Jeune Lectured Quote by Christopher Ryan
““When seventeenth-century Jesuit missionary Paul Le Jeune lectured a Montagnais Indian man about the dangers of the rampant infidelity he’d witnessed, Le Jeune received a lesson on proper parenthood in response. The missionary recalled, “I told him that it was not honorable for a woman to love any one else except her husband, and that this evil being among them, he himself was not sure that his son, who was there present, was his son. He replied, ‘Thou hast no sense. You French people love only your own children; but we all love all the children of our tribe.’”5””
About This Quote
Source Historical account: 17th‑century Jesuit missionary Paul Le Jeune, recorded in scholarly work on colonial encounters
A French missionary’s moral lesson on fidelity is challenged by an Indigenous perspective that values communal care for all children
In simple terms: Community care outweighs exclusive loyalty
Key Takeaway
Recognize broader kinship beyond narrow family ties
Themes
community
family
ethics
colonialism
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
Type
historical
anthropological
When to use this quote
- missionary work
- family counseling
- social policy
- education
- intercultural dialogue
Key Concepts
communal responsibility
cultural relativism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance personal and communal responsibilities?
- What limits exist when extending kinship beyond blood ties?
A Different Perspective
May overlook individual rights in favor of collective norms
![“[Man] has imagined a heaven, and has left entirely out of it the supremest of all his delights, the one ecstasy that stands first and foremost in the heart of every individual of his race…sexual intercourse! It is as if a lost and perishing person in a roasting desert should be told by a rescuer…” quote by Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/939/christopher-ryan-4309_joy_man-has-imagined-a-heaven-and-has-left-e_187069.jpg)
