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Jean Vanier

Jean Vanier Quotes

Philosopher

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Famous Jean Vanier Quotes

“The people with the best sense of what is essential to a community, of what gives and maintains its spirit, are often doing very humble, manual tasks. It is often the poorest person - the one who has a handica[p, is] ill or old - who is the most prophetic. People who carry responsibility must be close to them and know what they think, because it is often they who are free enough to see with the greatest clarity the needs, beauty and pain of the community.”

PeopleThinkingKnowsNeedsGivingPersonsEnoughPainSpiritCommunityResponsibilityEssentialsTasksIllHumbleClarityPoorestManualsProphetic
Author:Jean Vanier
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“Machines help us do things more quickly and efficiently, but they can also destroy some community activities. Machines can also throw the weakest people out of work and this would be sad, because their small contribution to the housework or cooking is their way of giving something to the community. People who are capable of doing things very quickly with the help of machines become tremendously busy, always active, in charge of everyone - a bit like machines themselves.”

PeopleWayGivingHelpingWould BeBitsCommunityActivityCapableMachinesCookingBusyActiveContributionHousework
Author:Jean Vanier
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“...Individualistic material progress and the desire to gain prestige by coming out on top have taken over from the sense of fellowship, compassion and community. Now people live more or less on their own in a small house, jealously guarding their goods and planning to acquire more, with a notice on the gate that says, 'Beware of the Dog.”

PeopleDesireHouseCommunityCompassionTakenProgressDogMaterialsGainsPlanningAcquireGatesGoodsComing OutFellowshipPrestigeGuardingIndividualisticJealously
Book:Community and Growth
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“The response to war is to live like brothers and sisters. The response to injustice is to share. The response to despair is a limitless trust and hope. The response to prejudice and hatred is forgiveness. To work for community is to work for humanity. To work for peace is to work for a true political solution; it is to work for the Kingdom of God. It is to work to enable every one to live and taste the secret joys of the human person united to the eternal.”

HumansPersonsWarPoliticalJoyHumanityCommunityUnitedSecretShareBrotherTasteDespairEternalSolutionsHatredPrejudiceResponseInjusticeKingdomsBrothers And SistersLimitlessKingdom Of God
Author:Jean Vanier
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“It is my belief that in our mad world where there is so much pain, rivalry, hatred, violence, inequality, and oppression, it is people who are weak, rejected, marginalized, counted as useless, who can become a source of life and of salvation for us as individuals as well as for our world. And it is my hope that each one of you may experience the incredible gift of the friendship of people who are poor and weak, that you too, may receive life from them. For they call us to love, to communion, to compassion and to community.”

PeopleWorldWellsMayPainIndividualBeliefCommunityPoorCompassionViolenceSourceWeakHatredMadSalvationIncrediblesOppressionInequalityUselessOur WorldRejectedCommunionRivalryMarginalizedSource Of LifeMad World
Author:Jean Vanier
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