Quotes from Reinhold Niebuhr

The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world.

Religion, declares the modern man, is consciousness of our highest social values. Nothing could be further from the truth. True religion is a profound uneasiness about our highest social values.

Democracy is finding proximate solutions to insoluble problems.

Self-righteousness is the inevitable fruit of simple moral judgments.

Humor is a prelude to faith, and laughter is the beginning of prayer.

Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed.

There is no deeper pathos in the spiritual life of man than the cruelty of righteous people. If any one idea dominates the teachings of Jesus, it is his opposition to the self-righteousness of the righteous.

When economic power desires to be left alone it uses the philosophy of laissez faire to discourage political restraint upon economic freedom. When it wants to make use of the police power of the state to subdue rebellions and discontent in the ranks of its helots, it justifies the use of political coercion and the resulting suppression of liberties by insisting that peace is more precious than freedom and that its only desire is social peace.

I wonder if anyone who needs a snappy song service can really appreciate the meaning of the cross.

Humor is a prelude to faith and laughter is the beginning of prayer.

Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.

If you equate God's judgment with your judgment, you have a wrong religion.