Worm that I am, consumed by passion, cast as bait for selfishness, I must nonetheless love humanity. If I can do this, and insofar as I can do this, I can also love God.

— Hermann Cohen The Concept of Religion in the System of Philosophy (1915)

Wurm, der ich bin, von Leidenschaften zerfressen, der Selbstsucht zum Köder hingeworfen, soll ich dennoch den Menschen lieben. Wenn ich dies kann, und sofern ich dies kann, kann ich auch Gott lieben.

Original text (German)

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p. 82

More quotes by Hermann Cohen

The God who appears to me is the comforter of the poor and their avenger in world history. This avenger of the poor is the God I love.

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Only the idea of God gives me the confidence that morality will become reality on earth. And because I cannot live without this confidence, I cannot live without God.

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In this light the God who appears to me is the comforter of the poor and their avenger in world history. This avenger of the poor is the God I love.

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As faith in mankind, Israel's faith is hope. And it is this epitome of Israel's prophetism, this hope in mankind's future, that comprises the substance of the messianic idea.

Reason and Hope: Selections from the Jewish Writings of Hermann Cohen (1971)

Love of God implies love of religion. And religion exemplifies that creative spirit of God which is at work in history as well as in the mind of man. Thus, one ought to love any religion, that is, religion as such, and in any form—as a manifestation of the moral spirit, the divine spirit of mankind.

Reason and Hope: Selections from the Jewish Writings of Hermann Cohen (1971)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Hermann Cohen (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.

Worm that I am, consumed by passion, cast as bait for selfishness, I must nonetheless love humanity. If I can do this, and insofar as I can do this, I can also love God.

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