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Self-justification and judging others go together, as justification by grace and serving others go together.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Self-justification leads to judgment of others, while grace leads to service to others.

This quote highlights the interconnectedness of our actions and attitudes towards ourselves and others. When we engage in self-justification, we often find ourselves adopting a critical perspective on those around us, whereas when we embrace grace, we cultivate a mindset of serving and uplifting others, fostering a more compassionate and understanding environment.

Themes

Self-JustificationJudgmentGraceServiceCompassion

In practice

Example use cases

Use this quote in a discussion about the importance of empathy in leadership.

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A home is a kingdom of it's own in the midst of the world, a stronghold amid life's storms and stresses, a refuge, even a sanctuary.
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It is God's earth out of which man is taken. From it he has his body. His body belongs to his essential being. Man's body is not his prison, his shell his exterior, but man himself. Man does not "have" a body; he does not "have" a soul; rather he "is" body and soul. Man in the beginning is really his body. He is one. He is his body, as Christ is completely his body, as the Church is the body of Christ
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...And then, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our ideas are wrong, and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all.
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Anyone who thinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies.
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