« As long as God is a father, I'm still a child. I am not completely free from the autistic desire for omniscience and omnipotence. I have not yet acquired the objectivity that would allow me to become aware of my human limitations, my ignorance, my weakness. Like a child, I claim the presence of a father who rescues me, protects me, punishes me, a father who loves me when I obey him, who is flattered by my praise and irritated by my incarcerations. Undoubtedly most people have remained at this infantile stage: they believe in God as a father always ready to help them - childish illusion. This view has been surpassed by some great masters of humanity, and by a minority of men, but it remains the predominant form of religion. »

« It hardly needs to be emphasized that the capacity for love as a gift depends on character development. It presupposes that the person has attained a fundamentally productive orientation; this is the case when she has overcome dependence, narcissistic omnipotence, the desire to exploit others or to amass, when she has acquired faith in her own human possibilities, the courage to rely on her strength to achieve her goals. To the extent that these qualities are lacking, she is afraid to give herself - therefore, to love. »

« The experience of sharing suffering with others is the strongest foundation of a sense of solidarity. »