Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.

—Albert Schweitzer

living ethics compassion depth mankind

About Albert Schweitzer

Portrait of Albert Schweitzer

Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (German: [ˈalbɛʁt ˈʃvaɪtsɐ] ; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, Schweitzer challenged both the secular view of the historical Jesus as depicted by the...

More quotations from Albert Schweitzer

It was quite incomprehensible to me… why in my evening prayers I should pray for human beings only. So when my mother had prayed with me and had kissed me goodnight, I used to add silently a prayer that I had composed myself for all living creatures. It ran thus: "O Heavenly Father, protect and bless all things that have breath; guard them from all evil, and let them sleep in peace. "

—Albert Schweitzer

God belief prayer animals blessing human beings

A man who possesses a veneration of life will not simply say his prayers. He will throw himself into the battle to preserve life, if for no other reason than that he himself is an extension of life around him.

—Albert Schweitzer

wonder life prayer veneration

Very little of the great cruelty shown by men can really be attributed to cruel instinct. Most of it comes from thoughtlessness or inherited habit.The roots of cruelty, therefore, are not so much strong as widespread.But the time must come when inhumanity protected by custom and thoughtlessness will succumb before humanity championed by thought.

—Albert Schweitzer

habit cruelty instincts thoughtlessness inhumanity

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.

—Albert Schweitzer

memory health happiness

As soon as man does not take his existence for granted, but beholds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins.

—Albert Schweitzer

reality gratitude existence thought

More quotations tagged with “mankind”

Mankind is made great or little by its own will.

—Friedrich Schiller

The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.

—Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

humanity mankind earth

I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building.

—Charles M. Schulz

It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country,
but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but
one country and mankind its citizens.

—Bahá'u'lláh

love pride mankind

It is lamentable that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind.

History

23 Nov 2014 Added