Every dogma, every philosophic or theological creed, was at its inception a statement in terms of the intellect of a certain inner experience. Felix Adler More Quotes by Felix Adler More Quotes From Felix Adler The past speaks to us in a thousand voices, warning and comforting, animating and stirring to action. Felix Adler love friendship life Act so as to elicit the best in others and thereby in thyself. Felix Adler thyself karma May the humanity that is within every human being be held precious. The vice that underlies all vices is that we are held cheap by others, and far worse, that in our innermost soul we think cheaply of ourselves. Felix Adler soul humanity thinking An optimist is a person who sees only the lights in the picture, whereas a pessimist sees only the shadows. An idealist, however, is one who sees the light and the shadows, but in addition sees something else: the possibility of changing the picture, of making the lights prevail over the shadows. Felix Adler optimism optimistic light When the light of the sun shines through a prism it is broken into beautiful colours, and when the prism is shattered, still the light remains. So does the life of life shine resplendent in the forms of our friends, and so, when their forms are broken, still their life remains; and in that life we are united with them; for the life of their life is also our life, and we are one with them by ties indissoluble. Felix Adler ties light beautiful Act so as to encourage the best in others, and by so doing you will develop the best in yourself. Felix Adler doing-you leadership The right for the right's sake is the motto which everyone should take for his own life. With that as a standard of value we can descend into our hearts, appraise ourselves, and determine in how far we already are moral beings, in how far not yet. Felix Adler moral sake heart The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. The saint is the man who walks through the dark paths of the world, himself a light. Felix Adler being-yourself hero dark People may be said to resemble not the bricks of which a house is built, but the pieces of a picture puzzle, each differing in shape, but matching the rest, and thus bringing out the picture. Felix Adler diversity house people As the light of morning strikes now one peak and then another, some being illuminated while others are in the shadow, so the light of the essential moral principle shines now upon one duty and then upon another, while others are in the shadow. Felix Adler shining light morning There is as yet no civilized society, but only a society in the process of becoming civilized. There is as yet no civilized nation, but only nations in the process of becoming civilized. From this standpoint, we can now speak of a collective task of humankind. The task of humanity is to build a genuine civilization. Felix Adler growth humanity civilization We cannot adopt the way of living that was satisfactory a hundred years ago. The world in which we live has changed, and we must change with it. Felix Adler change history years The freedom of thought is a sacred right of every individual man, and diversity will continue to increase with the progress, refinement, and differentiation of the human intellect. Felix Adler progress diversity men Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each include the other, each is enriched by the other. Love is an echo in the feelings of a unity subsisting between two persons which is founded both on likeness and on complementary differences. Without the likeness there would be no attraction; without the challenge of the complementary differences there could not be the closer interweaving and the inextinguishable mutual interest which is the characteristic of all deeper relationships. Felix Adler fashion love-is two It is the moral element contained in it that alone gives value and dignity to a religion, and only in so far as its teachings serve to stimulate and purify our moral aspirations does it deserve to retain its ascendency over mankind. Felix Adler elements teaching giving The unique personality which is the real life in me, I cannot gain unless I search for the real life, the spiritual quality, in others. Felix Adler unique real spiritual The family is the school of duties - founded on love. Felix Adler parenting family school The truth which has made us free will in the end make us glad also. Every outcry against the oppression of some people by other people, or against what is morally hideous is the affirmation of the principle that a human being as such is not to be violated. A human being is not to be handled as a tool but is to be respected and revered. Felix Adler tolerance respect people It is written that the last enemy to be vanquished is death. We should begin early in life to vanquish this enemy by obliterating every trace of the fear of death from our minds. Then can we turn to life and fill the whole horizon of our souls with it, turn with added zest to all the serious tasks which it imposes and to the pure delights which here and there it affords. Felix Adler zest soul mind To care for anyone else enough to make their problems one's own, is ever the beginning of one's real ethical development. Felix Adler real wisdom fun