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We do not work for men. We work for the land and the people. We do not even work for money.

Alan Paton

The truth is, our civilization is not Christian; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of loving charity and fearful clutching of possessions.
ALAN PATON

Christian Civilization Compound Fearful Grant Ideal Love Possession Practice Tragic Truth
But what do they help if one seeks for counsel, for one cries this, and one cries that, and another cries something that is neither this nor that.
ALAN PATON

Another Counsel Cry Help Neither Seek Something
And whether they do not see him there in the grass, or whether they fear to halt even a moment, but they do not wake him, they let him be.
ALAN PATON

Ehetehr Grass Halt Moment Movement See Wake
There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills.
ALAN PATON

Hill Into Lovely Road Run Xopo
Behind the polished panelling the white ant eats away the wood. Nothing is ever quiet, except for fools
ALAN PATON

Behind Eat Fool Nothing Panel Polish Wood
What broke in a man when he could bring himself to kill another?
ALAN PATON

Another Broke Could Himself Kill Man
I couldn’t face that question. (Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful)
ALAN PATON

Beautiful Face Land Question
Happy the eyes that can close
ALAN PATON

Close Eye Happy One Liner
Cry for the broken tribe, for the law and the custom that is gone. Aye, and cry aloud for the man who is dead, for the woman and children bereaved.
ALAN PATON

Aloud Aye Bereaved Children Custom Dead Law Tribe Woman
We do not work for men. We work for the land and the people. We do not even work for money.
ALAN PATON

Men Work
For it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing.
ALAN PATON

Century Come Dawn Fall never Thousand
She taught me to seek sustenance from the endeavor itself, but to leave the result to God.
ALAN PATON

Endeavor God Leave Result Seek Sustenance Taught
And man’s destruction of his own environment, is to exemplify in your own lives man’s humanity to man and man’s reverence for the place in which he lives.
ALAN PATON

Destruction Environment Exemplify Humanity Live Man Own Place Reverence
I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find that we are turned to hating.
ALAN PATON

Day Fera Great Heart Love One Turn
Although nothing has come yet, something is here already.
ALAN PATON

Already Although Come Nothing Something
When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.
ALAN PATON

Dep Done Forgive Injury Recover Until
There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills.
ALAN PATON

Hill Lovely Raed Run
It is not permissible to add to one’s possesions if these things can only be done at the cost of other men.
ALAN PATON

Cost Done Men One Other Permissible Possession These Thing
Who knows for what we live, and struggle, and die?…
ALAN PATON

Die Know Live Struggle
Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing.
ALAN PATON

Bird Land Move Sing
If you wrote a novel in South Africa which didn’t concern the central issues, it wouldn’t be worth publishing.
ALAN PATON

Central Concern Country Novel Publish Ussie Worth Wrote
Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.
ALAN PATON

Afraid Anger Defend Let Poor Strong Weak
One thing is about to be finished, but here is something that is only begun. And while I live it will continue
ALAN PATON

Begun Continue Finish One Something Thing
Money is for buying the fruits of the earth, of the land where you were born.
ALAN PATON

Born Buy Earth Fruit Land Money
To give up the task of reforming society is to give up one’s responsibility as a free man.
ALAN PATON

Free Give Man Reform Responsibility Society Task
I have always found that actively loving saves one from a morbid preoccupation with the shortcomings of society.
ALAN PATON

Achieve Always Found Love Morbid Preoccupation Save Shortcoming Society
Sadness and fear and hate, how they well up in the heart and mind, whenever one opens pages of these messengers of doom.
ALAN PATON

Doom Fear Hate Hell Messenger Mind Open Sadness

We do not work for men. We work for the land and the people. We do not even work for money.

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We do not work for men. We work for the land and the people. We do not even work for money.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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