“I wish that we had much more of the Spirit of Christ and a great deal less self, and less of human opinions. If we err, let it be on the side of mercy rather than on the side of condemnation and harsh dealing”
Letter 16, 1887, also in Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce (1989) http://egwdatabase.whiteestate.org/nxt/gateway.dll/egw-comp/section00000.htm/book05997.htm/chapter06009.htm, p. 242
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Ellen G. White 48
American author and founder/leader of the Seventh-Day Adven… 1827–1915Related quotes

“Liberality consists less in giving a great deal than in gifts well timed.”
La libéralité consiste moins à donner beaucoup qu'à donner à propos.
Aphorism 47; Variant translation: Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment.
Les Caractères (1688), Du Coeur

War As I Knew It (1947); also quoted in Patton's One-Minute Messages: Tactical Leadership Skills for Business Management (1995) by Charles M. Province, p. 88
Context: There is a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates.

Knowledge is Power
The Note-Books of Samuel Butler (1912), Part VII - On the Making of Music, Pictures, and Books
“Be more than careful,” he told her. “Be totally paranoid. Err on the side of caution.”
Source: Waking Hours: Book 1 in East Salem Trilogy with Pete Nelson (Thomas Nelson), p. 124

“We need Hawaii just as much and a good deal more than we did California. It is manifest destiny.”
Remark to personal secretary George Cortelyou (1898).
1890s
Source: Chapter 1: The Misanthropic Argument for Anti-natalism https://books.google.com/books?id=J6dBCgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA44&pg=PA55#v=onepage&q&f=false, 2015, p. 55
Source: Permissible Progeny? The Morality of Procreation and Parenting (2015)