From preaching across America to founding a publishing company, D.L. Moody (1837-1899) did a lot in his life. One of the many incredible things about his work is how fresh his words seem today. Most pastors write things that make sense in their period but feel dated within a few years. Others write things that still apply today, but mostly because they’re writing bland, evergreen statements that don’t have much originality. Moody’s writings show a pastor who could speak things that still matter over a century later and have a distinct character.
Here are some D.L. Moody quotes that inspire, challenge, and leave us with things to ponder today.
D.L. Moody Quotes about God
1. “I would rather a thousand times be five minutes at the feet of Christ than listen a lifetime to all the wise men in the world.” — Life Words
2. “Human love is a natural emotion which flows forth towards the object of our affections. But Divine love is as high above human love as the heaven is above the earth. The natural man is of the earth, earthy, and however pure his love may be, it is weak and imperfect at best. But the love of God is perfect and entire, wanting nothing. It is as a mighty ocean in its greatness, dwelling with and flowing from the Eternal Spirit.” — Secret Power
3. “We must ever recollect that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. It is as easy for God to save a drunkard or backslider as it is for me to lift my hand. God delights in doing great things, and nothing can please Him more than when we ask for a great blessing.” — Life Words
4. “Men try it every day. They have got it into their heads that God can be mocked. Because they can deceive their pastor, and their employer, and their friends, they think they can deceive God. They put on false appearances, they use empty words, they perform unreal service, they make idle excuses, they indulge in all kinds of hypocrisy. But it is of no avail. God cannot be imposed upon. He sees the corruption inside the whited sepulcher.”— Sowing and Reaping
5. “If God loves us, my friends, He loves us unto the end.” — Moody’s Anecdotes and Illustrations
D.L. Moody Quotes about the Holy Spirit
1. “Now, I do not believe there is a man living whom the Spirit of God has not striven with at some period of his life; I do not believe there is any person but that has been called; I do not believe that there is a person anywhere but that the Son of God has sought for, and is seeking for, him.” — Life Words
2. “‘Sowing to the Spirit’ implies self-denial, resistance of evil, obedience to the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, living in the Spirit, guidance by the Spirit. We sow to the Spirit when we use our abilities and means to advance Spiritual things; when we support and encourage those who are extending the influence of the Spirit. We sow to the Spirit when we crucify the flesh and all its lusts, when we yield ourselves to Him as we once yielded ourselves to the flesh.” — Sowing and Reaping
3. “But remember that it is the work of the Holy Ghost to produce conviction. You are simply to present the truth, and let the Holy Spirit do His work. It isn’t your fault, if you have preached faithfully and the man isn’t convicted. ‘When He comes, He will convince the world of sin.’”— Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study
4. “A great many people believe certain things. They believe in certain creeds and doctrines, and they run through the book to get Scripture in accordance with them. If a man is a Calvinistic man he wants to find something in accordance with his doctrine. But if we go to seek truth the Spirit of God will come. Don’t seek it in the blue light of Presbyterianism, in the red light of Methodism; or in the light of Episcopalianism, but study it in the light of Calvary.” — Moody’s Anecdotes and Illustrations
5. “There has been much inquiry of late on the subject of the Holy Spirit. In this and other lands thousands of persons have been giving attention to the study of this grand theme. I hope it will lead us all to pray for a greater manifestation of His power upon the whole Church of God. How much we have dishonored Him in the past! How ignorant of His grace, and love and presence we have been? True, we have heard of Him and read of Him, but we have had little intelligent knowledge of His attributes, His offices and His relations to us. I fear He has not been to many professed Christians an actual existence, nor is He known to them as a personality of the Godhead.” — Secret Power
D.L. Moody Quotes about the Bible
1. “I think I would rather preach about the Word of God than anything else except the Love of God; because I believe it is the best thing in this world.” — Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study
2. “Is the Bible true? Is the Bible a myth, is the Bible a sham? If it is, why, then away with it! But if it be true that man is lost, and that Christ is come to save him, then let us earnestly seek the kingdom of God.” — Life Words
3. “We cannot overestimate the importance of a thorough familiarity with the Bible. I try to lose no opportunity of urging people by every means in my power to the constant study of this wonderful Book.” — Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study
4. “Now we have to take the Word of God just as it is; and if we are going to take it, we have no authority to take out just what we like, what we think is appropriate, and let dark reason be our guide.” — Secret Power
5. “Oh, let us cling close to the Bible. Of course, we shall not understand it all at once. But men are not to condemn it on that account.” — Moody’s Anecdotes and Illustrations
D.L. Moody Quotes about Christians and the Church
1. “Ah! We need rousing, there is too much apathy amongst professing Christians. Let us pray to God that He may send His Holy Spirit to inspire us with fresh energy and zeal to do His work.” — Life Words
2. “Word and work make healthy Christians. If it be all Word and no work, people will suffer from what I may call religious gout. On the other hand if it be all work and no Word, it will not be long before they will fall into all kinds of sin and error; so that they will do more harm than good. But if we first study the Word and then go to work, we shall be healthy, useful Christians.” — Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study
3. “No sinner ever came to Christ but the devil tried to trip him up on the way. We must get rid of the devil’s ‘ifs.’ But ah! how they have got into the church!” — Life Words
4. “There are a great many people now that are willing to observe what they like about Christ, but the things that they don’t like they just dismiss and turn away from. But His commission to His disciples was, “Go teach all nations to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” And what right has a messenger who has been sent of God to change the message? If I had sent a servant to deliver a message, and the servant thought the message didn’t sound exactly right—a little harsh—and that servant went and changed the message, I should change servants very quickly; he could not serve me any longer. And when a minister or a messenger of Christ begins to change the message because he thinks it is not exactly what it ought to be, and thinks he is wiser than God, God just dismisses that man.” — Secret Power
5. “‘I won’t accept this invitation because of those hypocrites in the churches.’ My friend, you will find very few there if you get to heaven. There won’t be a hypocrite in the next world, and if you don’t want to be associated with hypocrites in the next world, you will take this invitation. Why, you will find hypocrites everywhere. One of the apostles was himself the very prince of hypocrites, but he didn’t get to heaven. You will find plenty of hypocrites in the church. They have been there for the last one thousand eight hundred years, and will probably remain there. But what is that to you? This is an individual matter between you and your God.”—Moody’s Anecdotes and Illustrations
D.L. Moody Quotes about Salvation
1. “A Man must believe he is lost before he can be saved. One reason why many are not saved is because they do not believe they are lost. They fold their filthy rags of self-righteousness about them, instead of acknowledging that they are miserable sinners.” — Life Words
2. “The two first and essential means of grace are the Word of God and Prayer. By these comes conversion; for we are born again by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever; and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” — Prevailing Prayer
3. “Oh! do not put off the salvation of your soul for another hour; but let this be the day, let this be the hour that you accept of the gift of God. Make up your mind you will not give yourself rest until you have sought the kingdom of God; until for you the great question of eternity is settled.” — Life Words
4. “Oh, the privilege, the blessed privilege, to be used of God to win a soul to Christ, and to see a man or woman being led out of bondage by some act of ours toward them. To think that God should condescend to allow us to be coworkers with Him. It is the highest honor we can wear. It surpasses the joy of our own salvation, this joy of seeing others saved.” — Secret Power
5. “The mightiest man that ever lived could not deliver himself from his sins. If a man could have saved himself, Christ would never have come into the world.” — Moody’s Anecdotes and Illustrations
D.L. Moody Quotes about Prayer
1. “It is by the Word that the Father sanctifies us; but we are also bidden to watch and pray, lest we enter into temptation.” — Prevailing Prayer
2. “Let us pray, and as we pray, let us make room for Jesus in our hearts.” — Moody’s Anecdotes and Illustrations
3. “Let danger and need drive you closer to God. He never slumbers or sleeps, and in His keeping you will be safe. Seize hold of Him in prayer. ‘Watch and pray.’” — Sowing and Reaping
4. “Those who have left the deepest impression on this sin-cursed earth have been men and women of prayer.” — Prevailing Prayer
5. “God can hear every prayer that goes up to Him there from this sin-cursed earth. We are not so far from Him but that He can see our tears, and hear the faintest whisper when we lift our hearts to Him in prayer.” — Life Words
Further Reading:
The Life and Works of D.L. Moody
How D. L. Moody Paved the Way for Today’s Evangelicals
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Kean Collection / Staff
This article is part of our larger Inspiring Quotes resource meant to encourage and strengthen your faith. Visit our most popular quotes by well known Christians and theologians to find more inspiration. Remember, the Holy Spirit can work through us when we have faith and share it with others! Please pass along any quotes that touch your heart because you never know light you’ll shine on someone else’s dark day!
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