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9 Inspiring Quotes from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

Read these inspirational quotes by the rabbi who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) was a philosopher and civil rights activist best known for his writings and inspiring quotes on ethics and mysticism. Born into a family of Hasidic rabbis in Warsaw, Poland, he was called to the spiritual life at a young age. In 1939, weeks before the Nazi invasion, Herschel fled to London and then New York City. His mother and sisters died in the Holocaust, a tragedy that greatly shaped Heschel’s theology. Most significantly his conviction that people can choose to live in a state of constant awe and gratitude, and act alongside God to create a better world. A belief that led Heschel to march alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in Selma, of which he famously said, “I felt my legs were praying.” Heschel’s words continue to spur new generations to live in radical amazement.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel inspirational quotes

1 of 9 “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement… get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel


“We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.”

2 of 9 “We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel

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“To pray is to dream in league with God, to envision His holy visions.”

3 of 9 “To pray is to dream in league with God, to envision His holy visions.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel


“…God is absent, invisible, and the task of a human being is to represent the Divine, to be a reminder of the presence of God.”

4 of 9 “…God is absent, invisible, and the task of a human being is to represent the Divine, to be a reminder of the presence of God.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel


“In our own lives the voice of God speaks slowly, a syllable at a time. Reaching the peak of years, dispelling some of our intimate illusions and learning how to spell the meaning of life-experiences backwards, some of us discover how the scattered syllables form a single phrase.”

5 of 9

“In our own lives the voice of God speaks slowly, a syllable at a time. Reaching the peak of years, dispelling some of our intimate illusions and learning how to spell the meaning of life-experiences backwards, some of us discover how the scattered syllables form a single phrase.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel


“Man cannot see God, but man can be seen by God. He is not the object of a discovery but the subject of revelation.”

6 of 9 “Man cannot see God, but man can be seen by God. He is not the object of a discovery but the subject of revelation.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel


“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.”

7 of 9 “Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel

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“The ineffable has shuddered itself into the soul. It has entered our consciousness like a ray of light passing into a lake.”

8 of 9 “The ineffable has shuddered itself into the soul. It has entered our consciousness like a ray of light passing into a lake.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel


“Never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and he gave it to me.”

9 of 9 “Never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and he gave it to me.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel

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