Felix Adler Quotes

• No one can fail to see that the power of the Church among large numbers in many communities is today diminishing, or has already ceased.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Power

  Tags in Diminishing

• Perhaps a hundred people assembled one evening, May 15, 1876, at the time when the country was celebrating the hundredth anniversary of its political independence.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Country

  Tags in Independence, Celebrating

• The exercises of our meeting are to be simple and devoid of all ceremonial and formalism.

  Felix Adler

  Tags in Meeting, Ceremonial, Devoid

• The freedom of thought is a sacred right of every individual man, and diversity will continue to increase with the progress, refinement, and differentiation of the human intellect.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Progress

  Tags in Diversity, Differentiation

• Act so as to elicit the best in others and thereby in thyself.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Positive

• Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each include the other, each is enriched by the other.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Love

• Love of country is like love of woman — he loves her best who seeks to bestow on her the highest good.

  Felix Adler

  Tags in Patriotism

• Religion is a wizard, a sibyl . . .
  She faces the wreck of worlds, and prophesies restoration.
  She faces a sky blood-red with sunset colours that deepen into darkness, and prophesies dawn.
  She faces death, and prophesies life.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Death, Religion

• Every dogma, every philosophic or theological creed, was at its inception a statement in terms of the intellect of a certain inner experience.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Experience, Religion

• No religion can long continue to maintain its purity when the church becomes the subservient vassal of the state.

  Felix Adler

  Tags in Religious Freedom

• Ethical religion can be real only to those who are engaged in ceaseless efforts at moral improvement. By moving upward we acquire faith in an upward movement, without limit.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Progress, Religion, Service

  Tags in Ethics

• To care for anyone else enough to make their problems one’s own, is ever the beginning of one’s real ethical development.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Service

  Tags in Ethics, Problem Solving, Compassion

• We stand, as it were, on the shore, and see multitudes of our fellow beings struggling in the water, stretching forth their arms, sinking, drowning, and we are powerless to assist them.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Suffering

• The truth which has made us free will in the end make us glad also.

  Felix Adler

  Topics in Truth

Felix Adler (34)

Birth:	13th August, 1851
Death:	24th April, 1933
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Professor, Social Reformer

About

Felix Adler was born in Alzey, Grand Duchy of Hesse, Germany. He was a German-born American professor of political and social ethics, rationalist, influential lecturer on euthanasia, religious leader and social reformer who founded the Ethical Culture movement. He graduated from Columbia University in 1870 with honors. He received a PhD from Heidelberg University in 1873. In 1902 he was given the chair of political and social ethics at Columbia University, where he taught until his death in 1933. He wrote several books include: Creed and Deed, The Moral Instruction of Children, Life and Destiny, The Religion of Duty, Marriage and Divorce, An Ethical Philosophy of Life, and The Essentials of Spirituality.

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