“I had often sought for the peace there is in Christ, but I could not seem to find the freedom I desired. A terrible sadness rested on my heart. I could not think of anything I had done to cause me to feel sad; but it seemed to me that I was not good enough to enter Heaven, that such a thing would be altogether too much for me to expect.”

American author and religious leader

Ellen G. White was an American author and religious leader in the 19th century. She was a prophet and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and her influence helped shape the movement’s early years. Working alongside other Adventist leaders, including Joseph Bates and her husband James White, she played a central role in the small group that grew into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She is also remembered as a leading figure in American vegetarian history, and the Smithsonian named her among its “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time.”