From very early on in his life, George Fox was driven and compelled to act by the Spirit of God. At just nineteen years of age, he quit his apprenticeship as a cobbler and began to seek out religious meetings in order to gain revelation and wisdom from God. As the nudges he received from the Spirit increased, he came to realize his calling to announce to various religious groups what God had revealed to him regarding Christianity. The most prominent principle through which Fox was guided in his thoughts about Christianity was that of the “inner light” which is inherent in everyone, pagan and Christian alike. This “inner light” reveals to each human the true way to finding God and allows them to accept and be in the presence of God. This is essentially the foundation of faith, as it is the means to which the Christian life is possible. Fox differed from mainstream Catholic and Protestant teachings in that he believed that orderly forms of worship, pastors who work for salary, and meeting in church buildings to experience the presence of God are all hindrances to the work of the Spirit. He was often thrown out of meetings and sometimes beaten for his declarations.

In Fox’s Journal, he describes mystical experiences such as being brought up into paradise with God and being in such a state of perfection and righteousness that matched Adam’s before he fell into sin. He also describes a time when he was led into a steeple house to tell the people there about the Seed of Christ which was planted within all of them to teach them the wisdom of God. It was through these experiences that Fox determined his role as a Christian was to lead people to the Spirit of God which would give them further enlightenment of the Scriptures. Also, Fox believed that showing another human any type of special respect, whether rich or poor, was showing disrespect to God because God was the only one who was worthy to be addressed with such a manner of respect. Thus, when he did not remove his hat in the presence of his contemporaries, as was custom at the time, he and his followers often experienced beatings and imprisonment. Through this, the Quaker movement became known as highly pacifist, its members refusing to take up arms against their enemies, even in the face of persecution.

In his Epistles, Fox encourages his audience to look within and to wait to hear the voice of the Lord through his Spirit while also working to not become too involved in business and to not wrong the world in bargaining. He emphasizes the power of sitting in quiet and seeking to feel the presence of God after a day of doing business in the world almost to center oneself again on what matters most. Fox also said that when facing punishment, one should pray for the enemies that have punished them and to bless them even when they curse you. He comforts his followers by pointing them to the Spirit of God within them when they face trials so that they would find full comfort and joy in God, reinforcing his strong belief in the power of the Spirit. In terms of social justice, Fox reminds his followers to remember the poor when they have plenty, and to refresh the poor by giving to them without expecting anything in return.