Henry Ward Beecher Quotes

Conscience is the frame of character, and love is the covering for it.

Some people automatically associate morality and altruism with a religious vision of the world. But I believe it is a mistake to think that morality is an attribute only of religion. We can imagine two types of spirituality: one tied to religion, while the other arises spontaneously in the human heart as an expression of love for our neighbors and a desire to do them good.

I think regardless of what your religion is or what you believe, you try to treat people in a positive way, and that's all you can do in life.

The religious man fears, the man of honor scorns, to do an ill action.

Our selfishness is so robust and many-clutching that, well encouraged, it easily devours all sustenance away from our poor little scruples.

There was no other God, religion, or lawful magistracy, than conscience, which teaches all men the precepts of Justice, to do no injury, to live honestly, and give everyone his due.

People with no morals often considered themselves more free, but mostly they lacked the ability to feel or love.

I love it when the left and when the president say, 'Don't try to impose your values on us, you folks who hold your Bibles in your hand and cling to your guns.' They have values too. Our values are based on religion, based on life. Their values are based on a religion of self.

I don't want to do anything that violates my own personal code of ethics and morals.

There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham.

What matters is that you are doing what you think is right based on the standards which you hold.

A man's vanity tells him what is honor, a man's conscience what is justice.

True character arises from a deeper well than religion.

God doesn’t speak to me at all. The only way we can live with each other is to have a civil society that is really civil.

In nearly every religion I am aware of, there is a variation of the golden rule. And even for the non-religious, it is a tenet of people who believe in humanistic principles.

My heart tells me what's right.

There's the laws of society and morality and then there's the laws of the heart.

Hate is love without enough data.

The functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy.

There is no wrong time to do the right thing.

With morality we correct the mistakes of our instincts, and with love we correct the mistakes of our morals.

I think people love each other a little more than they hate each other ... Love has a slim hold on the human corporation, like fifty-one per cent, but it's enough.

The essence of any religion is good heart. Sometimes I call love and compassion a universal religion. This is my religion.

I think we have to give religion its due. I think we have to respect those for whom religion is important, but equally respect those who can achieve good morality without religion.

A good man will honor him who lives up to his religious profession, whatever it be.