Quotations from Schweitzer's speeches and writings on reverence for life, faith, music, civilization, peace, and other topics.

This “little gem of a book” shares the Nobel laureate’s profound insights on ethics, ecology, human rights, and more (Jane Goodall). The theologian and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer dedicated his life to the betterment of mankind. In 1952, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his philosophy of Reverence for Life—and for the many ways he put that philosophy into action. This volume gathers together his thoughts on this profound and deeply influential concept. Based on a fundamental respect and compassion for all living things, Schweitzer’s philosophy sought to reconcile the conflicting drives of egoism and altruism. He applied this ethical perspective to a host of topics, from war and peace to arts, animal rights, and forming a global community. Reverence for Life draws on Schweitzer’s diverse writings across decades, including excerpts from previously unpublished letters to John F. Kennedy, Norman Cousins, Bertrand Russell, and others. A foreword by former US Ambassador, Roger Gamble, an introduction by the editor, Harold E. Robles, and a brief biographical sketch of Schweitzer’s life round out this essential volume.

Revere life, and give yours away for the sake of serving others. As a young man, Albert Schweitzer seemed destined for greatness. His immense talent and fortitude propelled him to a place as one of Europe’s most renowned philosophers, theologians, and musicians in the early twentieth century. Yet Schweitzer shocked his contemporaries by forsaking worldly success and embarking on an epic journey into the wilds of French Equatorial Africa, vowing to serve as a lifelong physician to “the least of these” in a mysterious land rife with famine, sickness, and superstition. Enduring hardship, conflict, and personal struggles, he and his beloved wife, Hélène, became French prisoners of war during WWI, and Hélène later battled persistent illnesses. Ken Gire’s page-turning, novelesque narrative sheds new light on Schweitzer’s faith-in-action ethic and his commitment to honor God by celebrating the sacredness of all life. The legacy of this 1952 Nobel Prize honoree endures in the thriving African hospital community that began in a humble chicken coop, in the millions who have drawn inspiration from his example, and in the challenge that emanates from his life story into our day. Albert Schweitzer seemed destined for greatness—and he achieved it by making his life his greatest sermon to a world in desperate need of hope and healing.

Albert Schweitzer, the philosopher, theologian, physician, biographer of J. S. Bach and musician, and Alice Ehlers, the harpsichordist and great Bach interpreter, met as musicians. This book makes available for the first time a selection of letters these two great personalities exchanged between the years of 1928 and 1965. Although music is the main subject of these letters during the early period of their relationship, the letters increasingly deal with their personal and professional lives. Later letters reveal the help Ehlers rendered Schweitzer's hospital through benefit concerts, Schweitzer's concern for the future of his hospital, and his happiness with the growing world-wide acceptance of his ethical ideas. Schweitzer's last letter was written only months before his death.

Albert Schweitzer's system of ethics as a way of life in which individuals live with compassion and respect for all living things—humans, animals, and plants—or "Reverence for Life" is illuminated here through a series of compelling essays by Schweitzer and renowned contemporary Schweitzer scholars from around the globe. The selection of Schweitzer's writings includes, sermons, letters, and autobiographical and philosophical works chosen by the editors to outline the development of his thought throughout his lifetime.