Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.

A round man cannot be expected to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape.

Travel teaches toleration.

I love being busy.

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.

The only service a friend can really render is to keep up your courage by holding up to you a mirror in which you can see a noble image of yourself.

The experience of life consists of the experience which the spirit has of itself in matter and as matter, in mind and as mind, in emotion, as emotion, etc.

A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies.

Discontent, blaming, complaining, self-pity cannot serve as a foundation for a good future, no matter how much effort you make.

Me not finishing school – in my head, I still have this insecurity when I’m talking to someone educated.

When people get married young, you don’t really understand the true definition of marriage.

Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.

My ‚fear‘ is my substance, and probably the best part of me.

We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years and justify our existence… on pain of liquidation.

I never thought I’d have children; I never thought I’d be in love, I never thought I’d meet the right person. Having come from a broken home – you kind of accept that certain things feel like a fairy tale, and you just don’t look for them.

These are the soul’s changes. I don’t believe in ageing. I believe in forever altering one’s aspect to the sun. Hence my optimism.

I hate the giving of the hand unless the whole man accompanies it.

We want our marriage to be a triumph, not a tragedy.

In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.

You can’t have it all all at once. Over my lifespan, I think I have had it all, but in given periods in time, things were rough. And if you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it.

Friendship… is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.

I was becoming post-ideological.

Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.

I think I have a dualistic nature.

Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.

Every single one of us has a few months here or there that feel like dark months.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

When you seek the presence of your creative Spirit and are filled with passion about virtually everything you undertake, you’ll successfully remove the roadblocks from your life and enjoy the active presence of Spirit.

Every man sees in his relatives, and especially in his cousins, a series of grotesque caricatures of himself.

My favorite thing in life is writing about life, specifically the parts of life concerning love. Because, as far as I’m concerned, love is absolutely everything.

Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.

Enemies are so stimulating.

When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.

Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go its pretty damn good.

I think being able to age gracefully is a very important talent. It is too late for me.

A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.

Patience is a virtue, and I’m learning patience. It’s a tough lesson.

So many guys are so conservative with their hair, and I always joke with all my buddies when they mess with me, and I’ll say, ‚That’s right, keep the same haircut for ten years.‘ How fun is that?

You bring children into the world. You love them with heart and soul.

Everyone is different. Everyone has different teams they’ve played on, coaches they’ve played for.

Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.

I feel like I’m the kind of guy that would have kids before getting married. The first thing would be kids.

Alimony – the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.

I’m trying to keep a level head. You have to be careful out in the world. It’s so easy to get turned.

Many people, especially young people, would like to be more independent and on their own. But it is very difficult and they suffer from feelings of isolation. I think that is one reason why young readers support my work.

To an ordinary human being, love means nothing if it does not mean loving some people more than others.

Imagine your family finally making it from nothing to something, and finally getting things going, and finally buying a beautiful house and taking care of your children – and the next day, it’s completely all gone. Zero. Boom. Flat broke. So that’s when I had to man up.

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.

My view is that at a younger age your optimism is more and you have more imagination etc. You have less bias.

I may be no better, but at least I am different.

You pay a certain penalty for going your own way. A lot of people think you’re nuts, and you’re not as popular with girls as you should be.

Even the securest financial plan and the finest health coverage aren’t enough to hold us steady when the challenges come… We need something more, something deeper and unshakeable, something that will see us through life’s hard times.

I have some good friends of my own who happen to be gay, and when it comes to gay, straight, or whatever, I’m for anything life-affirmative. I’m for gay power, straight power, male power, female power; everybody should feel empowered without oppressing anyone who’s different.

In my house I’m the boss, my wife is just the decision maker.

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

You can’t be in love with a Google search.

A jug fills drop by drop.

I look at where I’m at today and realize that most of my success is owed to the mentors that was in my life.

Real life is the life that’s in you, not your circumstances, like where you live or what job you have or who you’re in relationship with.

This is me, a sinner on whom the Lord has turned his gaze. And this is what I said when they asked me if I would accept my election as pontiff. I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in a spirit of penance.

That is my wish, hope, instruction for all of you: Take your education seriously, okay? Always do that. Because I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my education.