---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Without wonder, men and women would lapse…"
description: "\"Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal.\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/pope-john-paul-ii-485_curiosity_without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse_1974110.jpg"
---

#  Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening…

![“Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal.” quote by Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/pope-john-paul-ii-485_curiosity_without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse_1974110.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/pope-john-paul-ii-485_curiosity_without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse_1974110.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/pope-john-paul-ii-485_curiosity_without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse_1974110.jpg)

> “Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal.”

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Without wonder, life becomes routine and loses personal meaning.

**In simple terms:** Wonder prevents life from becoming dull.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate curiosity daily.

Themes

wonder meaning personal growth

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

theological philosophical

When to use this quote

- creative work
- relationships
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

existentialism spirituality humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- What sparks your sense of wonder?
- How can routine be infused with meaning?

A Different Perspective

Wonder can be hard to sustain in daily grind.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Genuinely Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuinely-personal-3331952/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Incapable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable/) [Incapable Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable-life-3331950/) [Lapses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lapses/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Genuinely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-genuinely-2767396/) [Little by little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-by-little/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Routine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/routine/) [Women Lapse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-lapse-3331951/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/)

## Related quotes

> [“–Important questions that remain unanswered. Is this new technology a threat to our existence, or is super artificial intelligence the answer to our most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-corey/important-questions-that-remain-unanswered-is-this-new-technology-a/)

[Shawn Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-corey/)

> [Life can very genuinely and realistically pile things on. It doesn't dole out the heartache and pain, or joy, perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/life-can-very-genuinely-and-realistically-pile-things-on-it-doesn-t/)

[Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/)

> [Have never had anyone in my life as genuinely caring and loving as you. I am so blessed to have you in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/have-never-had-anyone-in-my-life-as-genuinely-caring-and-loving-as/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I just want to live my life genuinely and authentically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-labbe/i-just-want-to-live-my-life-genuinely-and-authentically/)

[Stephanie Labbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-labbe/)

> [“It doesn't matter what others think. This is about YOU. Create a life that you genuinely love with your whole heart &amp; start with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-burgunder/it-doesn-t-matter-what-others-think-this-is-about-you-create-a-life/)

[Brittany Burgunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-burgunder/)

> [I can forgive the body breaking down. It's a little tougher to forgive that mental lapse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hale-irwin/i-can-forgive-the-body-breaking-down-it-s-a-little-tougher-to-forgive/)

[Hale Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hale-irwin/)

> [The Saint whose water can light lamps, the clairvoyant whose lapse in recall is the breath of God, the true paranoid for whom all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/the-saint-whose-water-can-light-lamps-the-clairvoyant-whose-lapse-in/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [...a genuine work of art, can never be false, nor can it be discredited through the lapse of time, for it does not present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-genuine-work-of-art-can-never-be-false-nor-can-it-be-discredited/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ Some \[intentional communities\], like the Shakers and the Harmony Society, have endured for a century or even longer. The Hutterians, to cite an extreme… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-zablocki/some-intentional-communities-like-the-shakers-and-the-harmony-society/)

[Benjamin Zablocki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-zablocki/)

> [Music. Close your eyes and it's a rosebush blooming in time lapse so that it shoots and blossoms flow outward in a swift choreography…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/music-close-your-eyes-and-it-s-a-rosebush-blooming-in-time-lapse-so/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [OLD, adj. In that stage of usefulness which is not inconsistent with general inefficiency, as an "old man". Discredited by lapse of time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/old-adj-in-that-stage-of-usefulness-which-is-not-inconsistent-with/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [There is no lapse in His character or inconsistency in His nature. Our God is everything he says He is… for now and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-redman/there-is-no-lapse-in-his-character-or-inconsistency-in-his-nature-our/)

[Matt Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-redman/)

> [The mere lapse of years is not life. To eat, to drink, and sleep; to be exposed to darkness and the light; to pace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/the-mere-lapse-of-years-is-not-life-to-eat-to-drink-and-sleep-to-be/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [The House ...She lays her beams in music, In music everyone, To the cadence of the whirling world Which dances around the sun- That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-house-she-lays-her-beams-in-music-in-music-everyone-to-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I just have these lapses. Guess I'm stuck with it. But I play better when I get behind. I say to myself, 'Now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-just-have-these-lapses-guess-i-m-stuck-with-it-but-i-play-better/)

[Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/)

## More by Pope John Paul II

> [the path of goodness had a name it is called Love in it we find the key to every hope and has it's root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-path-of-goodness-had-a-name-it-is-called-love-in-it-we-find-the/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [Man always travels along precipices... His truest obligation is to keep his balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/man-always-travels-along-precipices-his-truest-obligation-is-to-keep/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a path winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-way-jesus-shows-you-is-not-easy-rather-it-is-like-a-path-winding/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [The Church must persist in the teaching transmitted to her by Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-church-must-persist-in-the-teaching-transmitted-to-her-by-christ/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [And Christ, through His own salvific suffering, is very much present in every human suffering, and can act from within that suffering by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/and-christ-through-his-own-salvific-suffering-is-very-much-present-in/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [“What is the difference between “creator” and “craftsman”? The one who creates bestows being itself, he brings something out of nothing— ex nihilo sui…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/what-is-the-difference-between-creator-and-craftsman-the-one-who/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [The enemy of the human race...invented a means never before heard of, by which he might hinder the preaching of God's word of Salvation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-enemy-of-the-human-race-invented-a-means-never-before-heard-of-by/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [Jesus Christ has taken the lead on the way of the cross. He has suffered first. He does not drive us toward suffering but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/jesus-christ-has-taken-the-lead-on-the-way-of-the-cross-he-has/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [Do you think that there can be anything greater than to bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/do-you-think-that-there-can-be-anything-greater-than-to-bring-jesus/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [Do not be afraid to be saints. Follow Jesus Christ who is the source of freedom and light. Be open to the Lord so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/do-not-be-afraid-to-be-saints-follow-jesus-christ-who-is-the-source/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [Utilitarianism is a civilization of production and of use, a civilization of "things" and not of "persons," a civilization in which persons are used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/utilitarianism-is-a-civilization-of-production-and-of-use-a/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [ The world \[is\] tired of ideology \[and\] is opening itself to the truth. The time has come when the splendor of this truth has… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-world-is-tired-of-ideology-and-is-opening-itself-to-the-truth-the/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [The only struggle which religions can justify, the only struggle worthy of humans, is the moral struggle against humanity's own disordered passions, against every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-only-struggle-which-religions-can-justify-the-only-struggle/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [The cemetery of the victims of human cruelty in our century is extended to include yet another vast cemetery, that of the unborn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-cemetery-of-the-victims-of-human-cruelty-in-our-century-is/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [The Church counters the culture of death with the culture of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-church-counters-the-culture-of-death-with-the-culture-of-love/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

[Explore all 525 Pope John Paul II quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

## More Curiosity quotes

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [“Metal makes everything magical. Just ask a unicorn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/metal-makes-everything-magical-just-ask-a-unicorn/)

[Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/)

> [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/)

[John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/)

> [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Curiosity Can Kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anison/curiosity-can-kill/)

[Anison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anison/)

> [“So curious you must be. Like little calves poking their heads through the fence with big eyes and a headful of curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carew-papritz/so-curious-you-must-be-like-little-calves-poking-their-heads-through/)

[Carew Papritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carew-papritz/)

> [ “\[T\]he question "What is everything?" has no meaning, even though it seems to be profound. \[...\] The point is, perhaps, that I am not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/t-he-question-what-is-everything-has-no-meaning-even-though-it-seems/)

[Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/)

> [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [How do we know that we have a right to kill creatures that we are so little above, as dogs, for our curiosity or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/how-do-we-know-that-we-have-a-right-to-kill-creatures-that-we-are-so/)

[Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/)

> [Be curious not judge mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/be-curious-not-judge-mental/)

[Unknow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknow/)

> [There is nothing so carking as the pangs of unsatisfied curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/there-is-nothing-so-carking-as-the-pangs-of-unsatisfied-curiosity/)

[Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/)

> [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Sometimes curiosity is a poison, not only for those who drink it but for everyone around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-norman-lippert/sometimes-curiosity-is-a-poison-not-only-for-those-who-drink-it-but/)

[G. Norman Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-norman-lippert/)

> [As long as your curiosity is greater than your fear, you will move forward!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-long-as-your-curiosity-is-greater-than-your-fear-you-will-move/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it sure has earned a lot of people graduate degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-irving/curiosity-may-have-killed-the-cat-but-it-sure-has-earned-a-lot-of/)

[Robyn Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-irving/)

[Browse all 2,721 Curiosity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pope John Paul II"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse-into-deadening-routine-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Curiosity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse-into-deadening-routine-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/pope-john-paul-ii-485_curiosity_without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse_1974110.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/pope-john-paul-ii-485_curiosity_without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse_1974110.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/068/pope-john-paul-ii-485_curiosity_without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse_1974110.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening routine and little by little would become incapable…” — Pope John Paul II",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Pope John Paul II",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Without wonder, men and women would...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse-into-deadening-routine-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/without-wonder-men-and-women-would-lapse-into-deadening-routine-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
