Martin Luther Quotes
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Martin Luther, O.S.A. was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.

Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the Catholic view on indulgences as he understood it to be, that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor.

Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, are called Lutherans, though Luther insisted on Christian or Evangelical as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.

His translation of the Bible into the German vernacular made it more accessible to the laity, an event that had a tremendous impact on both the church and German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant clergy to marry.

In two of his later works, Luther expressed antagonistic views towards Jews, writing that Jewish homes and synagogues should be destroyed, their money confiscated, and liberty curtailed. Condemned by virtually every Lutheran denomination, these statements and their influence on antisemitism have contributed to his controversial status.

✵ 10. November 1483 – 18. February 1546
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Martin Luther: 214   quotes 387   likes

Martin Luther Quotes

“A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing.
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.”

Ein' feste burg is unser Gott,
ein gute wehr und waffen.
Er hilft uns frei aus aller not,
die uns itzt hat betroffen.
Psalm. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (1529), translated by Frederic H. Hedge, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
Literal Translation: A firm fortress is our God,
a good defense and weapon.
He frees us from all need,
that has struck us.
Complete hymn, Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book translation, at Wikisource

“The works of the righteous would be mortal sins if they would not be feared as mortal sins by the righteous themselves out of pious fear of God.”

"Heidelberg Disputation: Thesis 7" (1518), http://bookofconcord.org/heidelberg.php#7

“The reproduction of mankind is a great marvel and mystery. Had God consulted me in the matter, I should have advised him to continue the generation of the species by fashioning them of clay, in the way Adam was fashioned.”

752 http://books.google.com/books?id=ZUAuAAAAYAAJ&q=%22The+reproduction+of+mankind+is+a+great+marvel+and+mystery+Had+God+consulted+me+in+the+matter+I+should+have+advised+him+to+continue+the+generation+of+the+species+by+fashioning+them+of+clay+in+the+way+Adam+was+fashioned%22&pg=PA307#v=onepage
Table Talk (1569)

“Of all the fathers, as many as you can name, not one has ever spoken about the sacrament as these fanatics do. None of them uses such an expression as, 'It is simply bread and wine,' or, 'Christ’s body and blood are not present.' Yet since this subject is so frequently discussed by them, it is impossible that they should not at some time have let slip such an expression as, 'It is simply bread,' or, 'Not that the body of Christ is physically present,' or the like, since they are greatly concerned not to mislead the people; actually, they simply proceed to speak as if no one doubted that Christ’s body and blood are present. Certainly among so many fathers and so many writings a negative argument should have turned up at least once, as happens in other articles; but actually they all stand uniformly and consistently on the affirmative side.”

That These Words of Christ, 'This is My Body' Still Stand Firm Against the Fanatics, 1527, in Luther's Works, Word and Sacrament III, 1961, Fortress Press, , volume 37, p. 54. http://books.google.com/books?ei=PxdBTeK6F4PogQe9lKizAw&ct=result&id=J-0RAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22Nicodemus%2C+joseph%2C+Paul%22&q=%22Still+Stand+Firm+Against+the+Fanatics%22#search_anchor This work appeared in vol. 2 of the Wittenberg ed. of Luther's Works (in German) and was later translated into Latin by Matthew Judex (Matthaeum Iudicem) under the title: Defensio τοῦ ρητοῦ Verborum Cenae: Accipite, Comedite: Hoc est Corpus Meum: Contra Phanaticos Sacramentariorum Spiritus. http://solomon.tcpt.alexanderstreet.com/cgi-bin/asp/philo/cpt/getobject.pl?c.121:1.cpt
Luther's Latin: “Nullus ex patribus, quorum infinitus est numerus, de Sacramento sic loquutus est, ut Sacramentarii. Nam nemo ex iis talibus verbis utitur Tantum panis & vinum est: Vel Corpus & Sanguis Christi non adestProfecto non est credibile, nec possibile cum toties ab iis res ista agatur & repetatur, quod non aliquando, vel semel tantum excidissent haec verba. Est merus Panis, aut, non quod Christi corpus corporaliter adsit, aut his similia, cum tamen multum referat ne homines seducantur, Sed omnes praecise ita loquuntur, quasi nullus dubitet, quin ibi praesto sit corpus & sanguis Christi. Sane ex tot patribus, & tot scriptis, ab aliquibus, vel saltem ab uno potuisset negativa sententia proferri, ut in aliis articulis usitatum & frequens est, si non sensissent, corpus & sanguinem Christi vere inesse. Verum omnes concordes & constantes uno ore affirmatium proferunt.” See Luther's Opera Omnia, Wittenberg ed., (1558), vol., 7, p. 391. http://books.google.com/books?id=jrpjO-K_kQYC&pg=PR10&dq=Accipitae+Hoc+%22corpus+meum%22+luther&hl=en&ei=9iFBTeOqIonbgQeJ4IXmAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=coenae&f=false

“If it were art to overcome heresy with fire, the executioners would be the most learned doctors on earth.”

To the Christian Nobility of the German States (1520), translated by Charles M. Jacobs, reported in rev. James Atkinson, The Christian in Society, I (Luther's Works, ed. James Atkinson, vol. 44), p. 207 (1966)

“I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture.”

Letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück (An Den Kanzler Brück), 1524-01-13, in Dr. Martin Luther's Briefe, Sendschreiben und Bedenken: volständig aus den verschiedenen Ausgaben seiner Werke und Briefe, aus andern Büchern und noch unbenutzten Handschriten gesammelt. From the Wilhelm Martin Leberecht De Wette Collection of Luther's Letters (Berlin: Georg reimer http://www.degruyter.de/rs/222_5927_ENU_h.htm, 1826) vol. 2, p. 459 (Letter DLXXII; Latin text)

“An armed insurrection … would hinder and bring into disrepute this spiritual insurrection.”

Source: A Sincere Admonition to All Christians to Guard Against Insurrection and Rebellion (1522), p. 68

“Whoever teaches differently from what I have taught, or whoever condemns me therein, he condemns God and must remain a child of hell.”

Wer anders lehret, denn ich hierinn gelehret hab, oder mich darinn verdammt, der verdamt Gott, und muß ein Kind der Höllen bleiben.
Deutsche Antwort Luthers auf König Heinrichs von England Buch. German answer of Martin Luther to the Book of King Henry of England, 1522.
Dr. Martin Luther's Sämtliche Werke, Polemische Deutsche Schriften, Johann Konrad Irmischer, Erlangen, 1833, vol. 28, p. 347. http://books.google.com/books?id=838KAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA347&dq=%22Wer+Anders+lehret,+denn+ich+%22&hl=en&ei=loo_TMbkOYL88AbH-rCGCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=%22Wer%20Anders%20lehret%2C%20denn%20ich%20%22&f=false

“My whole heart and soul are stirred and incensed against the Turks and Mohammed, when I see this intolerable raging of the Devil. Therefore I shall pray and cry to God, nor rest until I know that my cry is heard in heaven.”

Statement while being confined to residence at Coburg, as quoted in History of the Christian Church, (1910) http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc7.ii.ix.vii.html by Philip Schaff, Vol. VII : Modern Christianity : The German Reformation, § 123. Luther at the Coburg; though it mentions Muhammad, this remark might actually be directed at those responsible for his confinement, as he makes allusions to dwelling in the "empire of birds" and his location as a "Sinai" and regularly uses other uncomplimentary comparisons of those involved in suppressing his ideas to figures unpopular to himself and his contemporaries.

“There is no need for you to develop an armed insurrection. Christ himself has already begun an insurrection with his mouth.”

Source: A Sincere Admonition to All Christians to Guard Against Insurrection and Rebellion (1522), pp. 67-68

“All seed except Mary was vitiated [by original sin].”

by original sin Weimar edition of Martin Luther's Works, English translation edited by J. Pelikan [Concordia: St. Louis], Vol. 11, WA, 39, II:107

“I shall not have it judged by any man, not even by any angel. For since I am certain of it, I shall be your judge and even the angels’ judge through this teaching (as St. Paul says [1 Cor. 6:3]) so that whoever does not accept my teaching may not be saved - for it is God’s teaching and not mine.”

Against the Spiritual Estate of the Pope and the Bishops Falsely So Called, July 1522.
Luther's Works, Church and Ministry I, Eric W. Gritsch, Helmut T. Lehman eds., Concordia Publishing House, 1986, ISBN 0800603397, ISBN 9780800603397, vol. 39, p. 249. http://books.google.com/books?id=2YnYAAAAMAAJ&q=%22so+that+whoever+does+not+accept+my+teaching+may+not+be+saved%22&dq=%22so+that+whoever+does+not+accept+my+teaching+may+not+be+saved%22&hl=en&ei=9ow_TOntFoL78AbVqMW_Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA

“We must calm the mind of the common man, and tell him to abstain from the words and even the passions which lead to insurrection.”

Source: A Sincere Admonition to All Christians to Guard Against Insurrection and Rebellion (1522), p. 62

“For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel…Thus is the Devil ever God's ape.”

67. Compare "Where God hath a temple, the Devil will have a chapel", Robert Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy, part III, section 4, member 1, subsection 1
Table Talk (1569)

“A penny saved is of more value than a penny paid out (Der Sparpfennig ist reicher denn der Zinspfenning).”

What Luther Says, Section on “Life, Human,” No. 2438. Rules for a Thrifty Life. 2, p. 784 http://books.google.com/books?lr=&id=NQA5AAAAIAAJ&dq=luther+%22penny+saved+is+better+than+a+penny+earned%22&q=+%22penny+%22#search_anchorvol|.

“If a woman becomes weary and at last dead from bearing, that matters not; let her only die from bearing, she is there to do it.”

Sermon Von dem ehelichen Stande (1519), p. 41 — as quoted in The Ethic of Freethought: A Selection of Essays and Lectures (1888) by Karl Pearson, "The Sex-Relations in Germany", p. 424
The quote actually comes from Von dem eelichen Leben (1522). It can be seen in an original edition here https://books.google.com/books?id=YGZcAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP28, in a 19th century reissue here https://books.google.com/books?id=wJEKAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA538, and in English translation (as " On the Estate of Marriage https://books.google.com/books?id=KFU0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA33") here https://books.google.com/books?id=KFU0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA74.

“The Law continues to exist and to function. But it no longer exists for me.”

Source: Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (1535), Chapter 2, Verse 19

“This error of free will is a special doctrine of the Antichrist.”

Dieser yrthum von freyen willen ist eyn eygen Artickel des Endchrist.
This error about the free will is a peculiar teaching of Antichrist.
Grund und Ursach aller Artikel D. Martin Luthers so durch römische Bulle unrechtlich verdammt sind (Defense and Explanation of all the Articles of Dr. Martin Luther which were Unjustly Condemned by the Roman Bull; An Argument in Defense of All the Articles of Dr. Martin Luther Wrongly Condemned in the Roman Bull), Article 36, March 1521. Weimar, 7:451 http://books.google.com/books?id=UQFCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA451&dq=%22Artickel+des+Endchrist%22&hl=en&ei=4hDMToLiGuepsAK0mOjFDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Artickel%20des%20Endchrist%22&f=false http://www.godrules.net/library/luther/NEW1luther_c4.htm http://media.sabda.org/alkitab-8/LIBRARY/LUT_WRK3.PDF http://www.lstc.edu/gruber/luthers_works/1521b.php

“Religion is not 'doctrinal knowledge,' but wisdom born of personal experience.”

Holborn, Hajo; A HISTORY OF MODERN GERMANY: The Reformation; 1959/1982 Princeton university Press

“We do not become righteous by doing righteous deeds but, having been made righteous, we do righteous deeds.”

Thesis 40
Disputation against Scholastic Theology (1517)

“It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a Virgin.”

Weimar edition of Martin Luther's Works, English translation edited by J. Pelikan [Concordia: St. Louis], Vol. 11, 319-320