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Jean Vanier Quotes
1928–2019 Canada
Jean Vanier, CC GOQ (September 10, 1928 – May 7, 2019) was a Canadian Catholic philosopher, theologian and humanitarian. He founded L'Arche in 1964, an international federation of communities, spread over 35 countries, for people with developmental disabilities and those who assist them.
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Many people are good at talking about what they are doing, but in fact do little. Others do a lot but don't talk about it; they are the ones who make a community live.
I am struck by how sharing our weakness and difficulties is more nourishing to others than sharing our qualities and successes.
The strong need the weak in order to become more human, more compassionate.
There is that little compass within each one of us where we know what is right, what is just, what is good, what is true.
Love doesn't mean doing extraordinary or heroic things. It means knowing how to do ordinary things with tenderness.
“To be lonely is to feel unwanted and unloved, and therefor unloveable. Loneliness is a taste of death. No wonder some people who are desperately lonely lose themselves in mental illness or violence to forget the inner pain.”
Those we most often exclude from the normal life of society, people with disabilities, have profound lessons to teach us. When we do include them, they add richly to our lives and add immensely to our world.
The great thing about people with intellectual disabilities is that they’re not people who discuss philosophy... What they want is fun and laughter, to do things together and fool around, and laughter is at the heart of community.
Love is to recognize that the other person is a person, is precious, is important and has value..Each one has a gift to bring to others. Each one has his or her mission in the larger family of humanity. Each one reveals the secret face of God.
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