The age of enlightenment, as people say, wanted to suppress the death penalty on the pretext that man was naturally good. Of course he is not (he is worse or better). After twenty years of our magnificent history we are well aware of this. But precisely because he is not absolutely good, no one among us can pose as an absolute judge and pronounce the definitive elimination of the worst among the guilty, because no one of us can lay claim to absolute innocence.

Temporal idols demanding an absolute faith tirelessly decree absolute punishments.

The aim of art, the aim of a life can only be to increase the sum of freedom and responsibility to be found in every man and in the world.

Suffering is never provisional for the man who does not believe in the future.

This is a righteous judgement of God upon these barbarous wretches, who have imbrued their hands in so much innocent blood.

A venial sin of your own is a greater obstacle to your experiencing the love of Jesus Christ than the sin of anyone else, however great it may be. It is clear,…

I thought: should I be worried? I was under arrest. In a town where I'd never been before. Apparently for murder. But I knew two things. First, they couldn't p…