True freedom is not advanced in the permissive society, which confuses freedom with license to do anything whatever and which in the name of freedom proclaims a kind of general amorality. It is a caricature of freedom to claim that people are free to organize their lives with no reference to moral values, and to say that society does not have to ensure the protection and advancement of ethical values. Such an attitude is destructive of freedom and peace.
None are so poor that they have nothing to give...and none are so rich that they have nothing to receive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Everyone has something to offer, and we are all capable of receiving from others, regardless of our material wealth.
This quote by Pope John Paul II highlights a universal truth about human interaction and interconnectedness. It suggests that no matter one's financial status or possessions, each individual has the ability to contribute meaningfully to others' lives and, conversely, to accept help, affection, or wisdom from those around them. It encourages a sense of community and mutual support, emphasizing that wealth is not solely defined by money or possessions but also by the intangible gifts we share with each other.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about charity, one might say, 'None are so poor that they have nothing to give, and none are so rich that they have nothing to receive.'
More from Pope John Paul Ii
All quotes βLike so many pilgrims before us, we kneel in wonder and adoration before the ineffable mystery which. was accomplished here... In This Child - the Son who is given to us - we find rest for our souls and the true bread that never fails - the Eucharistic Bread foreshadowed even in the name of this town: Bethlehem, the house of bread. God lies hidden in the Child; divinity lies hidden in the Bread of Life
And everything else will then turn out to be unimportant and inessential except this: father, child, and love. And then, looking at the simplest things, we will all say, Could we have not learned this long ago? Has this not always been embedded in everything that is?
Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.
Man matures through work which inspires him to difficult good.
United with the angels and saints of the heavenly Church, let us adore the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Prostrate, we adore this great mystery that contains God's new and definitive covenant with humankind in Christ.
Similar quotes
The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart.
We have bodies. We have personalities. We have histories, stories and experiences. But we are not those things - we are Spirit.
There is no such thing as chance; and what seem to us merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny.
Children demand that their heroes should be fleckless, and easily believe them so .
The more one lives alone on the river or in the open country, the clearer it becomes that nothing is more beautiful or great than to perform the ordinary duties of one's daily life simply and naturally.
What can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the Reaper Man?