Thomas Starr King

Minister

Thomas Starr King was a Unitarian minister and abolitionist known for his powerful oratory and advocacy for social justice during the 19th century.

Born
December 17, 1800
Died
March 4, 1864
Quotes
13
Rank
#1192

About Thomas Starr King

Thomas Starr King — Life and Legacy

Thomas Starr King was a prominent Unitarian minister and abolitionist in the 19th century, recognized for his compelling speeches and commitment to social justice. His work during the Civil War era, particularly in California, was pivotal in promoting the Union cause and opposing slavery. King’s philosophy centered on the belief that faith and reason must coexist, a theme evident in his famous assertion that 'A man who is afraid will be in the end a slave.' This reflects his conviction that fear undermines freedom and that true liberation comes from courage and authenticity. His advocacy for equality and his eloquent expressions of faith continue to resonate, reminding us of the moral imperatives that drive social change. King’s legacy is a testament to the enduring power of words in the fight for justice and human dignity.

Quote collection

Thomas Starr King quotes

13 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Thomas Starr King Minister
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"Nature is hieroglyphic. Each prominent fact in it is like a type; its final use is to set up one letter of the infinite alphabet, and help us by its connections to read some statement or statute applicable to the conscious world."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"The spirit of a person's life is ever shedding some power, just as a flower is steadily bestowing fragrance upon the air."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"Be sure of the foundation of your life. Know why you live as you do. Be ready to give a reason for it. Do not, in such a matter as life, build an opinion or custom on what you guess is true. Make it a matter of certainty and science."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"The fact is, that of all God's gifts to the sight of man, color, is the holiest, the most divine, the most solemn. We speak rashly of gay color and sad color, for color cannot at once be good and gay. All good color is in some degree pensive, the loveliest is melancholy, and the purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"What a privilege it is to be an American!"

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"Leaves are the Greek, flowers the Italian, phase of the spirit of beauty that reveals itself through the flora of the globe."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"It is strange. I see all the privileges and greatness of the future. It already looks grand, beautiful. Tell them I went lovingly, trustfully, peacefully."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"The oak roars when a high wind wrestles with it; the beech shrieks; the elm sends forth a long, deep groan; the ash pours out moans of thrilling anguish."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"Though I weigh only 120 pounds, when I'm mad, I weigh a ton."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"By cultivating an interest in a few good books which contain the result of the toil or the quintessence of the genius of some of the most gifted thinkers of the world, we need not live on the marsh and in the mists. The slopes and ridges invite us."

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Thomas Starr King Minister
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"A visit to New Hampshire supplies the most resources to a traveler, and confers the most benefit on the mind and taste, when it lifts him above mere appetite for wildness, ruggedness, and the feeling of mass and precipitous elevation, into a perception and love of the refined grandeur, the chaste sublimity, the airy majesty overlaid with tender and polished bloom, in which the landscape splendor of a noble mountain lies."

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