Dwight Lyman Moody quotes
1837 – 1899 · 19th century, United States · Evangelist, preacher, publisher and religious author
About Dwight Lyman Moody
Born in 1837 in Northfield, Massachusetts, and died in 1899 in East Northfield, Moody became a leading revivalist preacher and publisher. Known for mass meetings, missionary initiatives and accessible sermon collections, he frequently used biblical figures—especially Moses—to illustrate themes of humility, God’s preparation and practical Christian living.
Works: The Call of Moses (sermon); various sermon collections and evangelical tracts
Quotes
“Moses spent forty years thinking he was somebody; forty years learning he was nobody; and forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.”
Source: The Call of Moses, sermon · Check the source
Disputed attribution What we know
- What is documented
- The saying is widely linked to Dwight L. Moody and reflects themes he developed in sermons and devotional collections related to Moses.
- What remains uncertain
- Attribution is disputed: the idea matches Moody’s known material and later collections carry the line, but the exact wording isn’t found verbatim in primary sources reviewed.
This saying distills Moody’s core conviction: God often prepares leaders by stripping away pride. He used Moses’ three forty-year phases—palace, wilderness, leadership—to argue that failure and humility make someone usable by God. The line appears in Moody sermon material, notably The Call of Moses.