Michael Ledeen Quotes

The tragedy of life and of the world is not that men do not know God; the tragedy is that, knowing Him, they still insist on going their own way.

It is very difficult to give a 15 second sound bite on why there is pain and suffering in this world and not have it come off as being flippant or surface level or superficial.

The whole course of human history may depend on a change of heart in one solitary and even humble individual - for it is in the solitary mind and soul of the individual that the battle between good and evil is waged and ultimately won or lost.

Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it, and with this I begin and end.

Government can try to make the world a little better, but can we alter the human condition? No. We can't make saints out of sinners. St. Augustine had something to say about that.

From the days of Cain and Abel, we know all too well there will always be evil. But that evil shouldn't take away our freedoms.

Into every soul, however purged and fenced, evil appears to have as much freedom of entrance as God Himself.

He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.

Why do people hate God?... One, they hate the moral standard. Two, they hate the way he's transforming the world even in the midst of suffering and tragedy.

There's too much tendency to attribute to God the evils that man does of his own free will.

I believe God gives people the right to say no, to resist, to refuse, to reject, to cling to their sins, to cling to their version of their story.

I think God gives every one of us our own will, and unfortunately, some people choose to do evil things with it.

God created us for love, for union, for forgiveness and compassion and, yet, that has not been our storyline. That has not been our history.

An apology for the devil: it must be remembered that we have heard one side of the case. God has written all the books.

The traditional Christian attitude toward human personality was that human nature was essentially good and that it was formed and modified by social pressures and training.

Catholicism is not a soothing religion. It's a painful religion. We're all gluttons for punishment.

The mediation by the serpent was necessary. Evil can seduce man, but cannot become man.

The heart of man will always be dark. There will always be evil people. The problem is that there is nothing we can humanly do to change them.

The will leadeth us to God, or to the devil; it availeth not whether thou hast the name of a Christian; salvation doth not consist therein.

In every man sleeps a prophet, and when he wakes there is a little more evil in the world.

I don't believe in devils. Indifference and misunderstandings can create evil situations. Most of the time, people who appear to be evil are really victims of evil deeds.

I'm not a God, I make mistakes.

God created a good world that was subjected to futility because of the sinful, treasonous choice of the first human beings.

If our wondrous kindness is evidence for God, is our capacity for great evil proof of the Devil?

You enter a state of controlled passivity, you relax your grip and accept that even if your declared intention is to justify the ways of God to man, you might end up interesting your readers rather more in Satan.