Thee Quaker (2026)

04/09/2026

Less busy work. More inner work.

02/09/2026

Today’s Daily Quaker Message. Subscribe for free: DailyQuaker.com/subscribe

Teachers are optimists. We would not be teachers if we did not have confidence in the future and in humankind. We trust that given the right opportunities children will grow up into responsible adults capable of making good choices and of saving the world from disaster.

Perhaps the most important thing we can do today is to transmit to our pupils that sense of hope. The prevailing mood is one of pessimism and despair. ‘Why should I work hard when I won’t be able to get a job anyway?’ ‘Why should I plan for a future which may never happen?’ ‘What difference can I make to decisions of governments?’

The two qualities which are most important to children of today are hope and imagination. Hope to believe they can change the world they live in and imagination to find ways to do so.

Citation: Janet Gilbraith, 1986
Quaker educator and activist

31/08/2026

Did you know Quakers played a role in Gandhi's spiritual journey, and that Gandhi's ideas later influenced Quakers in return?

Gandhi’s interest in religion, which began in his childhood with his devoutly Hindu mother, deepened quickly when he moved to South Africa as a young lawyer in 1893. As part of his religious exploration, Gandhi became friends with a small group of Quakers in Pretoria. Though he rejected Christianity, the Quakers encouraged Gandhi’s study of comparative religion. Learning about Quaker pacifism also reinforced Gandhi’s emerging belief that justice cannot be achieved through violence.

That connection deepened through Gandhi's decades-long friendship with British Quaker Horace Alexander. Gandhi stayed with Alexander at Woodbrooke Quaker study center in Birmingham during his negotiations with England in 1931, where he attended meeting for worship. The experience inspired Gandhi to incorporate silent meditation into the prayers at his ashram, and Alexander remained a trusted friend throughout India's journey to independence.

The influence flowed both ways. Quaker author Richard Gregg helped introduce Gandhi's ideas to the West, in turn inspiring Civil Rights organizer Bayard Rustin, a key advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. Today, there are many humanitarian and peacebuilding organizations that are founded jointly on Quaker and Gandhian principles.

30/08/2026

Today’s Daily Quaker Message. Subscribe for free: DailyQuaker.com/subscribe

If we want to champion truth, the first step on the road is knowing why we want to do it. We need to commit to it as a way of life. It may start with a particular issue, an injustice, or a cause, or it might be a desire to be closer to God by living in and with the truth and its challenges.

There will be times when it involves holding out against the tide, standing up for what is right regardless of the cost. That’s why it’s important the search for truth includes a quest for clarity about what we believe—what it is we stand for. That’s a process, an evolving spiritual experience, but it’s one we need to be honest and clear about if we’re going to pursue truth in the world.

Citation: Thomas Penny, 2021
Quaker journalist

28/08/2026

My guess is half of you are reading this because you saw the photo and said, "Ooh, Zooey Deschanel!" and the other half said "Ooh, Max Carter!" 😄

Max Carter was brought in as the Quaker history expert for Zooey Deschanel's episode of Who Do You Think You Are, the show where celebrities trace their ancestry. Zoey wanted to find out if any of the Quakers in her family tree were involved with the abolition movement. Well, if you've ever seen the show, you won't be surprised that Max found a (non-Quaker) slaveholder in Zoey's family instead.

Later in the show Zooey learned about her 4x-great-grandmother who was a brave and active part of the Underground Railroad, helping people to freedom after a violent uprising which she was unsuccessful in preventing.

It's a great story that I won't spoil -- I'll leave the link to the full episode in the comments!

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