Fulton J. Sheen: America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance -...

The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The Tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.

Fulton J. Sheen

issues honesty believe

Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right.

Fulton J. Sheen

majority-vote moral principles

There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.

Fulton J. Sheen

catholic hate people

God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because God loves us.

Fulton J. Sheen

godly god-love doe

Today (1950), the hatred of the Moslem countries against the West is becoming hatred against Christianity itself. Although the statesmen have not yet taken it into account, there is still grave danger that the temporal power of Islam may return and, with it, the menace that it may shake off a West which has ceased to be Christian, and affirm itself as a great anti-Christian world Power.

Fulton J. Sheen

taken christian country

When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more noble her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women.

Fulton J. Sheen

women character civilization

Our happiest times are those in which we forget ourselves, usually in being kind to someone else. That tiny moment of self-abdication is an act of true humility: the man who loses himself finds himself and finds his happiness.

Fulton J. Sheen

humility self men

The humble, simple souls, who are little enough to see the bigness of God in the littleness of a Babe, are therefore the only ones who will ever understand the reason of His visitation. He came to this poor earth of ours to carry on an exchange; to say to us, as only the Good God could say: 'you give me your humanity, and I will give you my Divinity; you give me your time, and I will give you My eternity; you give me your broken heart, and I will give you Love; you give me your nothingness, and I will give you My all.

Fulton J. Sheen

humble love-you heart

If you do not worship God, you worship something, and nine times out of ten it will be yourself. You have a duty to worship God, not because He will be imperfect and unhappy if you do not, but because you will be imperfect and unhappy.

Fulton J. Sheen

being-yourself religious god

If you do not live what you believe, you will end up believing what you live.

Fulton J. Sheen

ends ifs believe

Freedom does not mean that right to do whatever we please, but rather to do as we ought. The right to do whatever we please reduces freedom to a physical power and forgets that freedom is a moral power.

Fulton J. Sheen

freedom doe mean

Prayer begins by talking to God, but it ends by listening to Him. In the face of Absolute Truth, silence is the soul's language.

Fulton J. Sheen

silence prayer talking

There is no word more "dangerous" than liberalism, because to oppose it is the new "unforgivable sin."

Fulton J. Sheen

unforgivable-sin economy politics

Civilization is always in danger when those who have never learned to obey are given the right to command.

Fulton J. Sheen

given danger civilization

It's impossible to lose your footing when you're on your knees.

Fulton J. Sheen

knees loses impossible

Very few people believe in the devil these days, which suits the devil very well. He is always helping to circulate the news of his own death. The essence of God is existence, and He defines Himself as: 'I am Who am.' The essence of the devil is the lie, and he defines himself as: 'I am who am not.' Satan has very little trouble with those who do not believe in him; they are already on his side.

Fulton J. Sheen

essence believe lying

Joy is not the same as pleasure or happiness. A wicked and evil man may have pleasure, while any ordinary mortal is capable of being happy. Pleasure generally comes from things, and always through the senses; happiness comes from humans through fellowship. Joy comes from loving God and neighbor. Pleasure is quick and violent, like a flash of lightning. Joy is steady and abiding, like a fixed star. Pleasure depends on external circumstances, such as money, food, travel, etc. Joy is independent of them, for it comes from a good conscience and love of God.

Fulton J. Sheen

independent stars men

Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them.

Fulton J. Sheen

heartbreak faith inspirational

The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host.

Fulton J. Sheen

inspiration faith white

Evil may have its hour, but God will have His day.

Fulton J. Sheen

hours evil may

America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance - it is not. It is suffering from tolerance. Tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded.