Quotes from Paul Tournier

The more refined and subtle our minds, the more vulnerable they are.

Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary, it means accepting it as it comes, with all the handicaps of heredity, of suffering, of psychological complexes and injustices.

We do not posses God. We find him periodically.

The adventurous life is not one exempt from fear, but on the contrary, one that is lived in full knowledge of fears of all kinds, one in which we go forward in spite of our fears.

Life can become once more a grand adventure if we will surrender it to god. He brings one adventure to an end, only to open another to us. With him we must be ready for anything.

No one can develop freely in this world and find a full life without feeling understood by at least one person.

Recounting of a life story, a mind thinking aloud leads one inevitably to the consideration of problems which are no longer psychological but spiritual.

Many ordinary illnesses are nothing but the expression of a serious dissatisfaction with life.

If there had been no fear of failure, neither would there be any joy in success.

Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.

At the heart of personality is the need to feel a sense of being lovable without having to qualify for that acceptance.

I am convinced that nine out of every ten persons seeing a psychiatrist do not need one. They need someone who will love them with God's love...and they will get well.

Let us not seek to bring religion to others, but let us endeavor to live it ourselves.

The real meaning of travel, like that of a conversation by the fireside, is the discovery of oneself through contact with other people, and its condition is self-commitment in the dialogue.

Everything that is worthwhile in life is scary. Choosing a school, choosing a career, getting married, having kids - all those things are scary. If it is not fearful, it is not worthwhile.

That is what marriage really means; helping one another to reach the full status of being persons, responsible and autonomous beings who do not run away from life.

Marriage teaches you loyalty, forbearance, self-restraint, meekness, and a great many other things you wouldn't need if you had stayed single.

Sickness may be the solemn occasion of God's intervention in a person's life.

Woe to the man who tries to remain objective and to maintain a wide perspective: every one will label him as an enemy.

Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.

Listen to all the conversations of our world, between nations as well as between individuals. They are, for the most part, dialogues of the deaf.

Where there is no longer any opportunity for doubt, there is no longer any opportunity for faith either.

...the highest sign of friendship is that of giving another the privilege of sharing your inner thought.

This is what marriage really means: helping one another to reach the full status of being persons, responsible beings who do not run away from life