“We have been silent witnesses of evil deeds; we have been drenched by many storms; we have learnt the arts of equivocation and pretence; experience has made us suspicious of others and kept us from being truthful and open; intolerable conflicts have worn us down and even made us cynical. Are we still of any use? What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, and straightforward men. Will our inward power of resistance be strong enough, and our honesty with ourselves remorseless enough, for us to find our way back to simplicity and straightforwardness?”

“Our deeds still travel with us from afar/And what we have been makes us what we are.”

“...The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way.Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in; machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.Our knowledge has made us cynical,our cleverness hard and unkind.We think too much and feel too little.More than machinery we need humanity,more than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness.Without these qualities life will be violent and all will be lost.”

“We are all deeply ashamed by choices we have made and things we have done. Many of these things are worthy of the raunchiest tabloid. These things bring pain and misery into our lives. But even with that, if we love and trust God and turn from those things to God, then He will still love us and be able to use us in powerful ways.”

“You have made us to be free,But we crave the cheap comforts of our chains. You have made us to serve others,But we have eyes only for ourselves. You have made us to love,But we are inflamed with lust. You provide, that we may be generous,But we greedily hoard as if your well will run dry. You forgive time and again,But we hold fast to the sins of others. You offer light for our path,But we insist on making our own way. You are the God who saves.Lord, save us from ourselves. In your great mercy, restore and heal us, and grant us your peace.”

“ It is difficult to see ourselves as we are. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have good friends, lovers or others who will do us the good service of telling us the truth about ourselves. When we don't, we can so easily delude ourselves, lose a sense of truth about ourselves, and our conscience loses power and purpose. Mostly, we tell ourselves what we would like to hear. We lose our way.”