"There are no simple congruities in life or history. It is possible to soften the incongruities of life endlessly but all such strategies cannot finally overcome the fragmentary nature of human existence. The final wisdom of life requires, not the annulment of incongruity, but the achievement of serenity within and above it.
Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved completely in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by HOPE.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore, we must be saved by FAITH.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we must be saved by LOVE.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of others as it is from our standpoint. Therefore, we must be saved by the final form of love, which is FORGIVENESS."
Reinhold Niebuhr, from The Children of Light and The Children of Darkness.
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