Dietrich Bonhoeffer Quotes

We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Learning Light People Suffering
A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes – and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Freedom Hope Oneself Photograph Prison Wait
Political action means taking on responsibility. This cannot happen without power. Power is to serve responsibility.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Politics Power Responsibility
We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Death Simplicity Wound
The wars of Israel were the only ‘holy wars’ in history, there can be no more wars of faith. The only way to overcome our enemy is by loving him.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Enemy Faith History Love Ourselves War
There can be no real attachment to the given creation, no genuine responsibility in the world, unless we recognize the breach which already separates us from it.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Attachment Creation Reality Responsibility World
A false faith is capable of terrible and monstrous things.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Deep Faith Religion
The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Creation Destroy Dream Love Person
The worse the evil, the readier must the Christian be to suffer it; he must let the evil person fall into Jesus’ hands.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Evil Hands Himself Suffering Worst
By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Grace Judgement Ourselves
The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Alone Grace Man Religion Right
It is worse for a liar to tell the truth than for a lover of truth to lie.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Lie Love Truth Worst
Nothing can be known either of God or man until God has become man in Jesus Christ.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

God Man Religious
The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Children Kind Leaving Moral World
Discipleship is not an offer that man makes to Christ.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Discipline God Man
We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. We must not assume that our schedule is our own to manage, but allow it to be arranged by God.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

God Ourselves Surrender
Fruit is always the miraculous, the created; it is never the result of willing, but always a growth. The fruit of the Spirit is a gift of God, and only He can produce it. They who bear it know as little about it as the tree knows of its fruit. They know only the power of Him on whom their life depends.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Creation Gift God Growth Himself Miracle Power Result Tree Willing
Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Death Enemy Fight Grace
A God who let us prove his existence would be an idol.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Existence God Idol
I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Hate Himself Myself Prayer
Not everyone can wait: neither the sated nor the satisfied nor those without respect can wait. The only ones who can wait are people who carry restlessness around with them.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Carry People Respect Satisfaction Wait
In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Deal Gratitude Greatness Hard Life Ordinary Receive Rich
The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Children Deep Moral
How would you expect to find community while you intentionally withdraw from it at some point? The disobedient cannot believe; only the obedient believe.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Believe Community Expectation
Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Compassionate Path Sin
Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Evil Grace Judgement Love Spiritual
The world exercises dominion by force and Christ and Christians conquer by service.
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Force Religious World

Famous German theologians