There are few ideas in the world of thought which contain so much spiritual power as the idea of the Sabbath.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHELProximity to the crowd, to the majority view, spells the death of creativity. For a soul can create only when alone, and some are chosen for the flowering that takes place in the dark avenues of night.
More Abraham Joshua Heschel Quotes
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Man’s true fulfillment depends on communion with that which transcends him.
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Audacious longing, burning songs, daring thoughts, an impulse overwhelming the heart, usurping the mind–these are all a drive towards serving Him who rings our hearts like a bell.
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I am commanded therefore I am.
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Wise criticism always begins with self-criticism.
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The problem to be faced is: how to combine loyalty to one’s own tradition with reverence for different traditions.
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To us a single act of injustice–cheating in business, exploitation of the poor–is slight; to the prophets, a disaster.
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Prayer begins where our power ends.
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When faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion, its message becomes meaningless.
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Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge.
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The course of life is unpredictable no one can write his autobiography in advance.
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Only in His presence shall we learn that the glory of humankind is not in its will to power but in its power of compassion.
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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.
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Mundus vult decipi’—the world wants to be deceived.
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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 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