I felt that the Church was the Church of the poor,... but at the same time, I felt that it did not set its face against a social order which made so much charity in the present sense of the word necessary. I felt that charity was a word to choke over. Who wanted charity? And it was not just human pride but a strong sense of man's dignity and worth, and what was due to him in justice, that made me resent, rather than feel pround of so mighty a sum total of Catholic institutions.

Love and ever more love is the only solution to every problem that comes up. If we love each other enough, we will bear with each other's faults and burdens. If we love enough, we are going to light that fire in the hearts of others. And it is love that will burn out the sins and hatreds that sadden us. It is love that will make us want to do great things for each other. No sacrifice and no suffering will then seem too much.

If you feed the poor, you're a saint. If you ask why they're poor, you're a Communist.

We must talk about poverty, because people insulated by their own comfort lose sight of it.

If I have achieved anything in my life, it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God.

Thank God that He has permitted us to live among the present problems. It is no longer permitted to anyone to be mediocre.

Idealism in the young, I guess I'm saying, is curiosity as well as goodness trying to express itself.