Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) was an American poet, abolitionist and suffragist who wrote 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' and issued the 1870 Mother's Day Proclamation, calling on mothers to unite for peace.
3 quotes in this collection. Read them below, share your favourites, or follow the related links to explore similar voices.
All quotes by Julia Ward Howe
-
“Disarm, disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Meaning: From the same 1870 proclamation, Howe argued that mothers, who know the cost of raising children, should refuse war as a way to settle disputes. The line reminds us that Mother's Day began as a call to peace. Apply it by settling family disagreements through fairness and not force. -
“We can teach no virtues we do not practice”
Meaning: Howe wrote this in a journal entry from 22 August 1875, later published in The Walk With God (1919). It fits parenting well, because children learn from what they watch more than what they hear. This Mother's Day, consider which virtue you most hope to pass on, and model it plainly. -
“Arise, all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or of tears!”
Meaning: Howe opened her 1870 Mother's Day Proclamation with this call, written in the aftermath of the Civil War and during the Franco-Prussian War. She asked mothers to act for peace together. Today it can inspire you to honor mothers by joining them in a cause they care about.