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Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian and ethicist known for his work in social ethics and political philosophy. His writings, including "Moral Man and Immoral Society" and "The Nature and Destiny of Man," addressed complex issues of morality, justice, and human nature. Niebuhr's ideas on Christian realism and ethical responsibility have influenced both theological and secular thought, establishing him as a significant figure in 20th-century philosophy and theology.
"There are historic situations in which refusal to defend the inheritance of a civilization, however imperfect, against tyranny and aggression may result in consequences even worse than war."
"The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan value and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism."
"All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions."
"Original sin is that thing about man which makes him capable of conceiving of his own perfection and incapable of achieving it."
"The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self mastery."
"The final wisdom of life requires not the annulment of incongruity but the achievement of serenity within and above it."
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