In light of many recent events, I wanted to point the attention to these calls, these are ancient & wise calls for tolerance and peace:
Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy quotes
Truth cannot afford to be tolerant where it faces positive evil. Rabindranath Tagore quotes
I never will, by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance or admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others.
Thomas Jefferson quotes
The evils of government are directly proportional to the tolerance of the people.
Anonymous quotes
All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.
Albert Einstein quotes
Doubt is part of all religion. All the religious thinkers were doubters.
Isaac Bashevis Singer quotes
We have enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.
Jonathan Swift quotes
When it’s a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.
Voltaire quotes
There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it. George Bernard Shaw quotes
Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to our god alone. I enquire after no man’s and trouble none with mine; nor is it given to us in this life to know whether yours or mine, our friend’s or our foe’s, are exactly the right.
Thomas Jefferson quotes
If we are to respect others’ religions as we would have them to respect our own, a friendly study of the world’s religion is a sacred duty.
Mahatma Gandhi quotes
Each of us in our own way can try to spread compassion into people’s hearts. Western civilizations these days place great importance on filling the human “brain” with knowledge, but no one seems to care about filling the human “heart” with compassion. This is what the real role of religion is.
Dalai Lama quotes
A man has no religion who has not slowly and painfully gathered one together, adding to it, shaping it; and one’s religion is never complete and final, it seems, but must always be undergoing modification.
D.H. Lawrence quotes
Religion is a candle inside a multicolored lantern. Everyone looks through a particular color, but the candle is always there.
Anonymous quotes
6 responses so far ↓
Solo // December 1, 2008 at 9:04 am
Good quotes, and worthy of thought. Much reading and curiosity have made many religions a part of my life, the result being more spirituality than religion. Here’s a good place for my question. I work at a college and have a lot of interaction with many students and faculty( I’m in Security and to some, can be intimidating, til they get to know me. ) With most folks I’m pretty friendly and outgoing, but having had some experience with Arab culture, I’m not quite sure how to act around the Muslims females. I’m always friendly and helpful if asked a question, but rarely initiate a conversation with them.
Marahm // December 1, 2008 at 11:12 am
Thank you for these wise and beautiful quotes. I love every one of them, and will read them regularly.
Hala // December 6, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Solo, Female college students in US are just like the rest of other females if approached for answers, however, due to cultral beliefs, we’re not brought up to engage easily with men in conversations, that’s why we don’t usually start any discussions, but I would say we respond very adeqautely…
Marham, thanks for keeping up with my posting and for your encouragement…
Tantor // December 30, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Coming here by way of Saudi Jeans, I’m quite surprised, as I often am, by your command of colloquial American English. I’m also surprised by a Saudi who believes in religious toleration, considering the profoundly intolerant Saudi culture. Incredulous would be the word.
Hala // December 31, 2008 at 12:59 am
Tantor,
I think that the stereotypes of saudis as strict, unfriendly and intolerant people is promoted outside because of the lack of real representation of all people in our formal system, in both the media and the officials abroad. Saudis -like so many nations- are varied and diverse but they are not able to express such diversity locally because of the totalitarian ruling system. We all hope that we can change our local Saudi atmosphere to reflect all this diversity in the near future.
As for the English, you’ll be surprised to know that it’s the official language of instruction in the Universities for science and medicine, in the Hospitals and banks and many private institutes, and we do deal with many expats from all over the world using the American language…
I chose to blog in English for the purpose of promoting the image of Saudis that is not usually revealed and to enhance better understanding and communication with the outside world
Tantor // December 31, 2008 at 11:15 am
I was curious why so many Saudi kids, most of whom never left Saudi Arabia, spoke in colloquial American English. Your comment makes perfect sense.
However, its difficult to believe Saudis are a friendly and tolerant people when they are making war on us for their religion and celebrate our deaths. We can read translations of Saudi newspapers, cartoons, and TV on MEMRI and elsewhere. It paints an ugly picture of Saudi culture.
Still, it’s interesting to hear a rebuttal of that.