil Individual Morning Sunshine
Human being is both being in the world and living in the world. Living involves responsible understanding of one’s role in relation to all other beings.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Human Being Involve Living Responsible Role Understanding World
And yet we must not regard this revolt as entirely negative. The energy that rejects many obsolete laws is an entirely positive impulse for renewal of life and law.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Entirely Law Negative Regard Reject