Arnold J. Toynbee Quotes

There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham.

Those thinkers who cannot believe in any gods often assert that the love of humanity would be in itself sufficient for them; and so, perhaps, it would, if they had it.

The great instrument of moral good is the imagination.

There are many reasons for kindness, and religion is just one of them.

What are the things that you can't see that are important? I would say justice, truth, humility, service, compassion, love...They're the guiding lights of a life.

The practice of love can be expressed in one sentence: 'Do not harm others.'

How you treat the helpless is the real test of morality. Lots of people are flunking that test big time.

What would Jesus, or any human being who isn't an asshole, do?

While you live, while it is in your power, be good.

Morality comes from a commitment to treat other as we wish to be treated, which follows from the realization that none of us is the sole occupant of the universe.

At the end of the day, will God be interested primarily in whether I have been kind and helped others, or in whether I was baptized and how?

The challenge today is to convince people of the value of truth, honesty, compassion and a concern for others.

My earnest request is that you practice love and kindness whether you believe in a religion or not

I believe in doing good for good's sake.

The most valuable asset we have, actually, is our ability to understand, to do the right thing, to be kind, to be decent.

The measure of civilized behavior is compassion.

Compassion is aptly summed up in the Golden Rule, which asks us to look into our own hearts, discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else. Compassion can be defined, therefore, as an attitude of principled, consistent altruism.

Cruelty is the only sin.

A good man will never harm or oppress another. A good man will share his last morsel of food with others in need, and die of hunger when he no longer has any food -- instead of cheat or steal from others to survive. Selflessness. Humility. Truthfulness. These are the three marks of an honorable man.

I have always believed in trying to be a good person and giving to the world, and treating others in a just, kind, merciful way.

We must remember that the test of our religious principles lies not just in what we say, not only in our prayers, not even in living blameless lives - but in what we do for others

If your desire for 'good' is based on greed, it is not good, but greed.

Compassion, along with love, is the face of altruism.

To be good and to do good-that is the whole of religion.

Kindness and generosity ... form the true morality of human actions.