30 Important William Wilberforce Quotes
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William Wilberforce was a politician and a member of parliament for Yorkshire.
He was a man of faith, a loyal devotee to Christianity. Being a member of the parliament, he also fought to abolish the slave trade in his country.
William Wilberforce was born in Yorkshire, England. He spent his entire life there.
He was an independent member of the parliament and was a devoted Christian man. He devoted two decades of his life trying to abolish the slave trade, and the situation may have persisted without his efforts.
William Wilberforce proposed bills at the parliament, even though some of the bills were rejected. With his efforts and the help of his friend, James Stephen, he managed to stop two-third of the slave trade, which was a stepping stone in abolition.
That's not all; he was involved with 60 charities, cared for animals, and founded the British and Foreign Bible Society.
William Wilberforce worked his whole life to change the world for the better, and he did it. So, here are a few William Wilberforce quotes.
These William Wilberforce quotes can shed light on British society at that time. These William Wilberforce quotes also show how the voice of a single man could have an impact on abolishing one of the most heinous crimes of human history.
If you like this article, check out our African American quotes and Juneteenth quotes.
Best William Wilberforce Quotes
William Wilberforce was a politician and a leader in the fight against slavery. The William Wilberforce quotes are wise and inspirational at all times. Here are some of the best William Wilberforce quotes. These William Wilberforce quotes show his love for people and being a Christian.
1. "... how interest can draw a film over the eyes, so thick that total blindness could do no more; and how it is our duty, therefore, to trust not to the reasonings of interested men, nor to their way of coloring a transaction."
- William Wilberforce.
2. "Accustom yourself to look first to the dreadful consequences of failure; then fix your eye on the glorious prize which is before you, and when your strength begins to fail … let the animating view rekindle your resolution, and call forth in renewed vigor the fainting energies of your soul."
- William Wilberforce.
3. "What a difference it would be if our system of morality were based on the Bible instead of the standards devised by cultural Christians."
- William Wilberforce.
4. "The distemper of which, as a community, we are sick, should be considered rather as a moral than a political malady."
- William Wilberforce.
5. "This perpetual hurry of business and company ruins me in soul if not in body. More solitude and earlier hours!"
- William Wilberforce.
6. "It is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures to the utmost of his power."
- William Wilberforce.
7. "The objects of the present life fill the human eye with a false magnification because of their immediacy."
- William Wilberforce.
8. "Let it not be said that I was silent when they needed me."
- William Wilberforce.
9. "Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our good qualities, and to overlook or extenuate our defects."
- William Wilberforce.
10. "To live our lives and miss that great purpose we were designed to accomplish is truly a sin. It is inconceivable that we could be bored in a world with so much wrong to tackle, so much ignorance to reach and so much misery we could alleviate."
- William Wilberforce.
William Wilberforce Quotes On Religion
William Wilberforce was a man of God and he encouraged everyone to follow God's word. He wrote books on being a true Christian and God. Here are some of his best William Wilberforce quotes on Christianity and his beliefs. These quotes convey his beliefs in his religion.
11. "It makes no sense to take the name of Christian and not cling to Christ … His name is to be written on our hearts in such a powerful way that it creates within us a profound experience of His peace and a heart that is filled with His praise."
- William Wilberforce.
12. "Is it not the great end of religion, and, in particular, the glory of Christianity, to extinguish the malignant passions; to curb the violence … to make us compassionate and kind … and to render us active and useful in the discharge of the relative social and civil duties?"
- William Wilberforce.
13. "True Christians consider themselves not as satisfying some rigorous creditor, but as discharging a debt of gratitude."
- William Wilberforce.
14. "I am disturbed when I see the majority of so-called Christians having such little understanding of the real nature of the faith they profess. Faith is a subject of such importance that we should not ignore it because of the distractions or the hectic pace of our lives."
- William Wilberforce.
15. "Bountiful as is the hand of Providence, its gifts are not so bestowed as to seduce us into indolence, but to rouse us to exertion."
- William Wilberforce.
16. "Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer."
- William Wilberforce.
17. "In short, Christians in general are everywhere denominated the servants and the children of God, and are required to serve him with that submissive obedience, and that affectionate promptitude of duty, which belong to those endearing relations."
- William Wilberforce.
18. "May God enable me to have a single eye and a simple heart, desiring to please God, to do good to my fellow creatures, and testify my gratitude to my adorable Redeemer."
- William Wilberforce.
19. "It is the distinguishing glory of Christianity not to rest satisfied with superficial appearances, but to rectify the motives, and purify the heart."
- William Wilberforce.
20. "There are four things that we ought to do with the Word of God - admit it as the Word of God, commit it to our hearts and minds, submit to it, and transmit it to the world."
- William Wilberforce.
William Wilberforce Quotes About Slavery
William Wilberforce loved his country, but William was ashamed of how the slave trade was thriving at that time and fought tooth and nail to help abolish it. William Wilberforce is known for his activism against slavery.
One could say that William Wilberforce was ahead of his time and these William Wilberforce quotes reveal this. These are some of the best William Wilberforce quotes against slavery. These William Wilberforce quotes can really open up a new side of William Wilberforce - the kind and forward-thinking side.
21. "The true way to virtue is by withdrawing from temptation; let us then withdraw from these...Africans those temptations to fraud, violence, cruelty, and injustice, which the slave trade furnishes."
- William Wilberforce.
22. "What should we suppose must naturally be the consequence of our carrying on a slave trade with Africa? With a country, vast in its extent, not utterly barbarous, but civilized...Does any one suppose a slave trade would help their civilization?"
- William Wilberforce.
23. "Let any one imagine to himself six or seven hundred of these wretches chained two and two, surrounded with every object that is nauseous and disgusting, diseased, and struggling under every kind of wretchedness! How can we bear to think of such a scene as this?"
- William Wilberforce.
24. "God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners (morality)."
- William Wilberforce.
25. "I verily believe, therefore, if the wretchedness … could be brought before their view, and remain within the sight of the African merchant, that there is no one among them whose heart would bear it."
- William Wilberforce.
26. "Africa, your sufferings have been the theme that has arrested and engaged my heart."
- William Wilberforce.
27. "I must speak of the transit of the slaves to the West Indies. This, I confess, in my own opinion, is the most wretched part of the whole subject. So much misery condensed in so little room is more than the human imagination had ever before conceived."
- William Wilberforce.
28. "So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the [slave] trade's wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition."
- William Wilberforce.
29. "But there is not one, I believe, who does not more or less admit it. Some, nay most, I believe, have admitted the slave trade to be the chief cause of wars in Africa."
- William Wilberforce.
30. "You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know."
- William Wilberforce.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for William Wilberforce quotes then why not take a look at Toni Morrison quotes, or Alice Walker quotes.
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Bachelor of Arts and Law specializing in Political Science and Intellectual Property Rights
Anusuya MukherjeeBachelor of Arts and Law specializing in Political Science and Intellectual Property Rights
With a wealth of international experience spanning Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East, Anusuya brings a unique perspective to her work as a Content Assistant and Content Updating Coordinator. She holds a law degree from India and has practiced law in India and Kuwait. Anusuya is a fan of rap music and enjoys a good cup of coffee in her free time. Currently, she is working on her novel, "Mr. Ivory Merchant".
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