Albert Schweitzer hailed from an Alsatian family deeply rooted in religion, music and education.
Following a legacy of ministers and musicians, Schweitzer pursued theological studies at the University of Strasbourg, earning a doctorate in philosophy and licentiate in theology by 1900.
His theological fame was bolstered by his 1906 book, “The Quest of the Historical Jesus.”
Concurrently, he established himself as an internationally renowned concert organist and wrote extensively on music, including a biography of Bach.
In a significant pivot, Schweitzer studied medicine intending to serve as a medical missionary in Africa.
By 1913, he founded a hospital in Lambaréné, French Equatorial Africa. After brief internment during WWI and a European stint, he returned to Lambaréné in 1924, transforming his hospital to accommodate over 500 patients.
A man of many hats—doctor, pastor, writer, musician and more—Schweitzer received numerous honors, notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953, which funded a leprosarium.
He passed away in 1965, resting in Lambaréné.
Here are some of the best quotes by Albert Schweitzer.
Best Albert Schweitzer Quotes
World-view is a product of life-view, not vice versa. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Ethics is nothing else than reverence for life. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
You don’t live in a world all alone. Your brothers are here too. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Let your life be your argument. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Good is that which promotes life, evil is that which destroys life. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The only escape from the miseries of life are music and cats. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Humanitarianism consists in never sacrificing a human being to a purpose. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Therapy is the boat across the river, but most don’t want to get off. Don’t blame, forgive, All healing is self-healing. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Man’s ethics must not end with man, but should extend to the universe. He must regain the consciousness of the great Chain of Life from which he cannot be separated. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
At that point in life where your talent meets the needs of the world, that is where God wants you to be. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live. He has penetrated the whole mystery of life: giving thanks for everything. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The true worth of a man is not to be found in man himself, but in the colors and textures that come alive in others. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Top Albert Schweitzer Quotes
If you truly desire happiness, seek and learn how to serve. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
If you own something you cannot give away, then you don’t own it, it owns you. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Only those who respect the personality of others can be of real use to them. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Reverence for life is the highest court of appeal. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Inspirational Albert Schweitzer Quotes
Aim for service and success will follow! ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
We must all die. But that I can save him from days of torture, that is what I feel as my great and ever new privilege. Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Do not lose heart, even if you must wait a bit before finding the right thing. Be prepared for disappointment also, but do not abandon the quest. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Even if it is a little thing, do something for those who have need of help. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The only thing of importance, when we depart, will be the traces of love we have left behind. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
A good example has twice the value of good advice. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Thoughtful Albert Schweitzer Quotes
The stronger the reverence for natural life, the stronger grows also for that spiritual life. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Not only is example the best way to teach, it is the only way. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will – his personal responsibility in the realm of faith and morals. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Don’t blame, forgive, All healing is self-healing. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Don’t let your hearts grow numb. Stay alert. It is your soul which matters. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
A man does not have to be an angel to be a saint. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
My life is full of meaning to me. The life around me must be full of significance to itself. If I am to expect others to respect my life, then I must respect the other life I see. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Joy, sorrow, tears, lamentation, laughter – to all these music gives voice. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Motivational Albert Schweitzer Quotes
There is no higher religion than human service. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
For those who sincerely seek the truth should not fear the outcome. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
If you love something so much let it go. If it comes back it was meant to be; if it doesn’t it never was. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Knowing all truth is less than doing a little bit of good. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Love is the only thing that increases twofold every time it is shared. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Do something for somebody everyday for which you do not get paid. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
No ray of sunlight is ever lost, but the green which it awakes into existence needs time to sprout, and it is not always granted to the sower to see the harvest. All work that is worth anything is done in faith. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
By having a reverence for life, we enter into a spiritual relation with the world By practicing reverence for life we become good, deep, and alive. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Wise Albert Schweitzer Quotes
There can be no Kingdom of God in the world without the Kingdom of God in our hearts. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
One person can and does make a difference. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
To think out in every implication the ethic of love for all creation… this is the difficult task which confronts our age. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
It doesn’t matter if an animal can reason. It matters only that it is capable of suffering and that is why I consider it my neighbor. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
It’s supposed to be a secret, but I’ll tell you anyway. We doctors do nothing. We only help. And encourage the doctor within. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Ethics is the activity of man directed to secure the inner perfection of his own personality. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
By ethical conduct toward all creatures, we enter into a spiritual relationship with the universe. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Happiness is the only thing that multiplies when you share it. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Only through love can we obtain communion with God. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Famous Albert Schweitzer Quotes
The tragedy in a man’s life is what dies inside of him while he lives. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
He who does not reflect his life back to God in gratitude does not know himself. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Your soul suffers if you live superficially. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The quiet conscience is an invention of the devil. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted… ~ Albert Schweitzer.
I always think that we live, spiritually, By what others have given us in the significant hours of our life. These significant hours do not announce themselves as coming, but arrive unexpected. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Help me to fling my life like a flaming firebrand into the gathering darkness of the world. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
We are united with all life that is in nature. Man can no longer live his life for himself alone. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
I am life that wants to live, in the midst of life that wants to live. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Inspiring Albert Schweitzer Quotes
If you study life deeply, its profundity will seize you suddenly with dizziness. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by destroying the earth. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Animal protection is education to the humanity. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Man is a clever animal who behaves like an imbecile. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Grow into your ideals so that life cannot rob you of them. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
To work for the common good is the greatest creed. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Popular Albert Schweitzer Quotes
There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
To me, good health is more than just exercise and diet. It’s really a point of view and a mental attitude you have about yourself. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Do something wonderful, people may imitate it. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Any religion or philosophy which is not based on a respect for life is not a true religion or philosophy. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The doctor of the future will be oneself. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
The thinking person must oppose all cruel customs, no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Unique Albert Schweitzer Quotes
Set a great example. Someone may imitate it. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
It is through the idealism of youth that man catches sight of truth, and in that idealism he possesses a wealth which he must never exchange for anything else. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Be faithful to your love and you will be recompensed beyond measure. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
Example is leadership. ~ Albert Schweitzer.
So these were the 97 top Albert Schweitzer quotes on life, gratitude and success.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other posts on Johnny Cash quotes and Corrie Ten Boom quotes.
