Niebuhr Quotes

Paul Tillich wrote that all institutions, including the church, are inherently demonic. Reinhold Niebuhr asserted that no institution could ever achieve the morality of the individual. Institutions, he warned, to extend their lives when confronted with collapse, will swiftly betray the stances that ostensibly define them. Only individual men and women have the strength to hold fast to virtue when faced with the threat of death. And decaying institutions, including the church, when consumed by fear, swiftly push those endowed with this moral courage and radicalism from their ranks, rendering themselves obsolete. (Chris Hedges)
Reinhold Niebuhr tells us that man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary. Yet, democracy means different things to different people. It is more than the ballot box, more than just majority rule. It means participation in decision-making and the opportunity to choose policy. View quote
Alfred de Zayas
If the history of England be ever written by one who has the knowledge and the courage,and both qualities are equally requisite for the undertaking, the world will be more astonished than when reading the Roman annals by Niebuhr. View quote
Benjamin Disraeli