QuoteProject
On one hand the eternal attraction of man towards femininity (cf. Gn. 2:23) frees in him-or perhaps it should free-a gamut of spiritual-corporal desires of an especially personal and "sharing" nature (cf. analysis of the "beginning"), to which a proportionate pyramid of values corresponds. On the other hand, "lust" limits this gamut, obscuring the pyramid of values that marks the perennial attraction of male and female.
Pope John Paul Ii
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote discusses the complex relationship between male attraction to femininity and the nature of desire, emphasizing the importance of values in this dynamic.

Pope John Paul II highlights the dual nature of male attraction to femininity, where the genuine pursuit of connection and shared experiences is either liberated or hindered by lust. He suggests that while attraction can lead to a deeper appreciation of values and the beauty of relationships, lust reduces this experience to a superficial level, clouding the richer meanings and values inherent in male-female relationships.

Themes

AttractionFemininityDesireLustValuesRelationshipsSpiritualPersonal

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the importance of mutual respect in relationships.

More from Pope John Paul Ii

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.
Pope John Paul IiRead
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
Pope John Paul IiRead
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?
Pope John Paul IiRead
Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.
Pope John Paul IiRead
Man matures through work which inspires him to difficult good.
Pope John Paul IiRead
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.
Pope John Paul IiRead

Similar quotes

You know, you’re a little complicated after all.” “Oh no,” she assured him hastily. “No, I’m not really - I’m just a - I’m just a whole lot of different simple people.
F. Scott FitzgeraldRead
How was she to tie herself to a man without permitting him to imprison her? And was there some means of acquiring things without those things possessing her?
Clarice LispectorRead
Nobody is worth crying for, and those that are worth it will not make you cry.
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead
People think they know me, but they don`t. Not really. Actually, I am one of the loneliest people on this earth. I cry sometimes, because it hurts. It does. To be honest, I guess you could say that it hurts to be me.
Michael JacksonRead
The demands of having to be 'masculine' are as damaging to men as the demands of having to be 'feminine' are to women. I wish we could all agree just to wash it all away. Begin again.
Naomi AldermanRead
Feminine intuition? Is that what you wanted the robot for? You men. Faced with a woman reaching a correct conclusion and unable to accept the fact that she is your equal or superior in intelligence, you invent something called feminine intuition.
Isaac AsimovRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.