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To Charles Dickens Luciani informs Dickens that he liked his novels as a boy because"they are imbued with a sense of love for the poor and of social regeneration, and are rich with fantasy and humanity." He would like to see these ideas "broadened and adapted" for all poor people, nations and individuals alike, particularly for "the poor Third World countries."
To Pinocchio (describing what it is like to be a youth today): "You will feel the need to establish your own ego. You will feel the need to be accepted by your peer group. Whatever they wear, you will wear. While you will be anticonformist in many things, you will be without realizing it a 100% conformist. Some people advocate a more per missive morality. But young people mustn't accept that permissiveness. Their love should be love with a capital 'L,' and it should be beautiful like a flower, precious like a jewel, and not vulgar like the bottom of a dirty glass."
To Carlo Goldoni (comparing the 18th century Venetian playwright's The Boors with Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew): "Shakespeare's Katherina is 'tamed' by hunger and weariness, but in The Boors, the reverse is true. The husbands start out as the 'tamers' and end up 'tamed.' They have to admit that wives and daughters should not be tamed, but listened to. Between your play and Shakespeare's, I prefer yours, dear Goldoni. Yours is more human, more just, closer to the reality of both then and today — even if your feminism seems pale compared to today's."
To Mark Twain "I fear that the faithful of my diocese would be scandalized: 'A bishop who quotes Mark Twain!' Perhaps one should explain to them that just as books vary from one to the other, so too do bishops. Some bishops, in fact, resemble eagles, who sail loftily with solemn documents. Others are nightingales who marvelously sing the praises of the Lord. Others, instead, are poor wrens, who only twitter as they seek to express a few thoughts on extremely profound subjects. I, dear Twain, belong to the latter category."
To St. Bernard of Clairvaux Recalling the saint's letter of advice concerning which candidate to vote for in a conclave, Luciani writes: "The first is a saint? Let him pray for us. The second is learned? Let him edify us and write a few erudite books. The third is a man of prudence? Let him govern us. Let him become Pope."
To Jesus Christ "Dear Jesus. I have received some criticism. People have said: 'He is a bishop, a Cardinal. He has been busy writing letters in all directions. To Mark Twain. To Péguy and who knows to how many others. And not even one line to Jesus Christ.' But you know that I try to maintain a continuous conversation with you . . . I take comfort in the thought that the important thing is not for one person to write to Christ but for many people to love and emulate him. Fortunately, despite everything, this still occurs today."