“In the midst of our applauding the feats of civilization, the Bible flings itself like a knife slashing our complacency; remind us that God, too, has a voice in history.”

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.

To be is to stand for.

Every little deed counts.

The problem to be faced is: how to combine loyalty to one’s own tradition with reverence for different traditions.

We can never sneer at the stars, mock the dawn, or scoff at the totality of being.

Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.

There are few ideas in the world of thought which contain so much spiritual power as the idea of the Sabbath.

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.

There is no specialized art of prayer. All of life must be a training to pray. We pray the way we live.

Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.

People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained.

The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time.

Those of faith who plant sacred thoughts in the uplands of time, the secret gardeners of the Lord in mankind’s desolate hopes, may slacken and tarry but rarely betray their vocation.

To be spiritual is to be amazed.

I am still so surprised! That is why I am against it. We must learn to be surprised.

The hour calls for moral grandeur and spiritual audacity.