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Just as a maistre Fifi mocks those who hold their noses [in his presence]. because he has handled filth for so long that he can no longer smell his own foulness; so likewise do idolaters make light of those who are offended by a stench they cannot themselves recognize. Hardened by habit, they sit in their own excrement, and yet believe they are surrounded by roses.

— John Calvin

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Religion

More quotes by John Calvin

There is also an old proverb, that they who pay much attention to the body generally neglect the soul.

We should never insult others on account of their faults, for it is our duty to show charity and respect to everyone.

We must resist wandering thoughts in prayer. Raising our hands reminds us that we need to raise up our minds to God, setting aside all irrelevant thoughts.

Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536)

It is easy to see how superstition, with its false glosses, mocks God, while it tries to please him.

Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536)

There is not one little blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make men rejoice.

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Science and religion are two human enterprises sharing many features.

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The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.

John Adams A Defence of the Constitutions of Government (1787)

The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.

Thomas Babington Macaulay History of England (1849)

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