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Authority is [...] open to rejection in the name of justice. Established authority tries to prevent such rejection, and here an ambiguity appears: a successful rejection of authority would undercut the social structure of life, whereas a surrender to authority would destroy the basis of authority—the personal self and its claim for justice.

— Paul Tillich

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More quotes by Paul Tillich

Where the New Reality appears, one feels united with God, the ground and meaning of one’s existence.

The New Being (1955)

Knowledge of that which concerns us infinitely is possible only in an attitude of infinite concern.

The Courage to Be (1952)

The anxiety of fate is conquered by the self-affirmation of the individual as an infinitely significant microcosmic representation of the universe.

The Courage to Be (1952)

He who loves God is also able to accept life and to love it.

The New Being (1955)

In all existential knowledge both subject and object are transformed by the very act of knowing.

The Courage to Be (1952)

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Attribution

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