AMERICA’S FOUNDING FATHER QUOTES (references on “Wallbuilders”):
“Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle… In this age, there can be no substitute for Christianity… That was the religion of the founders of the republic and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.”
Congress, U. S. House Judiciary Committee, 1854 – reference from “Wallbuilders”.
“Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. . . . What a Eutopia – what a Paradise would this region be!”
John Adams – 2nd U.S. President, signer of the “Declaration of Independence“ & “Bill of Rights”, judge, & diplomat.
“As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is like.”
Benjamin Franklin – Signer of “Declaration of Independence“ & “U. S. Constitution, Pennsylvania Governor, diplomat, printer, & scientist.
“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God”
John Adams – 2nd U.S. President, signer of the “Declaration of Independence“ & “Bill of Rights”, judge, & diplomat.
“I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace.”
Samuel Adams – Signer of “Declaration of Independence“, Massachusetts Governor, & ratifier of “U. S. Constitution”.
“A due observation of the Lord’s Day is not only important to internal religion, but greatly conducive to the order and benefit of civil society. It speaks to the senses of mankind, and, by a solemn cessation from their common affairs, reminds them of a Deity and their accountableness to the great Lord of all. Whatever may be necessary to the support of such an institution, in consistence with a reasonable personal liberty, deserves the attention of civil government”.
John Hancock – signer of the “Declaration of Independence“, Massachusetts Governor, & President of Congress, * Revolutionary General.
“that universal happiness may be established in the world [and] that all may bow to the scepter of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the whole earth be filled with His glory”
John Hancock, from state of Massachusetts 1791 Thanksgiving Day proclamation to pray.
“This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.”
Patrick Henry – Signer of “Declaration of Independence“, Revolutionary General, Legislator, & ratifier of the “U. S. Constitution”.
“The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.”
John Jay, first Supreme Court Chief Justice, President of Congress, New York Governor, diplomat.
“[T]he evidence of the truth of Christianity requires only to be carefully examined to produce conviction in candid minds… they who undertake that task will derive advantages.”
John Jay, first Supreme Court Chief Justice, President of Congress, New York Governor, diplomat.
“The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses.”
Thomas Jefferson – 3rd U.S. President, signer of “Declaration of Independence“, Secretary of State, Virginia Governor, diplomat, & author of “The Federalist Papers”.
“Your affectionate mother requests that I would address to you, as a namesake, something which might have a favorable influence on the course of life you have to run. Few words are necessary, with good dispositions on your part. Adore God; reverence and cherish your parents; love your neighbor as yourself, and your country more than life. Be just; be true; murmur not at the ways of Providence – and the life into which you have entered will be one of eternal and ineffable bliss. And if to the dead it is permitted to care for the things of this world, every action of your life will be under my regard. Farewell.”
Thomas Jefferson to mother who asked him to write to her son that was named after him
“[M]ay I always hear that you are following the guidance of that blessed Spirit that will lead you into all truth, leaning on that Almighty arm that has been extended to deliver you, trusting only in the only Savior, and going on in your way to Him rejoicing.”
Francis Scott Key – U.S. Attorney for D.C. and author of the “Star Spangled Banner”
“I have sometimes thought there could not be a stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments, even the most rational and manly, than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare their unsatisfactoriness by becoming fervent advocates in the cause of Christ; and I wish you may give in your evidence in this way.”
James Madison – 4th U.S. President, signer of “Constitution“, framer of “Bill of Rights”, author of “Federalist Papers”, & Secretary of State.
“I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of His Providential goodness and His forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state.”
Robert Treat Paine – Signer of “Declaration of Independence“, Massachusetts Attorney General, military chaplain, & judge.
“The Gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes the wisest rules for just conduct in every situation of life. Happy they who are enabled to obey them in all situations! . . . My only hope of salvation is in the infinite tran¬scendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the Cross. Noth¬ing but His blood will wash away my sins [Acts 22:16]. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly! [Revelation 22:20]”
Benjamin Rush – signer of Declaration of Independence, Surgeon General, U.S. Mint Treasurer
“God commands all men everywhere to repent. He also commands them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and has assured us that all who do repent and believe shall be saved… [G]od… has absolutely promised to bestow them on all these who are willing to accept them on the terms of the Gospel – that is, in a way of free grace through the atonement. “Ask and ye shall receive [John 16:24]. Whosoever will, let him come and take of the waters of life freely [Revelation 22:17]. Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out” [John 6:37].”
Roger Sherman – Signer of “Declaration of Independence“, signer & “Master Builder” of Constitution“, framer of “Bill of Rights”, U.S. Senator, & judge.
“Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Alexis de Tocqueville
“I now make it my earnest prayer that God would… most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of the mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion.”
George Washington – 1st U.S. President, Member of Continental Congress, Commander-in-Chief of Continental Army, President of Constitutional Convention, & judge.
“You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.”
George Washington – 1st U.S. President, Member of Continental Congress, Commander-in-Chief of Continental Army, President of Constitutional Convention, & judge.
“[T]he Christian religion – its general principles – must ever be regarded among us as the foundation of civil society”
Daniel Webster – U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, & Defender of “Constitution”.
“[T]he Christian religion… is the basis, or rather the source, of all genuine freedom in government… I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of Christianity have not a controlling influence.”
Noah Webster – Revolutionary soldier, judge, legislator, educator, & author of “Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary.
“The moral principles and precepts found in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws.”
Noah Webster – Revolutionary soldier, judge, legislator, educator, & author of “Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary.
“Every civil government is based upon some religion or philosophy of life. Education in a nation will propagate the religion of that nation. In America, the foundational religion was Christianity. And it was sown in the hearts of Americans through the home and private and public schools for centuries. Our liberty, growth, and prosperity was the result of a Biblical philosophy of life. Our continued freedom and success is dependent on our educating the youth of America in the principles of Christianity.”
Noah Webster – Revolutionary soldier, judge, legislator, educator, & author of “An American Dictionary of the English Language” .
“[I]f you are not rec¬onciled to God through Jesus Christ – if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness – you must forever perish. [H]e is the best friend to American liberty who is the most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear down profanity and immorality of every kind. Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not to call him an enemy to his country.”
John Witherspoon – Signer of “Declaration of Independence“, ratifier of the “U. S. Constitution”, & President of “Princeton”.
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY ORIGINAL MOTTO QUOTES:
Brown University – founded by Baptist leaders: “Deo Speramus“, Latin for “In God We Hope“.
Columbia University – was committed to “principles of religious liberty in establishing the policies”; based on Anglican faith: “In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen“, Latin for “In Thy light shall we see light“.
Dartmouth College – founded by a minister: “Vox clamantis in deserto“, Latin for “A calling voice in the wilderness“(more often rendered as “A voice crying out in the wilderness”; “the phrase appears five times in the Bible and is a reference to the college’s location on what was once the frontier of European settlement”; site founder note: could not find an English translation of their motto on their website.
Georgetown University – 1st Catholic U.S. university founded by a Jesuit Archbishop: “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”, Latin for “For the Greater Glory of God“
Harvard University – 1st U.S. university; namesake for & 1st president were both reverends: “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae“, Latin for “Truth for Christ and the Church“.
Princeton University – founded by Presbyterian Synod as College of New Jersey: “Dei Sub Numine Viget“, Latin for “Under God’s Power She Flourishes”.
University of Notre Dame – Catholic university founded by Jesuit priest as University of Notre Dame du Lac, French forUniversity of Our Lady of the Lake”: “Vita, Dulcedo, Spes“, Latin for “Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope” (in reference to Mary, mother of Jesus).
Yale University – named after generous Puritan donor; founded by clergymen with mission of “wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences (and) through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State”; The primary emblem for Yale’s coat of arms is an open book and the Hebrew words “Urim“ (lights) and “Thummim“ (perfections) inscribed upon it in Hebrew script; later clarified to mean: “Christ the Word and Interpreter of the Father, our light and perfection“; site founder could not find an English translation of the motto on their seal on their website.
EARLY CHURCH FATHER QUOTES:
“The Holy Scriptures, given by inspiration of God, are of themselves sufficient toward the discovery of truth. (Orat. adv. Gent., ad cap.) The Catholic Christians will neither speak nor endure to hear anything in religion that is a stranger to Scripture; it being an evil heart of immodesty to speak those things which are not written”.
Athanasius (300? – 375 AD)
“Christ is not valued at all unless He is valued above all.”
Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD)
“Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.”
Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD)
“For great are you, Lord, and you look kindly on what is humble, but the lofty-minded you regard from afar. Only to those whose hearts are crushed do you draw close.”
Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD)
“Liberated from the error of pagan tradition through the benevolence and loving kindness of the good God with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the operation of the Holy Spirit, I was reared from the very beginning by Christian parents. From them I learned even in babyhood the Holy Scriptures which led me to a knowledge of the truth.”
Basil (330 – 379 AD)
“They that are ready to spend their time in the best things will not give over seeking for truth until they have found the demonstration from the Scriptures themselves”.
Clement of Alexandria (150? – 213? AD)
Ignatius of Antioch (35 – 1048 AD)
” Realize that illness and other temporal setbacks often come to us from the hand of God our Lord, and are sent to help us know ourselves better, to free ourselves of the love of created things, and to reflect on the brevity of this life and, thus, to prepare ourselves for the life which is without end.”
“We have known the method of our salvation by no other means than those by whom the gospel came to us; which gospel they truly preached; but afterward, by the will of God, they delivered to us in the Scriptures, to be for the future the foundation and pillar of our faith”.
Irenaeus (130 – 202 AD)
“Let your daughter have first of all the book of Psalms for holiness of heart, and be instructed in the Proverbs of Solomon for her godly life.”
Jerome (347 – 420 AD)
“For as some who have been taught by the Master, Christ, not to deny Him, give encouragement to others when they are put to the question, so in all probability do those who lead wicked lives give occasion to those who, without consideration, take upon them to accuse all the Christians of impiety and wickedness. And this also is not right.”
Justin Martyr (100 -165 AD) – from his first “Apology“.
“[God] watched over me before I knew Him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and He protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son.”
St. Patrick (late 14th Century – 461)
“I pray to God to give me perseverance and to deign that I be a faithful witness to Him to the end of my life for my God.”
St. Patrick (late 14th Century – 461)
“From being its haters they become its disciples. By simply getting acquainted with it, they begin now to hate what they had formerly been, and to profess what they had formerly hated; and their numbers are as great as are laid to our charge.”
Tertullian (160 – 220 AD) – from “The Apology, Part 1”
MISCELLANEOUS FAITH QUOTES – authors born prior to 1900 (by alpha from “Brainy Quote”):
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”
Gilbert K Chesterton (1874 – 1936)
“Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on.”
Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)
“I think that America is a nation of faith. I do believe that. Certainly by way of heritage – there’s a powerful Christian thread through all of American history.”
Jonathan Edwards (1703 – 1758)
“Great and glorious God, and Thou Lord Jesus, I pray you shed abroad your light in the darkness of my mind. Be found of me, Lord, so that in all things I may act only in accordance with Thy holy will.”
Francis of Assissi (? – 1226 AD)
“According to the Burman system, there is no escape. According to the Christian system, there is. Jesus Christ has died in the place of sinners, has borne their sins; and now those who believe on Him, and become His disciples, are released from the punishment they deserve. At death, they are received into Heaven an are happy forever.”
Adoniram Judson (1788 – 1850)
“Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963)
“I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.”
Martin Luther (1483 – 1546)
“History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.”
Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964)
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”
Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662)
“There is nothing in this world that can compare with the Christian fellowship; nothing that can satisfy but Christ.”
John D. Rockefeller (1839 – 1937)
“It is always helpful to us to fix our attention on the God-ward aspect of Christian work; to realise that the work of God does not mean so much man’s work for God, as God’s own work through man.”
Hudson Taylor (1832 – 1905)
MISCELLANEOUS FAITH QUOTES – authors born after 1900 (by alpha from “Brainy Quote”):
“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.“
Ansel Adams (1902 – 1984)
“We are 100 percent responsible for the pursuit of holiness, but at the same time we are 100 percent dependent upon the Holy Spirit to enable us in that pursuit. The pursuit of holiness is not a pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps approach to the Christian life.”
Jerry Bridges (1929 – 2016)
“Ten out of ten people die. You start thinking about that and it really makes you start to ask the big questions: Where did I come from? When am I going when I die? What happens when we step out of here? What’s out there?”
Kirk Cameron (1970 – present)
“The most important thing for me is having a relationship with God. To know that the owner, the Creator of the universe loves you, sent His Son to die for your sins; that’s very empowering. Knowing Him and knowing that He loves me gives me encouragement and confidence to move forward.”
Ben Carson (1951 – present)
“For me, in my Christian belief, prayer is not an opportunity to manipulate God into doing what you want Him to. Prayer is an opportunity to have a conversation with God to try to get in tune with what His will is.”
Francis Collins (1950 -present)
“Some of us live a Christian life as if we’re always under the stern, watchful eye of our Father and He is very impossible to please… No, God delights even in our heartfelt attempts at obedience.”
Kevin DeYoung (1977 – present)
“If people didn’t know me and only knew my public persona, what I’d want them to know is everything that I do, I do for the Glory of Lord. Because of my Christian faith, that’s who I am. I wasn’t always that way, but I’m very proud that I am.”
Tony Dungy (1955 – present)
“Each generation faces different issues and challenges, but our standard must always be measured by God’s Word.”
Billy Graham (1918 – 2018)
“I was 22 years old when I asked Christ to come into my heart. You cannot be born a Christian; you can only be converted. And that is by putting your faith and trust in Christ.”
Franklin Graham (1952 – present)
“The story of Christian reformation, revival, and renaissance underscores that the darkest hour is often just before the dawn, so we should always be people of hope and prayer, not gloom and defeatism. God the Holy Spirit can turn the situation around in five minutes.”
Os Guinness (1941 – present)
“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.”
Joan of Arc (1412 -1431 AD)
“Initially, when I first became a Christian and got into ministry, my thought was that God existed to make my life better and to take me to Heaven. Now I realize that it is not about me at all. It is all about God and that He did this to display His plan to restore the Earth to the Garden of Eden state.”
Max Lucado (1955 – present)
“I am not a Christian because God changed my life; I am a Christian because of my convictions about who Jesus Christ is.”
Josh McDowell (1939 – present)
“Let me tell you something you already know: reading is critically important – especially for Christian believers. God, after all, reveals Himself to us in the written words of Scripture. Think about it: when we read the Word, we place ourselves in the very presence of God.”
Eric Metaxas (1963 – present)
“I grew up Jewish, became an atheist and a Marxist, and 28 years ago, at age 26, became a Christian.”
Martin Olasky (1950 – present)
“Money can add very much to one’s ability to lead a constructive life, not only pleasant for oneself, but, hopefully, beneficial to others. My grandfather, along with Carnegie, was a pioneer in philanthropy, which my father then practiced on a very large scale. The Christian ethic played an essential part in my upbringing.”
David Rockefeller (1915 -2017)
“Christianity is the greatest intellectual system the mind of man has ever touched.”
Francis Schaeffer (1912 – 1984)
“The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between.”
Mother Theresa (1910 – 1997)
“Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.”
Alexis de Tocqueville
“Christian teaching about sex is not a set of isolated prohibitions; it is an integral part of what the Bible has to say about living in such a way that our lives communicate the character of God.”
Rowan Williams (1950 – present)
“It is certain that the truth of the Christian faith becomes more evident the more the faith itself is known. Therefore, the doctrine should not only be in Latin but also in the common tongue, and as the faith of the Church is contained in the Scriptures, the more these are known in the true sense, the better.”
John Wycliffe (1330 – 1384)
“I am totally convinced the Christian faith is the most coherent worldview around.”
Ravi Zacharias (1946 – present)
SCIENTIST QUOTES are on Creation Quotes page.
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