That is because I regard philanthropy as a tragic apology for wrong conditions under which human beings live, losing their sight or hearing or becoming impoverished, and I do not conceal this awkward position from anybody.
Surely there is no road of effort so steep but a loving deed may soften its harshness.
Suffering and death are the great teachers of mankind.
Speech is the birthright of every child. It is the deaf child’s one fair chance to keep in touch with his fellows.
Some people are foolish enough to imagine that wealth and power and fame satisfy our hearts: but they never do, unless they are used to create and distribute happiness in the world.
Serious harm, I am afraid, has been wrought to our generation by fostering the idea that they would live secure in a permanent order of things.
Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.
Rebuffed, but always persevering; self-reproached, but ever regaining faith; undaunted, tenacious, the heart of man labors toward immeasurably distant goals.
Reality even when it is sad is better than illusions. Illusions are at the mercy of any winds that blow. Real happiness must come from within, from a fixed purpose and faith in one’s fellow men.
Poverty is the fundamental cause of most of the physical, moral and economic ills of humanity.
People often express surprise that I can enjoy nature when I cannot see its beauties or hear its harmonies. But really it is they who are-blind. For they have no idea how fair the flower is to the touch, nor do they appreciate its fragrance, which is the soul of the flower.
People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions; and conclusions are not always pleasant.
