The Wit and Wisdom of Martin Luther

Ask of God
"All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask. Yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask."

On Anger
"I never work better than when I am inspired by anger; for when I am angry, I can write, pray, and preach well, for then my whole temperament is quickened, my understanding sharpened, and all mundane vexations and temptations depart."

On the Bible
"The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid."

On Canines
"Be thou comforted, little dog, Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail."

On Education
"I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth."

On Faith
"Faith is permitting ourselves to be seized by the things we do not see."

On Forgiveness
"Forgiveness is God's command."

On Prayer
"The fewer the words, the better the prayer."

"Pray, and let God worry."

On Spiritual Growth
"There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow."

On Suffering
"No man ought to lay a cross upon himself, or to adopt tribulation... but if a cross or tribulation come upon him, then let him suffer it patiently, and know that it is good and profitable for him."

On Violence
"Nothing good ever comes of violence."

"War is the greatest plague that can affect humanity; it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys families. Any scourge is preferable to it."

On Wine and Women
"Men can go wrong with wine and women: shall we then prohibit and abolish women?"