Notable Quotable: As Cathedrals Were Built

Today’s notable quotable comes from Henry Ward Beecher, a brother to Harriet Beecher Stowe who was the author of Uncle Toms’ Cabin. Like his sister, he was an abolitionist and an advocate for woman’s suffrage. A social reformer during the Civil War era, Beecher was also known for holding mock slave auctions to raise money to buy back slaves from slaveholders and free them from captivity. 

By profession, Henry Ward Beecher was a Calvinist preacher and orator who also advocated for Darwin's theory of evolution, equating it to one’s spiritual quest to evolve and attain their highest calling. 

Below are three of his quotes:

“Adversity, if for no other reason, is of benefit, since it is sure to bring a season of sober reflection. People see clearer at such times. Storms purify the atmosphere.”

“No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is in the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.” 

“Many men build as cathedrals were built, the part nearest the ground finished; but the parts which soar toward heaven, the turrets and the spires, forever incomplete.”