Israel Salanter Quotes on Virtue
Rabbi Israel Salanter, born Israel Lipkin in Lithuania, was the founder of the Mussar movement, a nineteenth-century Lithuanian Jewish ethical-philosophical movement that sought to renew the spiritual life of Eastern European Judaism through the disciplined cultivation of moral character. This page collects quotes attributed to Israel Salanter on the topic of virtue, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Israel Salanter:
“It is easier to learn the whole of the Talmud than to change a single character trait; learn the latter, and you have begun.”
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Attributed to Israel Salanter:
“Reverence is the precondition of Torah study; without it, study is mere ornament.”
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Attributed to Israel Salanter:
“Self-examination is the work of every day, not the project of any day.”
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Attributed to Israel Salanter:
“The character of the believer is the only commentary on his belief that the world will read.”