Karen Armstrong

Quotes

• “I say that religion isn’t about believing things. It’s ethical alchemy. It’s about behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness.”

• “Deeds that seemed unimportant at the time would prove to have been momentous; a tiny act of selfishness and unkindness or, conversely, an unconsidered act of generosity would become the measure of a human life.”

• “It’s not easy to talk about transcendence, just as it’s not easy to play or listen to a late Beethoven quartet … You have to practice quite hard, like you do with any art form. Religion is hard work.”

• “Human beings are the only animals who have the capacity to envisage something that is not present or something that does not yet exist but which is merely possible. The imagination has thus been the cause of our major achievements in science and technology as well as in art and religion.”

• “Muhammad was one of those rare men who truly enjoy the company of women. Some of his male companions were astonished by his leniency towards his wives and the way they stood up to him and answered him back.”

Books by Karen Armstrong in order

Books by Karen Armstrong in the order they were published, from Through the Narrow Gate (1981) to Sacred Nature (2022).

1. 1Through the Narrow GateThrough the Narrow Gate1981
2. 2The Gospel According to WomanThe Gospel According to Woman1986
3. 3Holy WarHoly War1988
4. 4MuhammadMuhammad1991
5. 5A History of GodA History of God1993
6. 6JerusalemJerusalem1996
7. 7BuddhaBuddha2000
8. 8IslamIslam2000
9. 9The Battle for GodThe Battle for God2000
10. 10The Changing Face of GodThe Changing Face of God2000
11. 11Francis of AssisiFrancis of Assisi2001
12. 12The Spiral StaircaseThe Spiral Staircase2004
13. 13A Short History of MythA Short History of Myth2005
14. 14The Great TransformationThe Great Transformation2006
15. 15SacredSacred2007
16. 16The BibleThe Bible2007
17. 17The Case for GodThe Case for God2009
18. 18Twelve Steps to a Compassionate LifeTwelve Steps to a Compassionate Life2011
19. 19Fields of BloodFields of Blood2014
20. 20St. PaulSt. Paul2015
21. 21Hz.MuhammedHz.Muhammed2017
22. 22Tanri'nin TarihiTanri'nin Tarihi2017
23. 23Lost Art of ScriptureLost Art of Scripture2019
24. 24Sacred NatureSacred Nature2022

Lists with books by Karen Armstrong

• Books like Muhammad