Our age knows nothing but reaction, and leaps from one extreme to another.

Niebuhr’s line criticizes a cultural and political temperament that cannot sustain measured judgment. Instead of acting from stable principles or a coherent moral vision, “our age” responds to events with reflexive counter-movements—swinging from one absolutism to its opposite. The image of “leaps” suggests volatility and impatience: complex problems are met with overcorrections rather than incremental reform. In Niebuhr’s broader style of thought, this also implies a warning about moral pride and naïveté—idealistic extremes invite disillusionment, while cynical extremes invite irresponsibility. The quote presses for humility, realism, and a capacity to hold tensions without collapsing into polarities.