Here are some of the most quotable Christian leaders, pastors, or authors since the time of the apostles, along with three of their memorable quotes and notable works. For additional quotes, go to Christian Life Quotes by Goodreads.
St. Augustine of Hippo
- “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”
- “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
- “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Confessions” – An autobiographical work that outlines his spiritual journey and philosophical thoughts.
Martin Luther
- “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”
- “Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.”
- “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
To Go Deeper: Read “The Bondage of the Will” – A treatise on the doctrine of justification by faith alone and the concept of free will.
John Calvin
- “There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.”
- “We must remember that Satan has his miracles, too.”
- “Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Institutes of the Christian Religion” – A seminal work on Protestant systematic theology.
John Wesley
- “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
- “I look upon all the world as my parish.”
- “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”
To Go Deeper: Read “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection” – An explanation of Wesley’s doctrine of sanctification and perfection.
Charles Spurgeon
- “I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light.”
- “Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.”
- “Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Morning and Evening” – A collection of daily devotional readings.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
- “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
- “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”
To Go Deeper: Read “The Cost of Discipleship” – A book that explores the meaning of discipleship and the importance of costly grace.
C.S. Lewis
- “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
- “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”
- “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Mere Christianity” – A book that explains and defends the core beliefs of Christianity.
Billy Graham
- “God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.'”
- “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”
- “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Just As I Am” – An autobiography that chronicles his life and ministry.
Mother Teresa
- “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
- “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
- “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
To Go Deeper: Read “No Greater Love” – A compilation of her thoughts, experiences, and prayers.
Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
- “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
- “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Strength to Love” – A collection of his sermons exploring the central tenets of his theology and activism.
John Piper
- “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
- “The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved.”
- “The Bible is the ultimate authority and infallible standard for the church and the Christian life.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Desiring God” – A book that emphasizes the importance of delighting in God and glorifying Him in all aspects of life.
Rick Warren
- “You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense.”
- “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”
- “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.”
To Go Deeper: Read “The Purpose Driven Life” – A guide to discovering one’s purpose and living a life of significance.
Francis Chan
- “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”
- “The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.”
- “God’s definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Crazy Love” – A book that challenges readers to embrace a passionate and all-consuming love for God.
Elisabeth Elliot
- “The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end, it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.”
- “Leave it all in the Hands that were wounded for you.”
- “God never witholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God’s refusals are always merciful — ‘severe mercies’ at times but mercies all the same. God never denies us our hearts desire except to give us something better.”
To Go Deeper: Read “Through Gates of Splendor” – The story of her husband’s martyrdom and her own missionary work among the Huaorani people of Ecuador.
A.W. Tozer
- “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
- “God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which he must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.”
- “The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give orders, and interfering with God’s work within us.”
To Go Deeper: Read “The Pursuit of God” – A classic work that emphasizes the importance of seeking a deeper relationship with God.