Quotes About Community

The gap between ideals and actualities, between dreams and achievements, the gap that can spur strong men to increased exertions, but can break the spirit of others -- this gap is the most conspicuous, continuous land mark in American history. It is conspicuous and continuous not because Americans achieve little, but because they dream grandly. The gap is a standing reproach to Americans; but it marks them off as a special and singularly admirable community among the world's peoples.

My parish is bored stiff; no other word for it.  Like so many others! We can see them being eaten up by boredom, and we can't do anything about it.  Someday perhaps we shall catch it ourselves—become aware of the cancerous growth within us.  You can keep going a long time with that in you.

Mine is a parish like all the rest.  They're all alike.  Those of to-day I mean.  I was saying so only yesterday to M. le Curé de Norenfontes—that good and evil are probably evenly distributed, but on such a low plane, very low Indeed! Or if you like they lie one over the other; like oil and water they never mix.  M. le Curé only laughed at me.

Oh, everybody knows that although they may be hard workers, they are not easy to deal with, and they've skimmed the district for all the cream they can get. But after all, though they may rob us, at least they respect us. That makes for a kind of social solidarity between us and them—deplore it or not, it exists, and everything that exists should be used for some good purpose.

When I was your age we had men in the church—don't frown, it makes me want to clout you—men I say—make what you like of the word-heads of a parish, masters, my boy, rulers.  They could hold a whole country together, that sort could—with a mere lift of the chin.  Oh, I know what you're going to say: they fed well, drank good wine and didn't object to a game of cards.  Well, what of it?

In the end she'd decided it wasn't God she questioned so much as His organized believers.

dropped in on my old shepherd friend Yani who provided us with some bread and fig cake and a straw hat full of wild strawberries to sustain us.

responsibility means respecting ourselves and those around us. In the nature of systems, all our addictive behaviors affect other people.

A culture is kept alive by the interaction of all its parts.

Of course it was still odd, but when everyone does the same odd thing, it seems almost normal.

I would hope that understanding and reconciliation are not limited to the 19th hole alone.

How little we know, I thought, of the people we live amongst.

And so, as generally happens, those who have most give least, and those with less somehow make shrift to share.

The worth of a state, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it.

The humblest individual exerts some influence, either for good or evil, upon others.

Through our own recovered innocence we discern the innocence of our neighbours.

Good is when I steal other people's wives and cattle; bad is when they steal mine.

The small landholders are the most precious part of a state.

The whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honour and praise. The next, the people fear, and the next the people hate. When the best leader's work is done, the people say, 'we did it ourselves!'

I have no family. My only responsibility is the welfare of Quebec. I belong to the province.

What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine.

The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.

Love your neighbor as yourself, but don't take down the fence.