The essence of man is not what he is, but in what he is able to be.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHELWhat is meant, however, is a higher category than being: the power of maintaining being.
More Abraham Joshua Heschel Quotes
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I have one talent, and that is the capacity to be tremendously surprised, surprised at life, at ideas. This is to me the supreme Hasidic imperative: Don’t be old. Don’t be stale.
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As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Such decline is an alarming symptom of our state of mind.
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A soul can create only when alone.
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Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.
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Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.
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Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one’s actions.
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When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
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We can do justice to human being only by relating it to the transcendent care for being.
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The man who has not suffered – what does he know anyway?
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Man’s sin is in his failure to live what he is. Being the master of the earth, man forgets that he is the servant of God.
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When we pray, we bring G-d into the world
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Trust is the core of human relationships, of gregariousness among men.
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Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge.
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To abstain completely from all enjoyments may be easy. Yet to enjoy life and retain spiritual integrity – there is the challenge.
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How embarrassing for man to be the greatest miracle on earth and not to understand it!
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL