Martin Luther (1483–1546), a German priest and key figure in the Protestant Reformation, challenged the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings, particularly on indulgences. Ordained in 1507, Luther’s Ninety-five Theses (1517) criticized indulgences, leading to his excommunication in 1521. Rejecting salvation by deeds, he emphasized faith in Jesus Christ as the sole redeemer. Luther’s theology, reflected in Lutheranism, contested papal authority, advocating the Bible as the sole divine source and a priesthood of all believers. His German Bible translation influenced language development and Protestant worship. Luther’s marriage to Katharina von Bora set a precedent for clerical marriage. While his works contributed to antisemitic sentiments and targeted other groups, Luther himself did not endorse violence. Despite controversies, Luther’s legacy profoundly impacted Christianity, language, and culture, shaping Protestantism’s theological landscape and fostering accessible Bible reading for the laity.
Martin Luther Quotes
1. “If ever the church is to flourish again, one must begin by instructing the young.”
— Martin Luther
2. “I’ll trust in God’s unchanging Word, till soul and body sever. For though all things pass away, His Word shall stand forever.”
— Martin Luther
3. “Unthankfulness is theft.”
— Martin Luther
4. “Nothing is more beautiful in the eyes of God than a soul that loves to hear His Word.”
— Martin Luther
5. “It’s not what I don’t know that bothers me – it’s what I do know and don’t do!”
— Martin Luther
6. “It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor.”
— Martin Luther
7. “Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and his own dying.”
— Martin Luther
8. “I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!”
— Martin Luther
9. “As long as we live there is never enough singing.”
— Martin Luther
10. “People go through three conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.”
— Martin Luther
11. “The more a person loves, the closer he approaches the image of God.”
— Martin Luther
12. “There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”
— Martin Luther
13. “Every week I preach justification by faith to my people because every week they forget it.”
— Martin Luther
14. “Prayer is climbing up into the heart of God.”
— Martin Luther
15. “Ah, if I could only pray the way that dog looks at meat.”
— Martin Luther
16. “Who waits until circumstances completely favor his undertaking, will never accomplish anything.”
— Martin Luther
17. “He who loves not women, wine, and song Remains a fool his whole life long.”
— Martin Luther
18. “A simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.”
— Martin Luther
19. “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.”
— Martin Luther
20. “I have so much to do today, I’ll need to spend another hour on my knees.”
— Martin Luther
21. “Temptations, of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent the birds from flying over our heads, there is no need that we should let them nest in our hair.”
— Martin Luther
22. “We do not become righteous by doing righteous deeds but, having been made righteous, we do righteous deeds.”
— Martin Luther
23. “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
— Martin Luther
24. “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”
— Martin Luther
25. “Strange, though I am saved from sin, I am not saved from sinning.”
— Martin Luther
26. “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”
— Martin Luther
27. “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
— Martin Luther
28. “Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.”
— Martin Luther
29. “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it one thousand times. This confidence in God’s grace and knowledge of it makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures, and this is the work of the Holy Ghost in faith.”
— Martin Luther
30. “The Bible is a remarkable fountain: the more one draws and drinks of it, the more it stimulates thirst.”
— Martin Luther
31. “Peace if possible, truth at all costs.”
— Martin Luther
32. “If you see yourself as a “little sinner” you will inevitably see Jesus as a “little savior”.”
— Martin Luther
33. “Pray, and let God worry.”
— Martin Luther
34. “The sin underneath all our sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and must take matters into our own hands.”
— Martin Luther
35. “When Satan tells me I am a sinner he comforts me immeasurably, since Christ died for sinners.”
— Martin Luther
36. “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”
— Martin Luther
37. “Always preach in such a way that if the people listening do not come to hate their sin, they will instead hate you.”
— Martin Luther
38. “We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished.”
— Martin Luther
39. “Show me where a man spends his time & money, and I’ll show you his god.”
— Martin Luther
40. “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”
— Martin Luther
41. “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”
— Martin Luther
42. “A Christian is never in a state of completion but always in a process of becoming.”
— Martin Luther
43. “A happy fart never comes from a miserable ass.”
— Martin Luther
44. “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
— Martin Luther
45. “God created the world out of nothing, and so long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us.”
— Martin Luther
46. “Pray like it all depends on God, then when you are done, go work like it all depends on you.”
— Martin Luther
47. “The whole being of any Christian is faith and love. Faith brings the person to God, love brings the person to people.”
— Martin Luther
48. “From the beginning of my Reformation I have asked God to send me neither dreams, nor visions, nor angels, but to give me the right understanding of His Word, the Holy Scriptures; for as long as I have God’s Word, I know that I am walking in His way and that I shall not fall into any error or delusion.”
— Martin Luther
49. “God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.”
— Martin Luther
50. “We need to hear the Gospel every day because we forget it every day.”
— Martin Luther
