Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Paul Tillich (German-American Theologian)

Paul Johannes Tillich (1886–1965) was a German-American theologian and philosopher associated with existentialism. He is widely recognized as one of the most influential theological thinkers of the twentieth century. His significant contributions spanned the realms of existentialism, theology, and religious thought.

Born in Starzeddel, Prussia (now Poland,) Tillich pursued his education at the University of Berlin, where he obtained his PhD, and later at the University of Halle, where he earned his doctorate in theology. Following his second theological examination at Halle, he was ordained as a minister in 1912. Throughout his studies, Tillich engaged with the works of prominent philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Schelling, and Martin Heidegger, skillfully integrating their ideas into his own distinct framework.

At the core of Tillich’s theological approach was a focus on the existential questions and challenges faced by individuals in their search for meaning and purpose. Opposing the Nazi regime, Tillich departed Germany in the 1930s due to his progressive ideas and his criticism of authoritarianism. Eventually settling in the United States, he became a prominent figure in American theology and academia. Tillich’s teachings centered on the concept of ultimate concern, emphasizing humanity’s quest for a transcendent foundation of existence.

Through his writings and lectures, Tillich delved into the intersections of theology, philosophy, and culture, aiming to bridge the gap between religious faith and contemporary thought. Notable among his works are The Courage to Be (1952,) Systematic Theology (3 vols., 1951–63,) Theology of Culture (1959,) and Dynamics of Faith (1957.) In The Protestant Era (1948,) he traced the historical development and impact of Protestantism, highlighting its profound influence on Western civilization, philosophy, and culture. Tillich also provided an extensive autobiographical account in On the Boundary (1966.)

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Paul Tillich

Faith consists in being vitally concerned with that ultimate reality to which I give the symbolical name of God. Whoever reflects earnestly on the meaning of life is on the verge of an act of faith.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Faith

Love that cares, listens.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Caring

The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Confidence, Realization, Acceptance, Awareness

Faith is an act of a finite being who is grasped by and turned to the infinite.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Faith, Belief

Being religious means asking passionately the question of the meaning of our existence and being willing to receive answers, even if the answers hurt.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Religion

Fear is the absence of faith.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Fear, Anxiety

Religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains the answer to the question of a meaning of our life.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Religion

I hope for the day when everyone can speak again of God without embarrassment.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: God

Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Decision

You are accepted! … accepted by that which is greater than you and the name of which you do not know. Do not ask the name now, perhaps you will know it later. Do not try to do anything perhaps later you will do much. flo not seek for anything, do not perform anything do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: God, Faith, Divinity

We can speak without voice to the trees and the clouds and the waves of the sea. Without words they respond through the rustling of leaves and the moving of clouds and the murmuring of the sea.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Power

The first duty of love is to listen.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: One liners, Love, Duty, Listening

Man is asked to make of himself what he is supposed to become to fulfill his destiny.
—Paul Tillich

Language… has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Language, Solitude

The awareness of the ambiguity of one’s highest achievements (as well as one’s deepest failures) is a definite symptom of maturity.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Achievements, Maturity, Achieving

I loved thee beautiful and kind, And plighted an eternal vow; So altered are thy face and mind, t’were perjury to love thee now!
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Kindness

Language has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone, and the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Solitude, Loneliness

We cannot love unless we have accepted forgiveness, and the deeper our experience of forgiveness is, the greater is our love.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Love, Forgiveness

Doubt isn’t the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Doubt

Boredom is rage spread thin.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: One liners, Boredom

Loneliness can be conquered only by those who can bear solitude.
—Paul Tillich
Topics: Solitude

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