Martin Luther

“Philosophy is the Devil's Whore”

“The heart overflows with gladness, and leaps and dances for the joy it has found in God. In this experience the Holy Spirit is active, and has taught us in the flash of a moment the deep secret of joy. You will have as much joy and laughter in life as you have faith in God.”

“Maternity is a glorious thing, since all mankind has been conceived, born, and nourished of women. All human laws should encourage the multiplication of families.”

“Every book is a great action and every great action is a book!”

“If I profess with loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except that little point which the world and the Devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”

“He who loves not wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long.”

“This is the most dangerous trial of all, when there is no trial and every thing goes well; for then a man is tempted to forget God, to become too bold and to misuse times of prosperity.”

“Bewilderment is the true comprehension. Not to know where you are going is the true knowledge.”

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.”

“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion, or company than a good marriage.”

“Music is the art of the prophets and the gift of God.”

“the Church of Rome, formerly the most holy of all Churches, has become the most lawless den of thieves, the most shameless of all brothels, the very kingdom of sin, death, and hell; so that not even antichrist, if he were to come, could devise any addition to its wickedness.”

“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say”

“They are trying to make me into a fixed star. I am an irregular planet.”

“Pestis eram vivus ... moriens tua mors ero - "Living, I was your plague ... dying, I shall be your death.”

“Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved.”

“Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music.”

“I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my Guide.”

“One Book is enough, but a thousand books is not too many!”

“Ebenso hilft es der Seele nichts, wenn der Leib heilige Kleider anlegt, wie's die Priester und Geistlichen tun, auch nicht, wenn er sich in Kirchen und heiligen Stätten befindet; auch nicht, wenn er sich mit heiligen Dingen befaßt; auch nicht, wenn er leiblich betet, fastet, wallfahrtet und alle guten Werke tut, die in alle Ewigkeit durch und in dem Leib geschehen können. Es muß allemal noch etwas anderes sein, was der Seele Rechtschaffenheit und Freiheit bringen und geben kann. Denn alle diese genannten Dinge, Werke und Weisen kann auch ein böser Mensch, ein Gleißner und Heuchler an sich haben und ausüben, und durch so etwas entsteht auch kein anderes Volk als lauter Gleißner.”

“If anyone attempted to rule the world by the gospel and to abolish all temporal law and sword on the plea that all are baptized and Christian, and that, according to the gospel, there shall be among them no law or sword - or need for either - pray tell me, friend, what would he be doing? He would be loosing the ropes and chains of the savage wild beasts and letting them bite and mangle everyone, meanwhile insisting that they were harmless, tame, and gentle creatures; but I would have the proof in my wounds. Just so would the wicked under the name of Christian abuse evangelical freedom, carry on their rascality, and insist that they were Christians subject neither to law nor sword, as some are already raving and ranting.To such a one we must say: Certainly it is true that Christians, so far as they themselves are concerned, are subject neither to law nor sword, and have need of neither. But take heed and first fill the world with real Christians before you attempt to rule it in a Christian and evangelical manner. This you will never accomplish; for the world and the masses are and always will be unchristian, even if they are all baptized and Christian in name. Christians are few and far between (as the saying is). Therefore, it is out of the question that there should be a common Christian government over the whole world, or indeed over a single country or any considerable body of people, for the wicked always outnumber the good. Hence, a man who would venture to govern an entire country or the world with the gospel would be like a shepherd who should put together in one fold wolves, lions, eagles, and sheep, and let them mingle freely with one another, saying, “Help yourselves, and be good and peaceful toward one another. The fold is open, there is plenty of food. You need have no fear of dogs and clubs.” The sheep would doubtless keep the peace and allow themselves to be fed and governed peacefully, but they would not live long, nor would one beast survive another.For this reason one must carefully distinguish between these two governments. Both must be permitted to remain; the one to produce righteousness, the other to bring about external peace and prevent evil deeds. Neither one is sufficient in the world without the other. No one can become righteous in the sight of God by means of the temporal government, without Christ's spiritual government. Christ's government does not extend over all men; rather, Christians are always a minority in the midst of non-Christians. Now where temporal government or law alone prevails, there sheer hypocrisy is inevitable, even though the commandments be God's very own. For without the Holy Spirit in the heart no one becomes truly righteous, no matter how fine the works he does. On the other hand, where the spiritual government alone prevails over land and people, there wickedness is given free rein and the door is open for all manner of rascality, for the world as a whole cannot receive or comprehend it. ”

“It is better to think of church in the ale-house than to think of the ale-house in church.”

“Those speak foolishly who ascribe their anger or their impatience to such as offend them or to tribulation. Tribulation does not make people impatient, but proves that they are impatient. So everyone may learn from tribulation how his heart is constituted.”

“Reason should be destroyed in all Christians.”

“Whoever wants to be a Christian should tear the eyes out of his reason.”

“A woman must be a woman and cannot be a man. She, too, is God's creature and her divine station is that she should bear and care for and rear children. So I am a man created for another office and work. But should I be proud because of this and say: I am not a woman, therefore I am better in the sight of God? Should I not rather praise God for creating both the woman and me also through the woman and putting me in this station? What a un-Christian thing it is that one should despire another because he is in another station or is doing something other then he is doing?... "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled." for God will not and can not tolerate such pride and arrogance.”

“There are some who are still weak in faith, who ought to be instructed, and who would gladly believe as we do. But their ignorance prevents them...we must bear patiently with these people and not use our liberty; since it brings to peril or harm to body or soul...but if we use our liberty unnecessarily, and deliberately cause offense to our neighbor, we drive away the very one who in time would come to our faith. Thus St. Paul circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3) because simple minded Jews had taken offense; he thought: what harm can it do, since they are offended because of ignorance? But when, in Antioch, they insisted that he out and must circumcise Titus (Gal. 2:3) Paul withstood them all and to spite them refused to have Titus circumcised... He did the same when St. Peter...it happened in this way: when Peter was with the Gentiles he ate pork and sausages with them, but when the Jews came in, he abstained from this food and did not eat as he did before. Then the Gentiles who had become Christians though: Alas! we, too, must be like the Jews, eat no pork, and live according to the law of Moses. But when Paul learned that they were acting to the injury of evangelical freedom, he reproved Peter publicly and read him an apostolic lecture, saying: "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?" (Gal. 2:14). Thus we, too, should order our lives and use our liberty at the proper time, so that Christian liberty may suffer no injury, and no offense be given to our weak brothers and sisters who are still without the knowledge of this liberty.”

“Thus, dear friends, I have said it clearly enough, and I believe you ought to understand it and not make liberty a law...”

“Faith must trample under foot all reason, sense, and understanding. ”

“We are nothing with all our gifts be they ever so great, except God assist us.”

“People must have righteous principals in the first, and then they will not fail to perform virtuous actions. ”

“Let the wife make her husband glad to come home and let him make her sorry to see him leave.”

“The fewer the words, the better the prayer.”

“Be thou comforted,little dog;thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail.”

“Since then your sere Majesty and your Lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner, neither horned nor toothed. Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen."(Reply to the Diet of Worms, April 18, 1521)”

“I've got so much work to do today, I'd better spend two hours in prayer instead of one.”

“If God had not permitted the people of Jerusalem to be torn asunder and driven them from the land, but had let them keep it after before, no one could convince them that they are not God`s chosen people.”

“Good news from heaven the angels bring,Glad tidings to the earth they sing:To us this day a child is given, To crown us with the joy of heaven.”

“All we who believe on Christ are kings and priests in Christ.”

“Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.”

“God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.”

“When God's righteousness is mentioned in the gospel, it is God's action of declaring righteous the unrighteous sinner who has faith in Jesus Christ. The righteousness by which a person is justified (declared righteous) is not his own but that of another, Christ.”

“If you want to interpret well and confidently, set Christ before you, for He is the man to whom it all applies, every bit of it.”

“So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!”

“I see a word that hates evil more than it loves good.”

“Here I stand; I can do no other.”

“Feelings come and feelings go,And feelings are deceiving;My warrant is the Word of God--Naught else is worth believing.Though all my heart should feel condemnedFor want of some sweet token,There is One greater than my heartWhose Word cannot be broken.I'll trust in God's unchanging WordTill soul and body sever,For, though all things shall pass away,HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”

“Whenever the devil harasses you, seek the company of men or drink more, or joke and talk nonsense, or do some other merry thing. Sometimes we must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves, and even sin a little to spite the devil, so that we leave him no place for troubling our consciences with trifles. We are conquered if we try too conscientiously not to sin at all. So when the devil says to you: do not drink, answer him: I will drink, and right freely, just because you tell me not to.”

“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.”

“Beer is made by men, wine by God.”