The whole art of politics consists in directing rationally the irrationalities of men. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary. - Reinhold Niebuhr
The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan values and ends is... the source of all religious fanaticism. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Forgiveness is the final form of love. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Democracies are indeed slow to make war, but once embarked upon a martial venture are equally slow to make peace and reluctant to make a tolerable, rather than a vindictive, peace. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Ultimately evil is done not so much by evil people, but by good people who do not know themselves and who do not probe deeply. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Humor is a prelude to faith, and laughter is the beginning of prayer. - Reinhold Niebuhr
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. - Reinhold Niebuhr
The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope. - Reinhold Niebuhr
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Human Beings are just good enough to make democracy possible...just bad enough to make it neccessary. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Religion is so frequently a source of confusion in political life, and so frequently dangerous to democracy, precisely because it introduces absolutes into the realm of relative values. - Reinhold Niebuhr
The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan value and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Frantic orthodoxy is never rooted in faith but in doubt. It is when we are unsure that we are doubly sure. - Reinhold Niebuhr
There is no cure for the pride of a virtuous nation but pure religion. - Reinhold Niebuhr