“The world exists, not for what it means but for what it is. The purpose of mushrooms is to be mushrooms, wine is in order to be wine: things are precious before they are contributory. It is a false piety that walks through creation looking only for lessons which can be applied somewhere else. To be sure, God remains the greatest good; but, for all that, the world is still good in itself. Indeed, since He does not need it, its whole reason for being must lie in its own natural goodness; He has no use for it, only delight.” WorldNeedsMeanDoeStillsReasonWholeUseLyingPurposeOrderNaturalWalksCreationLessonsGoodnessRemainsWineEnvironmentalDelightSomewhere ElsePietyMushrooms Author:Robert Farrar Capon
“Nature never gives to a living thing capacities not particularly meant for its benefit and use. If Nature gives to us capacities to believe that we have a Creator whom we never saw, of whom we have no direct proof, who is kind and good and tender beyond all that we know of kindness and goodness and tenderness on earth, it is because the endowment of capacities to conceive a Being must be for our benefit and use; it would not be for our benefit and use if it were a lie.” IfsKnowsGivingBelieveKindUseEarthLyingReligionChristianityKindnessSawsGoodnessBenefitsCapacityDirectCreatorProofTendernessLiving ThingsEndowment Author:Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
“The difficulty over the question of eternal torments lies in how it is irreconcilable with the Goodness of God.” LyingGoodnessEternalDifficultyTormentGoodness Of God Author:Samuel Clarke
“[...] it is right to be kind and even sacrifice ourselves to people who need kindness and lie in our way - otherwise, besides failing to help them, we run into the aridity of self-development. To seek for recipients of one's goodness, to play the Potted Jesus leads to the contray the Christian danger.” PeopleWayNeedsKindSelfPlayHelpingRunningChristianLyingJesusKindnessFailingSacrificeDangerDevelopmentGoodnessBe KindSelf Development Book:Commonplace Book Source: Commonplace Book
“Barring love and war, few enterprises are undertaken with such abandon, or by such diverse individuals, or with so paradoxical a mixture of appetite and altruism, as that group of avocations known as outdoor recreation. It is, by common consent, a good thing for people to get back to nature. But wherein lies the goodness, and what can be done to encourage its pursuit?” PeopleWarDoneLyingIndividualCommonKnownGroupsGoodnessGood ThingsPursuitEnterpriseAbandonGet BackAppetiteDiverseAltruismConsentMixturesRecreationParadoxicalLove And WarOutdoor Recreation Book:A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There Source: A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There
“Satan is ever seeking to inject that poison into our hearts to distrust God's goodness - especially in connection with his commandments. That is what really lies behind all evil, lusting and disobedience. A discontent with our position and portion, a craving from something which God has wisely held from us. Reject any suggestion that God is unduly severe with you. Resist with the utmost abhorrence anything that causes you to doubt God's love and his loving-kindness toward you. Allow nothing to make you question the Father's love for his child.” HeartChildrenLyingFaithEvilFatherCausesBehindsKindnessDoubtPositionGoodnessConnectionsSeekingLustSatanPoisonRejectsTrust In GodPortionsCommandmentsSevereSuggestionsDistrustCravingDisobedienceDiscontentGod's LoveLoving KindnessAbhorrence Author:Arthur W. Pink
“Man's glory lies not, Lincoln thought, in 'his goodness,' for this is often nonexistent. He derives glory, instead, from his being made in the image of the Living God.” MenMadeLyingGoodnessGlory Author:Joe L. Wheeler