Katharine Lee Bates: Gain Divine
on Monday, August 12, 2019Katharine Lee Bates Money Quote saying in the lyrics to her song that Americans profit by Godliness. Katharine Lee Bates said:
“America! America! May God thy gold refine, Til all success be nobleness And every gain divine!” — Katharine Lee Bates
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In this quote, Katharine Lee Bates expresses the hope that America’s pursuit and accumulation of wealth (“gold”) would be ennobled and uplifted by seeking higher moral purposes. The lines “Til all success be nobleness” and “every gain divine” suggest she wants financial prosperity and material benefits (“gold”) to be in service of noble ideals and spiritual betterment, not selfish ends.
Overall, Bates appears to be invoking God to bless and guide America so its economic achievements (“gold”) would be refined and redeemed by elevating human character and contributing to greater good. The quote reflects her aspiration that wealth and success in America not be ends in themselves but tools for advancing righteousness and humanity’s divine potential.
Birthday: August 12, 1859 – March 28, 1929