Reverence for Life: The Words of Albert Schweitzer

Gathered together for the first time in one place, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Albert Schweitzer’s words on ecology, human and animal rights, philosophy, war and peace, music and the arts, and forming a global community.

I cannot but have Reverence for all that is called life. I cannot avoid compassion for everything that is called life. That is the beginning and foundation of morality. Albert Schweitzer

Spanning many decades and a host of topics, this rich collection of the words of Albert Schweitzer offers a glimpse into the life and thought of an eminent humanitarian.

Reverence for Life was Schweitzer’s unifying term for a concept of ethics. He believed that such an ethic would reconcile the drives of altruism and egoism by requiring a respect for the lives of all other beings and by demanding the highest development of an individual’s resources. The thread of this inspirational belief appears throughout his deeply insightful writings. Excerpts from previously unpublished letters to John F. Kennedy, Norman Cousins, Bertrand Russell, and others show how truly committed Schweitzer was to creating a global compassion consciousness and cultivating a dignity toward all people. A foreword by former U.S. Ambassador, Roger Gamble, an introduction by the editor, Harold E. Robles, and a brief biographical sketch of Schweitzer’s life round out this stunning collection of quotations.