Bonhoeffer Quotes – Wisdom and Inspiration for Modern Times

The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.

Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice.

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.

Only those who believe can obey, and only those who obey can believe.

Do not try to make the Bible relevant. Its relevance is axiomatic.

The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists of listening to them.

In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.

The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.

We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.

Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness, and pride of power, and with its plea for the weak.

The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned.

The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.

The will of God is not a mysterious sign we need to decipher, but it is revealed to us in the ordinary demands of everyday life.

True empathy requires us to see the world through the eyes of the oppressed, to feel their pain as our own, and to act accordingly.

Bonhoeffer Quotes – Wisdom and Inspiration for Modern Times part 2

To love another person means to see them as God intended them to be.

Christianity does not provide answers but asks the questions—solid, terrifying questions that lead us to faith.

Being human means being able to think, to will, to act, to speak, to suffer, and to die as a free person.

The Church is the Church only when it exists for others.

When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.

In the last analysis, the individual person is responsible for living his own life and for ‘finding himself.’

Nothing that we despise in other men is inherently absent from ourselves.

Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others, we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.

Filling one another’s emptiness is not an easy task, but let him who is not yet discouraged by his own sin, begin by bewailing and taking upon himself the sin of his brother.

Standing up for justice may cost you your reputation, your comfort, or even your life, but it is the only way to truly make a difference.

Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.

Fear not, people can be divided by walls, but love cannot be confined.

God does not love some ideal person, but rather sinners, just as they are.

The ultimate goal of education is not just knowledge, but the transformation of character.

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.

The first step in the path to humility is to recognize our own limitations and weaknesses.

We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.

The hardest truth to face is that sometimes the most loving thing we can do is to let go.

Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.

The greatest act of love is to lay down your life for another, not just in action, but in thought and in heart.

It is not enough to be compassionate. We must act.

True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.

The biggest evil in our society is not the presence of hatred, but the absence of love.

The most dangerous form of prejudice is not what we say, but what we fail to say.

Those who say what cannot be said do what cannot be done.

Love is not determined by what we receive, but by what we give.

Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.

God’s grace is not a distant concept, but a present reality waiting to be embraced.

The true measure of a person’s greatness is not found in their accomplishments, but in their compassion.