John Woolman
Quotes of: John Woolman
The story of John Woolman of colonial New Jersey (1720-1772) is the story of one of the most spiritually sensitive and socially conscious souls in history.
A tailor by trade, he curbed his growing business in order to avoid the dangers of wealth, against which he spoke and wrote continuously and convincingly. His words bore much weight because his actions squared with them. In all his business dealings he strove scrupulously to act as a Christian, and to a marked degree he was successful.
Another or his concerns was for the Negro slaves, in whose emancipation he passionately believed. But he believed they should be freed by the personal action of their owners, rather than by political measures. Patiently and persistently he pursued this policy, traveling hundreds of miles on horseback or on foot, in behalf of this cause. His influence over a period of years was far-reaching, both upon the Society of Friends of which be was a member, and the larger public.
The abolition of war and the type or living which would remove the causes of war were likewise much on his mind, as was the treatment of the Indian. All of these concerns arose from his firm belief In the Inner Light in every man. To this spirit of God within, he was especially sensitive.
Through the quaint language of the following quotations from his Journal, a classic of its kind, and from his essays and other writings, he speaks to us today: