Home / Topics / Shame Quotes

Shame Quotes

Browse 2566 quotes about Shame.

Shame Quotes

“O God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things, even our brothers, the animals, to whom Thou gavest the earth as their home in common with us. We must remember with shame that in the past we have exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty so that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to thee in song, has been a groan of pain. May we realize that they live, not for us alone, but for themselves and for Thee and that they love the sweetness of life.”

“Prostrate on earth the bleeding warrior lies, And Isr'el's beauty on the mountains dies. How are the mighty fallen! Hush'd be my sorrow, gently fall my tears, Lest my sad tale should reach the alien's ears: Bid Fame be dumb, and tremble to proclaim In heathen Gath, or Ascalon, our shame Lest proud Philistia, lest our haughty foe, With impious scorn insult our solemn woe.”

Should Earth Lying Dies Fall Tears Proud Sorrow Fame Mountain Ears Shame Tales Warrior Aliens Dumb Fallen Insult Woe Foe Scorn Solemn Bleeding Hush Heathen Haughty

Author:William Somervile

“Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but it will break through.”

Men May Earth Spirit Sleep Break Darkness Alive Capable Shame Chains Break Through Anthem Prometheus

Book:Anthem

Source: Anthem

“Hence I feel no shame in asserting that this whole region engirdled by the moon, and the center of the earth, traverse this grand circle amid the rest of the planets in an annual revolution around the sun. Near the sun is the center of the universe. Moreover, since the sun remains stationary, whatever appears as a motion of the sun is really due rather to the motion of the earth.”

Feels Whole Earth Universe Sun Planets Revolution Moon Shame Remains Dues Circles Regions Annuals Center Of The Universe Stationary Traverse

Book:Nicholas Copernicus on the revolutions

Source: Nicholas Copernicus on the revolutions

“A great wave of humiliation and shame swept over me. Shame that I belonged to a race that could be so dealt with; and shame for my country, that it, the great example of democracy to the world, should be the only civilized, if not the only state on earth, where a human being would be burned alive.”

Source: The Selected Writings of James Weldon Johnson: Social, political, and literary essays

“Truth is the only good and the purest pity. ... Men lie for profit or for pity. All lies turn to poison, but a lie that is told for pity or shame breeds such a host of ills that no power on earth can compass their redemption.”

Men Earth Lying Turns Truth Is Shame Profit Pity Redemption Poison Host Compass Lying Men

Book:The Clash

Source: The Clash

“My basic political posture is "what a shame the human race did this to earth." What we have done environmentally, politically, culturally.”

Humans Done Earth Political Race Shame Human Race Posture

Author:Max Weinberg

“I believe we all have lists of shame. Long lists. We live with our constellation of shames quite privately. But they weigh us down. I wish I could abracadabra away shame. This is such a waste of our small time on earth. Our bodies are often the focus of shame. The shame of the body changing. Of the sexual body. Of the aging body. Not being able to do what you once could do. Even just looking at your skin as you age, the texture, the wrinkle, the sag, and somehow feeling ashamed and responsible for its changes.”

Believe Long Feelings Age Earth I Believe Wish Focus Skins Responsible Shame Aging All Time Ashamed

Author:Victoria Redel

“She was made up of more, too. She was the books she read in the library. She was the flower in the brown bowl. Part of her life was made from the tree growing rankly in the yard. She was the bitter quarrels she had with her brother whom she loved dearly. She was Katie's secret, despairing weeping. She was the shame of her father stumbling home drunk. She was all of these things and of something more...It was what God or whatever is His equivalent puts into each soul that is given life - the one different thing such as that which makes no two fingerprints on the face of the earth alike.”

Source: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve," said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”

Said Enough Earth Lord Shame Shoulders Honour Adam Bows Beggar Emperor Poorest Narnia

Book:The Chronicles of Narnia Vol II: Prince Caspian

Source: The Chronicles of Narnia Vol II: Prince Caspian

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”

Knows Needs Heart Hard Earth Heaven My Own Awareness Tears Expectations Rain Shame Sorry Dust Gentle Ashamed Cried Ingratitude Great Expectations

Book:British Classics: Great Expectations

Source: British Classics: Great Expectations

“Besides this earth, and besides the race of men, there is an invisible world and a kingdom of spirits: that world is around us, for it is everywhere; and those spirits watch us, for they are commissioned to gaurd us; and if we were dying in pain and shame, if scorn smote us on all sides, and hatred crushed us, angels see our tortures, recognize our innocence, and God waits ony a speration of spirit from flesh to crown us with a full reward.”

Ifs Men World Earth Pain Spirit Waiting Sides Race Watches Dying Angel Hatred Shame Rewards Flesh Invisible Kingdoms Innocence Torture Crowns Scorn Crushed

Author:Charlotte Bronte

“Theirs is the banner in my hand. And I wish I had the power to tell them that the despair of their hearts was not to be final, and their night was not without hope. For the battle they lost can never be lost. For that which they died to save can never perish. Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. ~Equality 7-2521 (as Prometheus), pgs 103-104”

Men Heart May Hands Earth Spirit Night Lost Wish Sleep Break Darkness Alive Goes On Battle Despair Capable Died Shame Finals Chains Break Through Banner Without Hope Prometheus

Book:Anthem

Source: Anthem

“O shame to men! Devil with devil damned Firm concord holds, men only disagree Of creatures rational, though under hope Of heavenly grace: and God proclaiming peace, Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife Among themselves, and levy cruel wars, Wasting the earth, each other to destroy: As if (which might induce us to accord) Man had not hellish foes enough besides, That day and night for his destruction wait.”

Source: Paradise Lost (Kastan Edition)

“I was not much afraid of punishment, I was only afraid of disgrace.But that I feared more than death, more than crime, more than anything in the world. I should have rejoiced if the earth had swallowed me up and stifled me in the abyss. But my invincible sense of shame prevailed over everything . It was my shame that made me impudent, and the more wickedly I behaved the bolder my fear of confession made me. I saw nothing but the horror of being found out, of being publicly proclaimed, to my face, as a thief, as a liar, and slanderer.”

Ifs World Should Made Earth Faces Found Saws Crime Horror Should Have Shame Punishment Liars Thieves Confession Abyss Disgrace Invincible

Book:The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Source: The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

“A man's character is like his house. If he tears boards off his house and burns them to keep himself warm and comfortable, his house soon becomes a ruin. If he tells lies to be able to do the things he shouldn't do but wants to, his character will soon become a ruin. A man with a ruined character is a shame on the face of the earth.”

Ifs Men Want Character Able Earth Faces Lying House Tears Comfortable Shame Warm Ruins Boards Ruined

Book:Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers

Source: Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers

“See! those fiendish lineaments graven on the darkness, the writhed lip of scorn, the mockery of that living eye, the pointed finger, touching the sore place in your heart! Do you remember any act of enormous folly, at which you would blush, even in the remotest cavern of the earth? Then recognize your Shame.”

Heart Eye Earth Remember Darkness Shame Fingers Lips Enormous Folly Touching Scorn Mockery Caverns

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne (Illustrated)

“Although wrongs have been done to me, I live in hopes. I have not got two hearts....Now we are together again to make peace. My shame is as big as the earth, although I will do what my friends have advised me to do. I once thought that I was the only man that persevered to be the friend of the white man, but since they have come and cleaned out our lodges, horses and everything else, it is hard for me to believe the white men any more.”

Men Believe Heart Has Beens Two Hard Done Bigs Earth Together White My Friends Horse Shame Native Native American White Man Making Peace Together Again Lodges Two Hearts

Author:Black Kettle

“I thought of myself as an atheist until I realized it was a belief, too. It's a shame everything has to have a label. I feel that if I was figuratively dropped on the Earth and there was a political line, I would be just left of center. The difference for me is that conservatives are more interested in property values and rights and free markets, and liberals are more interested in human rights. In the end, there are people who don't fit into the marketplace and are not equipped. I believe the government should step in where the free market fails.”

“Alone thou goest forth, O Lord, in sacrifice to die; is this thy sorrow naught to us who pass unheeding by? Our sins, not thine, thou bearest, Lord; make us thy sorrow feel, till through our pity and our shame love answers love's appeal. This is earth's darkest hour, but thou dost light and life restore; then let all praise be given thee who livest evermore. Grant us with thee to suffer pain that, as we share this hour, thy cross may bring us to thy joy and resurrection power.”

“There was no violence, no speed. It moved to the rhythm of an elder dance, putting all the rituals of the world to shame. Black, silver, gold and moon-opal, night and sea, fire, earth, air and water.”

World Earth Night Black Water Fire Violence Air Sea Moon Gold Shame Moved Speed Rhythm Silver Ritual Elders Unicorn Air And Water Opal

Book:Black Unicorn

Source: Black Unicorn

“No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. More significantly can one say that no one will ever look at the earth in the same way. Man had to free himself from earth to perceive both its diminutive place in a solar system and its inestimable value as a life -fostering planet. As earthmen, we may have taken another step into adulthood. We can see our planet earth with detachment, with tenderness, with some shame and pity, but at last also with love.”

“For here the religion that languishes in crowded cities or steals shame-faced to hide itself in dim churches, flourishes greatly, filling the soul with a solemn joy. Face to face with Nature on the vast hills at eventide, who does not feel himself near to the Unseen?”

Source: The Purple Land: Being One Richard Lamb's Adventures in the Banda Oriental, in South America, as Told by Himself

“Jesus was the poorest of the poor. Roman Catholicism, which claims to be His church, is the richest of the rich, the wealthiest institution on earth. () How come, that such an institution, ruling in the name of this same itinerant preacher, whose want was such that he had not even a pillow upon which to rest his head, is now so top-heavy with riches that she can rival - indeed, that she can put to shame - the combined might of the most redoubtable financial trusts, of the most potent industrial super-giants, and of the most prosperous global corporation of the world?”

“If you, who are organised by Divine Providence for spiritual communion, refuse, and bury your talent in the earth, even though you should want natural bread, sorrow and desperation pursue you through life, and after death shame and confusion of face to eternity.”

Source: Prefatory note There is no natural religion. All religions are one. The marriage of heaven and hell Visions of the daughters of Albion. A song of liberty. America. Europe. The book of Urizen. The book of Los. Ahania. The song of Los. The four Zoas. Milton. Jerusalem. On Homer's poetry; On Virgil. Laocoön. The ghost of Abel

“What a shame that Christianity had come here!If the white man had not intruded where he was not wanted, where he did not belong, even now protected by the mountains and the river,the village would have remained a last stronghold of a culture which was almost gone.Mark tried to say that no village,no culture can remain static. I have often thought that if this lively and magnificent land belongs to anyone,it's to the birds and the fish.They were here long before the first Indian and when the last man is gone from the Earth,it will be theirs again.”

Source: I Heard the Owl Call My Name