1001Philosophers

Reinhold Niebuhr Quotes on Virtue

Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American Reformed theologian and the principal exponent of Christian realism in twentieth-century social thought. This page collects quotes attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr on the topic of virtue, drawn from across the philosopher's works.

Quotes

  • Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr:

    “Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible; man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.”

  • Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr:

    “Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.”

  • Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr:

    “Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; pure love without power is destroyed.”

  • Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr:

    “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

  • Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr:

    “The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world.”