Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by William Sloane Coffin

Quote by William Sloane Coffin

“Hope is a state of mind independent of the state of the world. If your heart's full of hope, you can be persistent when you can't be optimistic. You can keep the faith despite the evidence, knowing that only in so doing has the evidence any chance of changing. So while I'm not optimistic, I'm always very hopeful.”

Quote by William Sloane Coffin

Create image

Author

William Sloane Coffin
William Sloane Coffin

William Sloane Coffin was an American social activist, theologian, and writer. Known for his steadfast commitment to peace, civil rights, and social justice, he served as a pastor at the Church of the Pilgrim in Manhattan, New York City. An active participant in the anti-Vietnam War movement during the 1960s and 1970s, Coffin's speeches and actions significantly influenced social change, making him a prominent figure of his time. more

You May Also Like

“Dad took moving pictures of us children washing dishes, so that he could figure out how we could reduce our motions and thus hurry through the task. Irregular jobs, such as painting the back porch or removing a stump from the front lawn, were awarded on a low-bid basis. Each child who wanted extra pocket money submitted a sealed bid saying what he would do the job for. The lowest bidder got the contract.”

ChildrenWantedJobsMovingFrontsFiguresPaintingDadLowsTasksBasesExtrasPocketsContractsDishesLowestWashingLawnsPorchStumpsWashing Dishes
Book:CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN
Create image

“I give nightly praise to my Maker that I never cast a ballot to bring that lazy, disreputable, ill-tempered beast into what was once my home. I'm glad that I had the courage to go on record as opposing that illegitimate, shameless flea-bag that now shares my bed and board. You abstainer, you!”

GivingHomeRecordsShareGoes OnBedPraiseCastsIllGladBoardsBeastLazyBagsMakersOpposingBallotsFleasShamelessIll Tempered
Book:CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN
Create image

“Places matter. Their rules, their scale, their design include or exclude civil society, pedestrianism, equality, diversity (economic and otherwise), understanding of where water comes from and garbage goes, consumption or conservation. They map our lives.”

MatterUnderstandingWaterOur LivesEconomicDesignDiversityScalesMapsConsumptionConservationGarbageCivil Society
Book:Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics
Create image

“You may not think you eat a lot of corn and soybeans, but you do: 75 percent of the vegetable oils in your diet come from soy (representing 20 percent of your daily calories) and more than half of the sweeteners you consume come from corn (representing around 10 perecent of daily calories).”

ThinkingMayHalfPercentOilDietsVegetablesCornRepresentingCaloriesSoySoybeansSweeteners
Book:In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Create image