Religion

"I doubt, however, if it is good for us to feel assured of this without the accompanying obligation of having to justify this devotion by our behaviour."

"True devotion to god is indeed filled with wisdom and knowledge."

"The idea of a Personal God has obtained in almost every religion, except a very few. With the exception of the Buddhist and the Jain, perhaps all the religions of the world have the idea of a Personal God, and with it comes the idea of devotion and worship."

"There are, certainly, differing degrees of devotion among Moon's followers; the fact that they bow at the right moment or shout "Mansei! ..."

"True strength lies in submission which permits one to dedicate his life, through devotion, to something beyond himself."

"He was batting with single-minded devotion. It was truly remarkable. It was a lesson."

"The more important Puranas or ancient tales...were written somewhere between 300 AD and 1200 AD and rank next to the epics in their influence on the masses as they seek to evoke religious devotion through myths, stories, and legends."

"Hindus offer devotion and offering to them Gods -Vishnu and Shiva at shrines in their homes and temples."

"Pontus, instituted among all people, as an addition or corollary of devotion towards God, that festival days and assemblies should be celebrated to them who had contended for the faith (that is, to lie martyrs)."

"It is rather for us here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion."

"The number, the industry, and the morality of the priesthood, and the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the church from the state."

"The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning. I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way."

"Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body..., the temple of God's spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts."

"As leader and man Lenin possessed a selfless devotion to communist ideals and to the cause of the party and of the working class and a supreme conviction of the righteousness and justice of that cause."

"The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and at the foundation, the pre-eminence of family."

"The territorial state is such an ancient form of society - here in Europe it dates back thousands of years - that it is now protected by the sanctity of age and the glory of tradition. A strong religious feeling mingles with the respect and the devotion to the fatherland."

"We have great work ahead of us, and it needs devotion and much, much energy. To grow, to discover, we need involvement, which is something ..."

"The atmosphere of devotion which hangs above the river is improbable in strength; stronger than in any church that I have ever visited. Every Christian priest would do well to sacrifice a year of his theological studies in order to spend his time on the Ganges; here he would discover what piety is."

"In a word, the almighty dollar, that great object of universal devotion throughout our land, seems to have no genuine devotees in these peculiar villages."

"To myself grant for the fruit of my devotion to thee — Truth in belief concerning the gods, the attainment of perfection in religious rites, and in all the undertakings which we attempt as regards warlike or military measures...."

"To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal."

"Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day."

"This idea of devotion and worship to some higher being who can reflect back the love to man is universal. In various religions this love and devotion is manifested in various degrees, at different stages."

"By 'patriotism' I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people."

"But they for whom I am the supreme goal, who do all work renouncing self for me and meditate on me with single-hearted devotion, these I will swiftly rescue from death's vast sea, for their consciousness has entered into me."

"Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart - a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water - I accept with joy."

"...one sex of voice in public matters, and that we could in no way so increase the attention, the intelligence and the devotion which may be brought to the solution of social problems as by enfranchising our women."

"The devotion of such titans of spirit as Lenin to an Ideal must bear fruit. The nobility of his selflessness will be an example through centuries to come, and his Ideal will reach perfection."

"With unquestioning devotion to the Union, with a patience and gentleness not born of fear, they have 'followed the light as God gave them to see the light."

"But you must love with a sublime, genuine, profound sympathy, with devotion, with intelligence, and you must try all the time to understand Him more, better and yet more. That will lead to God, that will lead to an unshakeable faith."

"What they do not see is that their reverence for economic activity and industry and what is called business is also fetish worship, and that in their devotion to that idol they torture themselves as needlessly and indulge in the same meaningless"

"St. Orberosia is forgotten by the Penguins, her devotion abandoned, and her sanctuary deserted. On her shrine, bereft of its gold and precious stones, the spider silently weaves her web."

"Our natural distrust of concentrated power and our devotion to openness and democracy are what have lead us as a people to consistently"

"Downey's Holmes is at once more dissolute and more fit than previous incarnations. Holmes' canonical devotion to cocaine is here augmented by other drugs and a great deal of booze. Yet Holmes has the body of a lithe athlete, the skills of a gymnast and the pugilism of a world champion."

"Thus with most careful devotion Thus with precise attention To detail, interfering preparation Of that which is already prepared Men lighten the knot of confusion Into perfect misunderstanding, Reflecting a pocket-torch of observation..."

"Instead of man to love, we have a man-god to worship. From being the example of devotion, he is its object; the religion of Christ ended with his life, and left us instead but the Christian religion."

"He took his time strapping on his customized armor and loading his weapon magazines, rifle, pistol, and assorted knives. For him, preparing for battle was a divine ritual, a blessing and sacrifice to the Holy Ones. He intended to show his devotion by expunging as many of the enemy as he could.."

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love, generosity and devotion exist. And you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy."

"By unswerving devotion to Me, a man crosses over three Gunas- I am the Abode of Brahman, Eternal and Immutable, of everlasting Dharma and Absolute Bliss."

"Devotion to Sri Narayana also is the means to cultivate love within. To “hear” of his glories, to “sing” about His beauties, to “reflect” upon His love, to “meditate” upon His Presence within us, are the ways by which a devotee grows in his love for Him."

"...there is a gulf of difference between the lower-love (Sneha) and the higher-love (Prema). The highest love is when you seek, discover and experience, our essential oneness with the very substance of truth, the Lord. It is called devotion (Prema-Bhakthi)."

"...throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of world war by their prowess and their devotion."

"To my thinking, a woman's religion ought not to lessen her devotion to her earthly lord. She should have enough to purify and etherealise her soul, but not enough to refine away her heart, and raise her above all human sympathies."

"I have been told by an eminent bookseller, that in no branch of his business, after tracts of popular devotion, were so many books as those on the law exported to the Plantations."

"Devotion (bhakti) effectively spans and reconciles the seemingly disparate aims of obtaining aid in solving worldly problems and locating one’s soul in relation to divinity. The term bhakti is derived from a root that literally means “having a share”; devotion unites without totally merging the identities of worshipers and deities."

"It is nearly impossible to give an adequate idea of the higher feelings which are excited; wonder astonishment, and sublime devotion fill and elevate the mind."

"Do you know the kind of skill it demands, and the years of passionate, merciless, excruciating devotion that go to acquire that skill? That was what I would not place at the disposal of men whose sole qualification to rule me was their capacity to spout the fraudulent generalities that got them elected to the privilege of enforcing their wishes at the point of a gun. ."

"...a caring that gains only when losing; an obsessed desire to be bound, for love, in jail; a capitulation to the one you've conquered yourself; a devotion to your own assassin every single day."

"True devotion must not get dispirited; nor elated or satisfied with lesser gains; it must fight against failure, loss, calumny, calamity, ridicule and against egoism and pride, impatience and cowardice."

"Devotion may be compared to a chain with two extremities one of these is in the hand of the devotee and the other is in the hand of God. When the devotee draws the chain, God leaves Heaven and descends to the earth; when God draws the chain, the devotee enters into the kingdom of God even with his ego."