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 →Like 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 poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than what we give them.
The only way to reconcile science and religion is to set up something which is not science and something that is not religion.
Be conscious first of thyself within, then think and act. All living thought is a world in preparation; all real act is a thought manifested. The material world exists because an idea began to play in divine self–consciousness.
Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
Morality is of the highest importance - but for us, not for God.
My friend wants to get moving and so do I,' Eddie said. 'We've got miles to go yet.' I know that. It's on your face, son. Like a scar.' Eddie was fascinated by the idea of duty and ka as something that left a mark, something that might look like decoration to one eye and disfigurement to another. Outside, thunder cracked and lightning flashed.