“Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion—its message becomes meaningless.”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel
@marcusghalley My favorite quote of Rabbi Heschel has long been, "When I was young, I admired clever people; now that I am old, I admire kind people." I stopped using it, though, because I can't find a source that affirms he said it, nor can I find a consistent form that it takes. Have you seen it anywhere?
@pineboxtx @marcusghalley I don't know whether it was in any of his own publications, but perhaps the next best thing: R' Harold Kushner quotes him in exactly those words in _When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough_, saying that Heschel was his teacher.
@cjwatson @marcusghalley Go raibh maith agat, Colin! I'll have to give that one a read.