Martyrdom Quotes - Page 5

• If a man is in doubt whether it would be better for him to expose himself to martyrdom or not, he should not do it. He must be convinced that he has a delegation from heaven.

  Samuel Johnson

  Men, Heaven, Doubt

  James Boswell, Samuel Johnson, Edmond Malone (1824). “The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D., Comprehending an Account of His Studies, and Numerous Works, in Chronological Order: A Series of His Epistolary Correspondence and Conversations with Many Eminent Persons; and Various Original Pieces of His Composition, Never Before Published; the Whole Exhibiting a View of Literature and Literary Men in Great Britain, for Near Half a Century During which He Flourished”, p.232

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• There are daily martyrdoms occurring of more or less self-abnegation, and of which the world knows nothing.

  Edwin Hubbel Chapin

  Self, World, Martyr

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• For all have not the gift of martyrdom.

  John Dryden

  Conformity, Conform, Nonconformity

  John Dryden (1767). “THE MISCELLANEOUS WORKS OF JOHN DRYDEN, Esq; Containing All His ORIGINAL POEMS, TALES, AND TRANSLATIONS, IN FOUR VOLUMES.: VOLUME THE SECOND”, p.31

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• I have read somewhere that in a totalitarian system martyrdom does better than thought.

  Vaclav Havel

  Doe, Totalitarianism

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• I wrap the potential for bitterness, resentment, martyrdom in the blanket of forgiveness and just set it down. Then it just melts in the warmth. And goes away.

  Mary Anne Radmacher

  Bitterness, Resentment, Blanket

  Mary Anne Radmacher (2008). “Live Boldly: Cultivate the Qualities That Can Change Your Life”, p.97, Conari Press

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• He that dies a martyr proves that he was not a knave, but by no means that he was not a fool; since the most absurd doctrines are not without such evidence as martyrdom can produce. A martyr, therefore, by the mere act of suffering, can prove nothing but his own faith.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Mean, Suffering, Doctrine

  Charles Caleb Colton (1836). “Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.199

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• If martyrdom is now on the decline, it is not because martyrs are less zealous, but because martyr-mongers are more wise. The light of intellect has put out the fire of persecution, as other fires are observed to smoulder before the light of the same.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Wise, Fire, Light

  Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.110

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• The Prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save martyrdom!

  Saint Francis de Sales

  Jesus, Prayer, Powerful

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• All the martyrs in the history of the world are not sufficient to establish the correctness of an opinion. Martyrdom, as a rule, establishes the sincerity of the martyr, - never the correctness of his thought. Things are true or false in themselves. Truth cannot be affected by opinions; it cannot be changed, established, or affected by martyrdom. An error cannot be believed sincerely enough to make it a truth.

  Robert Green Ingersoll

  Truth, Errors, Religion

  Robert Green Ingersoll (1907). “The works of Robert G. Ingersoll”, p.774, Library of Alexandria

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• When a heretic wishes to avoid martyrdom he speaks of "Orthodoxy, True and False" and demonstrates that the True is his heresy.

  George Bernard Shaw

  Wish, True And False, Orthodoxy

  George Bernard Shaw (2015). “George Bernard Shaw: Collected Articles, Lectures, Essays and Letters: Thoughts and Studies from the Renowned Dramaturge and Author of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Pygmalion, Arms and The Man, Saint Joan, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion”, p.317, e-artnow

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• For some not to be martyrs is martyrdom indeed.

  Leo Rosten

  Martyr

  Leo Rosten (1978). “Passions & Prejudices: Or, Some of My Best Friends are People”

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• Happy are those who have departed through martyrdom. Unhappy am I that I still survive... Taking this decision is more deadly than drinking from a poisoned chalice. I submitted myself to Allah's will and took this drink for His satisfaction.

  Ruhollah Khomeini

  Drinking, Decision, Departed

  Ruhollah Khomeini's announcement of ceasefire with Iraq (July 20, 1988), as quoted in Efraim Karsh "The Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988", April 25, 2002.

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• One book that has influenced the writer very strongly is Winwood Reade's Martyrdom of Man...It is still an extraordinarily inspiring presentation of human history as one consistent process.

  William Winwood Reade

  Book, Men, Process

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• I am too sick to work and haven't money enough to last 2 months and pay income tax. I want to keep going but do not see quite how, and there is no alternative - rather than justify my mother's 25-year dread of my "coming back on her, sick," I must kill myself. If she has to pay funeral costs, at least she will cut them to the bone and I will not be here to endure her martyrdom and prolong it by living.

  Rose Wilder Lane

  Mother, Cutting, Years

  Rose Wilder Lane's diary entry, December 9, 1933.

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• When does loyalty become martyrdom?

  Robert Charles Wilson

  Loyalty, Doe

  Robert Charles Wilson (2014). “The Chronoliths”, p.240, Macmillan

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• Christ-as always, the model-never sat back, crossed his arms, and dismissed the annoying, the troublesome, or the unpromising. He never name-called, never judged, never treated a single person with contempt. Christ talked to everybody, he mingled with everybody, he shared his message with everybody, and he also loved everybody. So don't count the cost with anybody either. We don't waste our time with people who don't want what we have to offer. But if they do, one form of martyrdom is to give a listening ear or an understanding smile to all comers.

  Heather King

  Listening Ear, Names, People

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• The severest prosecutions have never been followed by revelations changing a divine law, obedience to which brought imprisonment or martyrdom. Though I go to prison, God will not change his law of celestial marriage.

  Lorenzo Snow

  Law, Prison, Obedience

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• It is not to taste sweet things; but to do noble and true things, and vindicate himself under God's heaven as a God-made man, that the poorest son of Adam dimly longs. Show him the way of doing that, the dullest day-drudge kindles into a hero. They wrong man greatly who say he is to be seduced by ease. Difficulty, abnegation, martyrdom, death, are the allurements that act on the heart of man. Kindle the inner genial life of him, you have a flame that burns up all lower considerations.

  Thomas Carlyle

  Sweet, Hero, Heart

  Thomas Carlyle (2014). “The Selected Works of Thomas Carlyle”, p.139, Lulu.com

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• Christianity has made martyrdom sublime, and sorrow triumphant.

  Edwin Hubbel Chapin

  Sublime, Sorrow, Christianity

  "Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers". Book by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, 1895.

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• We should be wary what persecution we raise against the living labors of public men, how we spill that seasoned life of man, preserved and stored up in books, since we see a kind of homicide may be thus committed, sometimes a martyrdom; and if it extend to the whole impression, a kind of massacre, whereof the execution ends not in the slaying of an elemental life, but strikes at the ethereal and fifth essence, the breath of reason itself; slays an immortality rather than a life.

  John Milton

  Book, Men, Essence

  John Milton (1976). “The Portable Milton”, p.126, Penguin

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• It is not easy to explain why God permits evil; but it is impossible for an atheist to explain the existence of goodness. How could a spiritless, soul-less, cross-less, Godless universe become the center of faith, purity, sacrifice, and martyrdom? How can decency be the decent thing if there is no God? Since God is love, why should we be surprised that want of it should end in pain, hate, broken hearts, and war?

  Fulton J. Sheen

  Atheist, Pain, Hate

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• Loves and Cupids took to flight afraid, and Martyrdom had no such torment in its painted history of suffering.

  Charles Dickens

  Love, Suffering, Flight

  Charles Dickens (1867). “Charles Dickens's works. Charles Dickens ed. [18 vols. of a 21 vol. set. Wanting A child's history of England; Christmas stories; The mystery of Edwin Drood].”, p.241

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• The older I got, the more apparent it became that my mother was losing control over me. She fought back fiercely with black moods, silent treatments and martyrdom. And, of course, all she did was run my ass out of the house even quicker. The pressure was unbearable.

  George Carlin

  Mother, Running, Losing Control

  Source: reprints.longform.org

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• Martyrdom is the only path to immortality that requires no talent whatsoever.

  George Bernard Shaw

  Path, Talent, Immortality

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• Even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot Where the dogs go on with their doggy life

  W. H. Auden

  Running, Dog, Goes On

  "Musee des Beaux Arts" l. 10 (1940)

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