Envy comes from people's ignorance of or lack of belief in their own gifts.

— Jean Vanier

Envy comes from people’s ignorance of, or lack of belief, in their own gifts.

— Jean Vanier

Every human activity can be put at the service of the divine and of love. We should all exercise our gift to build community.

— Jean Vanier

Flowing from this union, source of a plenitude of joy, the love of the couple reveals itself through the daily acceptance of the limits and faults of each other and in mutual openness. It is this acceptance in and through gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, confidence and the desire to see shining in the other the warm light of the Spirit of God that becomes the great sign of the merciful love of God for man and His incessant forgiveness.

— Jean Vanier

Growth begins when we start to accept our own weakness.

— Jean Vanier

[Happiness] comes when we choose to be who we are, to be ourselves, at this present moment in our lives.

— Jean Vanier

I am convinced that in the present time, in spite of the difficulties man has to meet another in a state of oblation, communion and gift of self, there are latent hidden forces in him which can be awakened in order to enable him to discover and live this reality of love and fidelity. In order to really penetrate into this mystery of the union of the couple, it is essential that each one acquire an interior maturity, maturity that is perhaps rare. I would add that in order to be truly united and to remain truly faithful to one another, the couple must listen and be open to the Spirit of God who has reserved for Himself the science of the heart. The heart of man is satisfied only by the Infinite and to discover this Infinite in union he must open himself to the Spirit of God, a spirit of giving, of receiving. The union between the two spouses can thus deepen to such an extent that they enter a mystical manner into the very life of God Himself.

— Jean Vanier

I am struck by how sharing our weakness and difficulties is more nourishing to others than sharing our qualities and successes.

— Jean Vanier

If we are to grow in love, the prisons of our egoism must be unlocked. This implies suffering, constant effort and repeated choices.

— Jean Vanier

In community, we are called to care for each member of the community. We can. Choose our friends, but we do not choose our brothers and sisters' they are given to us, whether in family or in community." Jean

— Jean Vanier