Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Reinhold Niebuhr

Quote by Reinhold Niebuhr

“Freedom is necessary for two reasons. It's necessary for the individual, because the individual, no matter how good the society is, every individual has hopes, fears, ambitions, creative urges, that transcend the purposes of his society. Therefore we have a long history of freedom, where people try to extricate themselves from tyranny for the sake of art, for the sake of science, for the sake of religion, for the sake of the conscience of the individual - this freedom is necessary for the individual.”

Quote by Reinhold Niebuhr

Create image

Author

Reinhold Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr

Reinhold Niebuhr was a prominent American theologian whose work on Christian ethics and social ethics had a profound impact on the 20th century. He was a key figure in theological discourse, particularly for his exploration of the nature of sin and the church's role in society. Niebuhr's theological thought has influenced various Christian denominations and has had a lasting effect on political and social thought. more

You May Also Like

“It is my strong conviction that a realist conception of human nature should be made a servant of an ethic of progressive justice and should not be made into a bastion of conservatism, particularly a conservatism which defends unjust privileges.”

ShouldHumansMadeStrongJusticeHuman NatureEthicsPrivilegeConvictionServantProgressiveConceptionUnjustConservatismRealist
Book:Man's Nature and His Communities: Essays on the Dynamics and Enigmas of Man's Personal and Social Existence
Create image

“My personal attitude toward atheists is the same attitude that I have toward Christians, and would be governed by a very orthodox text: "By their fruits shall ye know them." I wouldn't judge a man by the presuppositions of his life, but only by the fruits of his life. And the fruits - the relevant fruits - are, I'd say, a sense of charity, a sense of proportion, a sense of justice. And whether the man is an atheist or a Christian, I would judge him by his fruits, and I have therefore many agnostic friends.”

KnowsMenWould BeChristianJusticeAttitudeHe ManJudgingCharityFruitAtheistProportionOrthodoxRelevantAgnostic
Author:Reinhold Niebuhr
Create image

“The separation of church and state is necessary partly because if religion is good then the state shouldn't interfere with the religious vision or with the religious prophet. There must be a realm of truth beyond political competence, that's why there must be a separation of churches, but if religion is bad and a bad religion is one that gives an ultimate sanctity to some particular cause. Then religion mustn't interfere with the state - so one of the basic Democratic principles as we know it in America is the separation of church and state.”

IfsKnowsGivingStatesAmericaPoliticalCausesChurchReligiousVisionPrinciplesParticularTruth IsUltimateDemocraticSeparationRealmsProphetInterfereCompetenceChurch And StateSeparation Of Church And StateSanctity
Author:Reinhold Niebuhr
Create image

“The stupidity of the average man will permit the oligarch, whether economic or political, to hide his real purposes from the scrutiny of his fellows and to withdraw his activities from effective control. Since it is impossible to count on enough moral goodwill among those who possess irresponsible power to sacrifice it for the good of the whole, it must be destroyed by coercive methods and these will always run the peril of introducing new forms of injustice in place of those abolished.”

MenRealEnoughWholeRunningFormPoliticalPurposeMoralImpossibleSacrificeEconomicActivityMethodFellowsInjusticeAverageStupidityDestroyedPermitIntroducingPerilIrresponsibleGoodwillScrutinyAverage ManIntroducing New
Book:Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics
Create image