I plead with you--never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.

— John Paul II

It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.

— John Paul II

It must not be forgotten that reason too needs to be sustained in all its searching by trusting dialogue and sincere friendship. A climate of suspicion and distrust, which can beset speculative research, ignores the teaching of the ancient philosophers who proposed friendship as one of the most appropriate contexts for sound philosophical inquiry.

— John Paul II

Know what you are talking about.

— John Paul II

Learning to think rigorously, to act rightly and to serve humanity better.

— John Paul II

Life is entrusted to man as a treasure which must not be squandered, as a talent which must be used well.

— John Paul II

Limitation of one's freedom might seem to be something negative and unpleasant, but love makes it a positive, joyful and creative thing. Freedom exists for the sake of love.

— John Paul II

Love between man and woman cannot be built without sacrifices and self-denial.

— John Paul II

Love consists of a commitment which limits one's freedom - it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means just that: to limit one's freedom on behalf of another.

— John Paul II

Men are like wine-some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.

— John Paul II