The African is my brother - but he is my younger brother by several centuries.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Schweitzer views Africans as brothers but believes they are less developed.
- In plain terms
- He sees Africans as family but thinks they are behind in progress.
- What can you take from it?
- Acknowledge kinship but assume developmental gaps.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we define brotherhood across cultures?
- What biases shape views of progress?
Another view
This view reflects paternalistic and racist assumptions.
More from Albert Schweitzer
To the question whether I am a pessimist or an optimist, I answer that my knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hoping are optimistic.
Permalink to quote #3 The awareness that we are all human beings together has become lost in war and through politics.
Permalink to quote #5 What has been presented as Christianity during these nineteen centuries is only a beginning, full of mistakes, not full blown Christianity springing from the s…
Permalink to quote #2
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