Andrew Greeley Quotes

Powerful Andrew Greeley for Daily Growth

About Andrew Greeley

Andrew Greeley (October 9, 1928 – March 2, 2013) was an American Roman Catholic priest, sociologist, novelist, and political commentator who left a lasting impact on contemporary literature. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Greeley grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South in Lakewood, Illinois before joining St. Joseph College Seminary in Washington D.C., where he studied for the priesthood. Ordained in 1953, Greeley served as a priest in several parishes throughout his life while also pursuing academic careers at various institutions, including Loyola University Chicago and the University of Arizona. He earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago in 1972 with his dissertation titled "The Social Psychology of Irish Americans." This work would prove influential in his writing career. Greeley is best known for his novels, many of which feature Catholic themes and characters. His debut novel, The Cardinal Sins (1981), introduced Father Blackie Ryan, a popular protagonist who appeared in over thirty novels. These books combined mystery, humor, and insightful observations about the Catholic Church and its members. Among his other notable works are The Bishop's Return (1985) and The Confession (2007). Aside from fiction, Greeley authored numerous nonfiction books on various topics such as religion, politics, and popular culture. He also wrote opinion columns for newspapers like the Chicago Sun-Times, where he expressed his views on social issues, particularly those related to Catholicism. His political activism included advocating for nuclear disarmament and social justice causes. Throughout his career, Greeley received numerous awards, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold from Belgium (1986), induction into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame (2014), and five honorary degrees from American universities. Despite experiencing controversies in both his religious and literary careers, Andrew Greeley's impact on literature, sociology, and public discourse remains significant.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Love is an act of faith, and unless we are prepared to act in faith, we will never know what love is."

This quote by Andrew Greeley emphasizes that true understanding of love requires taking a leap of faith. Love, as he suggests, isn't just about emotions or feelings; it involves actions that demonstrate trust, commitment, and belief in the other person. Without the courage to act on our feelings and make a commitment, we cannot fully experience the depth and complexity of what love truly means.


"The opposite of happiness is not unhappiness but boredom."

The quote suggests that apathy, rather than negative emotions like sadness or grief, is the most direct antithesis to happiness. In simpler terms, it implies that true unhappiness stems from a lack of engagement, stimulation, or purpose in life (boredom), rather than merely feeling unhappy or down. To find happiness, one must seek experiences that foster enthusiasm and passion.


"Forgiveness is a beautiful word, when it comes from the mouths of the wronged and not the wrongdoer."

This quote emphasizes the profound difference between the experience and sentiment of forgiveness for those who have been wronged versus those who have caused harm. When the wronged offer forgiveness, they demonstrate a courageous and virtuous act, recognizing that healing can only truly begin when one chooses to let go of resentment and seek reconciliation. This interpretation underscores the transformative power of forgiveness in overcoming personal pain and promoting emotional growth, especially for those who have been impacted most deeply by acts of wrongdoing.


"God never helps those who help themselves. He helps those who have been helped."

This quote suggests that helping oneself is not the key to divine favor or assistance; instead, it's about receiving help from others and experiencing growth as a result. It emphasizes that we should look for support and guidance from others, including God, in our journey through life, rather than relying solely on self-reliance or personal efforts. The idea is that by accepting help from others, we can grow, learn, and ultimately, become more effective in helping ourselves and others in the future.


"The essence of morality is that you respect other people enough to take their feelings into account."

This quote suggests that treating others with empathy, consideration, and respect is the fundamental aspect of moral behavior. It implies that being aware of and sensitive to the feelings of others demonstrates a deep appreciation for their personhood, thereby fostering harmonious relationships in society. Essentially, morality lies in acknowledging the significance of others and acting accordingly.


Everyone takes surveys. Whoever makes a statement about human behavior has engaged in a survey of some sort.

- Andrew Greeley

Some, Everyone, Engaged, Surveys

One cannot escape the harsh fact that as a ministerial profession, the priesthood has very serious problems. They are not new. They did not develop yesterday or last year.

- Andrew Greeley

New, Profession, Very, Priesthood

In God, the characteristics of men and women that we admire in men and women are combined. That's been a traditional Catholic teaching that God is the combination of opposites.

- Andrew Greeley

Been, Characteristics, Opposites

I wouldn't say the world is my parish, but my readers are my parish. And especially the readers that write to me. They're my parish. And it's a responsibility that I enjoy.

- Andrew Greeley

Enjoy, World, Say, Parish

As the criminal, sinful war in Iraq enters its third year, the president goes to Europe to heal the wounds between the United States and its former allies, on his own terms of course.

- Andrew Greeley

Year, Wounds, United States, Allies

An adolescent is somebody who is in between things. A teenager is somebody who's kind of permanently there. And so living with them through the various teenage hopes and sorrows and joys was curiously enough a maturing experience for me.

- Andrew Greeley

Living, Kind, Through, Joys

I have terrible handwriting. I now say it's a learning disability... but a nun who was a very troubled woman hit me over the fingers with a ruler because my writing was so bad.

- Andrew Greeley

Woman, Over, Very, Handwriting

I have to say that I have no regrets about my decision to become a priest or about the major directions my ministry has taken me... I have been and am happy as a priest, and I have never been lonely... I could have used a bit more solitude.

- Andrew Greeley

Decision, No Regrets, Been, Solitude

It is also asserted that the election settled the matters of the war and the torture of prisoners. These are dead issues that no longer need be addressed.

- Andrew Greeley

Election, Need, Settled, Asserted

The Catholic men are more upset about women not being able to be priests than are Catholic women.

- Andrew Greeley

Men, More, Upset, Priests

There is good news in the data the strongest support for priests is to be found among the younger generation.

- Andrew Greeley

Generation, News, Found, Priests

Two studies from the year 2000, however, indicate that Catholics give lower ratings to their clergy's ministerial activities across the board than do Protestants.

- Andrew Greeley

Give, Year, However, Ratings

Note the three most important Cabinet positions. Rice said that it was better to find the weapons of mass destruction than to see a mushroom cloud.

- Andrew Greeley

Note, Mass, Positions, Cabinet

I think that the core doctrines of Christianity - the incarnation, the resurrection, life after death-these are as strong as ever. In fact, the belief in life after death has increased in this century.

- Andrew Greeley

Strong, Think, I Think, Doctrines

Well, religion has been passed down through the years by stories people tell around the campfire. Stories about God, stories about love. Stories about good spirits and evil spirits.

- Andrew Greeley

Love, Through, Been, Love Stories

Priest organizations around the country, both local and national, should realize that their membership has a serious image problem and undertake programs to improve it.

- Andrew Greeley

Country, Image, Priest, Membership

It was generally believed that Catholics were not interested in arts and science graduate schools. They weren't going to be intellectuals. And so I put the theses to the test. And they all collapsed.

- Andrew Greeley

Test, Going, Collapsed, Intellectuals

I think the real problem for American religion are those minority of fundamentalists who try to identify political policies with religion.

- Andrew Greeley

Think, I Think, Identify, Minority

If we get you in the early years of your life and we fill your head with all of the Catholic stories, then it's very hard for you to stop being Catholic. Catholics are Catholics because they like being Catholic.

- Andrew Greeley

Like, Very, Stories, Catholic

You're a Catholic in Italy when you're born, it's unthinkable to stop being Catholic. You just take the rules a lot more seriously, because it pervades your culture.

- Andrew Greeley

Rules, Born, More, Catholic

The leadership lost its nerve. Instead of taking the lead in the reform movement... they pulled the plug on it. They tried and are still trying to return the church to the dry ice of the previous century and a half.

- Andrew Greeley

Still, Half, Previous, Nerve

Yet, if the most frequent sex and apparently the best sex is that between married partners who are faithful to one another, is there not a hint that affection might be an important aspect of sex? Even love?

- Andrew Greeley

Love, Sex, Might, Affection

Would it not be much better to have a president who deliberately lied to the people because he thought a war was essential than to have one who was so dumb as to be taken in by intelligence agencies, especially those who told him what he wanted to hear?

- Andrew Greeley

Thought, Dumb, Him, Essential

I don't think Jesus was an exclusivist. He said, and we believe, that He is the unique representation of God in the world. But that doesn't mean this is the only way God can work.

- Andrew Greeley

Work, Believe, Think, Representation

I write easily, let's put it that way. And in a novel particularly, the characters take over. And they tell me what to say and they tell me what they're doing. And I'm a third of the way into a novel and then I just let the characters finish it for me.

- Andrew Greeley

Doing, Over, Particularly, Finish

There has always been a certain proportion of people who leave the Church on issues of authority and sex. That hasn't changed since we started doing research on it back in the early 1960s.

- Andrew Greeley

Doing, Always, Been, 1960s

Is the patience of the American people that long suffering? Is there no outrage left in the country?

- Andrew Greeley

Patience, Country, Left, Outrage

Practically speaking, your religion is the story you tell about your life.

- Andrew Greeley

Tell, Speaking, Practically, Story

Nobody puts constraints on God. She doesn't like it.

- Andrew Greeley

She, Nobody, Like, Puts

I think the only kind of acceptable evangelization is the evangelization of good example.

- Andrew Greeley

Think, Good Example, I Think, Acceptable

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