The fewer the voices on the side of truth, the more distinct and strong must be your own. William Ellery Channing More Quotes by William Ellery Channing More Quotes From William Ellery Channing Progress, the growth of power, is the end and boon of liberty; and, without this, a people may have the name, but want the substance and spirit of freedom. William Ellery Channing freedomnamespeople It feeds and grows on the blood which it sheds. The passions , from which it springs, gain strength and fury from indulgence. William Ellery Channing passionspringblood No man receives the full culture of a man in whom the sensibility to the beautiful is not cherished; and there is no condition of life from which it should be excluded. Of all luxuries this is the cheapest, and the most at hand, and most important to those conditions where coarse labor tends to give grossness to the mind. William Ellery Channing luxurybeautifulmen No punishment is so terrible as prosperous guilt. William Ellery Channing punishmentterribleguilt A general loftiness of sentiment, independence of men, consciousness of good intentions, self-oblivion in great objects, clear views of futurity; thoughts of the blessed companionship of saints and angels, trust in God as the friend of truth and virtue,--these are the states of mind in which I should live. William Ellery Channing angelblessedmen The miracles of Christ were studiously performed in the most unostentatious way. He seemed anxious to veil His majesty under the love with which they were wrought. William Ellery Channing majestyveilsmiracle There is but a very minute portion of the creation which we can turn into food and clothes, or gratification for the body; but the whole creation may be used to minister to the sense of beauty. William Ellery Channing clothesbodymay Others are affected by what I am, and say, and do. So that a single act of mine may spread and spread in widening circles, through a nation or humanity. Through my vice I intensify the taint of vice throughout the universe. Through my misery I make multitudes sad. On the other hand, every development of my virtue makes me an ampler blessing to my race. Every new truth that I gain makes me a brighter light to humanity. William Ellery Channing lightraceblessing A man might pass for insane who should see things as they are. William Ellery Channing insanemeninsanity Every man is a volume if you know how to read him. William Ellery Channing inspirationalcharactermen Did any man at his death ever regret his conflicts with himself, his victories over appetite, his scorn of impure pleasure, or his sufferings for righteousness' sake? William Ellery Channing regretsufferingmen The only freedom worth possessing is that which gives enlargement to a people's energy, intellect, and virtues. William Ellery Channing freedomgivingpeople The domestic relations precede, and in our present existence are worth more than all our other social ties. They give the first throb to the heart, and unseal the deep fountains of its love. Home is the chief school of human virtue. Its responsibilities, joys, sorrows, smiles, tears, hopes, and solicitudes form the chief interest of human life. William Ellery Channing homeheartschool War will never yield but to the principles of universal justice and love, and these have no sure root but in the religion of Jesus Christ. William Ellery Channing rootswarjesus [Peace] is the highest and most strenuous act of the soul, but an entirely harmonious act, in which all our powers and affections are blending in a beautiful proportion, and sustain and perfect one another. It is more than the silence after storms. It is as the concord of all melodious sounds ... an alliance of love with all beings, a sympathy with all that is pure and happy, a surrender of every separate will and interest, a participation of the spirit and life of the universe.... This is peace, and the true happiness of [humanity]. William Ellery Channing perfect-onesilencebeautiful Influence is to be measured, not by the extent of surface it covers, but by its kind. William Ellery Channing surfaceinfluencekind The cry has been that when war is declared, all opposition should be hushed. A sentiment more unworthy of a free country could hardly be propagated. William Ellery Channing warpeacecountry It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds. In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours. William Ellery Channing givingmenbook Soul Gathers Force It is possible, when the future is dim, when our depressed faculties can form no bright ideas of the perfection and happiness of a better world,-it is possible still to cling to the conviction of God's merciful purpose towards His creatures, of His parental goodness even in suffering, still to feel that the path of duty, though trodden with a heavy heart, leads to peace. William Ellery Channing perfectionheartideas All that we do outwardly is but the expression and completion of our inward thought. To work effectively, we must think clearly; to act nobly, we must think nobly. William Ellery Channing inwardpositive-thinkingexpression
