John Henry Newman Quotes

To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.

Growth is the only evidence of life.

Faith is, doubtless, a light of life, but it is also a lamp full of oil.

The world is not a playground; it is a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday, but an education. And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love.

To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.

A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.

Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning.

The love of our private friends is the only preparatory exercise for the love of all men.

Knowledge is one thing, virtue is another; good sense is not conscience, refinement is not humility, nor is largeness of heart prudence.

A man’s acts are his true belongings.

Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.

Growth is the only evidence of love.

A gentle hand may lead even an elephant by a hair.

A man’s mind will very gradually refuse to make itself up until it is driven and compelled by emergency.

A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.

We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe.

Nothing would be done at all if a man waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it.

I thought my trial was ended, but it lies before me still.

Men will die upon dogma, but will not fall victim to a conclusion.

The Catholic Church may be wrong in many things, but it is right in this: ‘The soul is immortal’.

Action is the first process of loyalty, love, and worship.

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier’.

I seek the will of God; for the will of God is something only experience can show us.

The path of duty lies in what is near, and men seek for it in what is remote.

Man has intended to make himself entirely independent by virtue of his direct intercourse with heaven.

Be assured that God accomplishes His greatest works by the weakest instruments.

The most awful command of all is that of respect.

In this life, to manage one’s reasoning powers so as to be steadfast in action is the highest wisdom and the supreme control.

Sex is a mighty force that men need help to manage.

God creates those who have being; not that you and I should rise up as rivals against God and His work.

The Church has ever had the power of self-renewal, and will ever have the power for any needed annihilation or transformation.

To set about reforming the world without love for others is to build a house without any bricks.

Virtue is its own reward, and brings with it the truest and highest pleasure.

When problems arise, words seem to flow from my heart.

Seeking is not always sufficient; finding is better.

What you seek already exists within you.

Our character is made by the direction of our will.

Do not wait for an external influence to prompt you into acts of unselfishness.

The sense of courage is the first condition of a satisfactory moral instruction.

The soul is the true self, while the body is but the adjunct and clothing of self.

We can believe what we choose, but the belief does not alter reality.

To holy people, the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport.

Divine love is from its nature a strong and passionate affection, and therefore is restless until it fully and wholly possesses the soul.

A man cannot have a greater honour than to avoid sin even in the struggle for perfection.

The seed of the Word is divine and strong; it has the power of germination.

When we are ardent and brave, we might think laboring, struggling, and toiling in His service to be the same as loving Him.

To mix with the world without losing our virtue is the supervision of a saint, and not of an angel.

You must make up your mind because fear, doubt, and hesitation are not only responsibilities, but also of a fearful and despairing nature.

Be patient and calm. No one is unable to take up his cross every day; the cross is made of wood, and He who gives it to us is divine.

In a higher world it is otherwise, but here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.