Some Christians act as though they thought when the Lord said, "Suffer
little children to come unto me," that he had a rawhide under his
mantle--they act as if they thought so. That is all wrong. I tell my
children this: Go where you may, commit what crime you may, fall to what
depths of degradation you may, I can never shut my arms, my heart or my
door to you. As long as I live you shall have one sincere friend; do not
be afraid to tell anything wrong you have done; ten to one if I have not
done the same thing. I am not perfection, and if it is necessary to sin
in order to have sympathy, I am glad I have committed sin enough to have
sympathy. The sterness of perfection I do not want. I am going to live
so that my children can come to my grave and truthfully say, "He who
sleeps here never gave us one moment of pain." Whether you call that
religion or infidelity, suit yourselves; that is the way I intend to do
it.