“Very little of the great cruelty shown by men can really be attributed to cruel instinct.”

— Albert Schweitzer, Memoirs of Childhood and Youth, 1924

About Albert Schweitzer

1875 – 1965

Alsatian theologian, physician and missionary, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (1952).

“Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.”

“The historical Jesus will be to our time a stranger and an enigma.”

“Modern Christianity must always reckon with the possibility of having to abandon the historical figure of Jesus.”

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”