Remember that if the opportunities for great deeds should never come, the opportunities for good deeds are renewed day by day. The thing for us to long for is the goodness, not the glory.
Frederick William FaberRead
Kindness has converted more sinners than either zeal, eloquence, or learning; and these three last have never converted any.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Kindness is more effective in changing hearts than passion, speech, or knowledge.
This quote emphasizes the transformative power of kindness over more assertive qualities such as zeal, eloquence, and academic learning. Faber suggests that while enthusiasm and knowledge are valuable, it is the gentle approach of kindness that truly resonates with individuals and fosters genuine change in their attitudes and behaviors.
Themes
KindnessTransformationChangeCompassionWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a discussion about the importance of kindness in social work.
More from Frederick William Faber
All quotes βWe can exaggerate about many things; but we can never exaggerate our obligation to Jesus, or the compassionate abundance of the love of Jesus to us. All our lives long we might talk of Jesus, and yet we should never come to an end of the sweet things that might be said of Him.
Frederick William FaberRead
Happiness is a great power of holiness. Thus, kind words, by their power of producing happiness, have also a power of producing holiness, and so of winning men to God.
Frederick William FaberRead
Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning.
Frederick William FaberRead
The buried talent is the sunken rock on which most lives strike and founder.
Frederick William FaberRead
Kind thoughts are rarer than either kind words or deeds. They imply a great deal of thinking about others. This in itself is rare. But they also imply a great deal of thinking about others without the thoughts being criticisms. This is rarer still.
Frederick William FaberRead
Similar quotes
The main thing is to be yourself and not allow people to disturb you to be different, because they want you to be different. You gotta be yourself. Many times you throw a mistake due to your own personality or your own character or from interference that you get along the way then you learn, and the main thing is to learn from your mistakes and get better.
Ayrton SennaRead
Somehow, we have to realize that what we watch and what we listen to not only often reflects our most violent tendencies but cultivates more violence.
Bernice KingRead
Speak the truth._x000D_ Speak it loud and often, calmly but insistently,_x000D_ and speak it, as the Quakers say, to power._x000D_ Material accumulation is not the purpose of human existence._x000D_ All growth is not good._x000D_ The environment is a necessity, not a luxury._x000D_ There is such a thing as enough.
Donella MeadowsRead
Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighbourhood of despair. Even when all doors remained closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be thankful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given but also for all that he has been denied.
Shams TabriziRead
My description of wisdom has nothing to do with benevolence and righteousness, it is to do with being wise in one's own virtue, nothing more. My description of being has nothing to do with benevolence and righteousness, it is that one should be led by one's innate nature, nothing more.
ZhuangziRead
The help which tends to make us spiritually strong is the highest help, next to it comes intellectual help and after that comes physical help.
Swami VivekanandaRead