Abraham Joshua Heschel quotes

Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-born Jewish theologian, philosopher, and civil rights activist. His writings bridged traditional Jewish thought with modern existentialism and social action. He became especially influential for his advocacy for social justice and his activism alongside leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. Here are 101 of his quotes:

Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. (Abraham Joshua Heschel)
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Man's sin is in his failure to live what he is. Being the master of the earth, man forgets that he is the servant of God. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Man is a messenger who forgot the message. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern. (Abraham Joshua Heschel)
Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Much of what the Bible demands can be comprised in one imperative: Remember! View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Ultimately there is no power to narcissistic, self-indulgent thinking. Authentic thinking originates with an encounter with the world. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
God is either of no importance, or of supreme importance. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Spiritual life begins to decay when we fail to sense the grandeur of what is eternal in time. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Pagans exalt sacred things, the Prophets extol sacred deeds. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Faith is something that comes out of the soul. It is not an information that is absorbed but an attitude, existing prior to the formulation of any creed. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
The riches of the soul are stored up in its memory. this is the test of character, not whether a man follows the daily fashion, but whether the past is alive in his present. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
All action is vicarious faith. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Trust is the core of human relationships, of gregariousness among men. Friendship, a puzzle to the syllogistic and critical mentality, is not based on experiments or tests of another person's qualities but on trust. It is not critical knowledge but a risk of the heart which initiates affection and preserves loyalty in our fellow men. (Abraham Joshua Heschel)
The anchor of meaning resides in an abyss, deeper than the reach of despair. Yet the abyss is not not infinite; its bottom may suddenly be discovered within the confines of a human heart or under the debris of might doubts. This may be the vocation of man: to say "Amen" to being and to the Author of being; to live in defiance of absurdity, notwithstanding futility and defeat; to attain faith in God even in spite of God. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Instead of indulging in jealousy, greed, in relishing themselves, there are men who keep their hearts alert to the stillness in which time rolls on and leaves us behind. ... those who are open to the wonder will not miss it. Faith is found in solicitude for faith, in an inner care for the wonder that is everywhere. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
It is not enough for me to ask question; I want to know how to answer the one question that seems to encompass everything I face: What am I here for? View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel
The issue of prayer is not prayer; the issue of prayer is God. View quote
Abraham Joshua Heschel