Quotes from Alan Paton

Pain and suffering, they are a secret. Kindness and love, they are a secret. But I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering.

Life has ... taught me not to expect success to be the inevitable result of my endeavors. She taught me to seek sustenance from the endeavor itself, but to leave the result to God.

Life has not taught me to expect nothing, but she has taught me not to expect success to be the inevitable result of my endeavors.

What broke in a man when he could bring himself to kill another?

It is not permissible to add to one's possesions if these things can only be done at the cost of other men. Such development has only one true name, and that is exploitation.

We do not work for men. We work for the land and the people. We do not even work for money.

Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.

When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive

Sorrow is better than fear. Fear is a journey, a terrible journey. But, sorrow is at least an arriving.

But sorrow is better than fear. For fear impoverishes always, while sorrow may enrich.

But when the dawn will come, of our emancipation, from the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear, why, that is a secret.

I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find that we are turned to hating.

For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much.

But the one thing that has power completely is love, because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore he has power.