Such as every man is inwardly so he judgeth outwardly.

Set not thyself to attain much rest, but much patience.

It is futile to wish for a long life, and then to give so little care to living well

Carefully avoid in yourself those things which distrub you in others.

Permit no hour to go by without it due improvement.

Would to God that we might spend a single day really well!

Many deceive themselves, imagining they’ll find happiness in change.

The intention which is fixed on God as its only end will keep people steady in their purposes, and deliver them from being the joke and scorn of fortune.

Let nothing disturb thee, Let nothing affright thee; All passeth away: God only shall stay. Patience wins all: Who hath God, needeth nothing; For God is his All.

If you bear the cross unwillingly, you make it a burden, and load yourself more heavily; but you must bear it.

Anyone who thinks hard work will never hurt you has never had to pay to have it done. Jesus now has many lovers of his Heavenly Kingdom, but few bearers of his cross.

When comfort is withdrawn, do not be cast down, but humbly and patiently await the visitation of God. He is able and powerful to give you more grace and more spiritual comfort than you first had.

If you cast away one cross, you will certainly find another, and perhaps a heavier

It is better to be affected with a true penitent sorrow for sin than to be able to resolve the most difficult cases about it

He that loveth, flieth, runneth, and rejoiceth. He is free, and cannot be held in. He giveth all for all, and hath all in all, because he resteth in one highest above all things, from whom all that is good flows and proceeds

He has great tranquillity of heart who cares neither for the praises nor the fault-finding of men. He will easily be content and pacified, whose conscience is pure. You are not holier if you are praised, nor the more worthless if you are found fault with. What you are, that you are; neither by word can you be made greater than what you are in the sight of God.

Study to do another’s will rather than thine own. Choose ever to have less rather than more. Seek ever the lower place and to be subject to all; ever wish and pray that the will of God may be perfectly done in thee and in all. Behold such a man enters the bounds of peace and calm

He who loveth God with all his heart feareth not death, nor punishment, nor judgment, nor hell, because perfect love giveth sure access to God. But he who still delighteth in sin, no marvel if he is afraid of death and judgment

Remember, your prerogative is to govern, and not to serve the things of this world

There is no man in this world without some manner of tribulation or anguish, though he be king or pope

Old custom is hard to break and scarce any man will be led otherwise than seemeth good unto himself.

It is thy duty often times to do what thou wouldst not; thy duty too, to leave undone that thou wouldst do

Seek not to know who said this or that, but take note of what has been said

Whatever you do, do it with intelligence, and keep the end in view

What most of all hinders heavenly consolation is that you are too slow in turning yourself to prayer

All His glory and beauty come from within, and there He delights to dwell, His visits there are frequent, His conversation sweet, His comforts refreshing; and His peace passing all understanding

It is easier not to speak a word at all than to speak more words than we should.

Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber. Wearied, it is not tired. Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it is not confused, but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle

Grace is the mastery of truth, the teacher of discipline, the light of the heart, the comforter of affliction, the banisher of sorrow, the nurse of devotion.

What canst thou see elsewhere which thou canst not see here? Behold the heaven and the earth and all the elements; for of these are all things created

Gladly we desire to make other men perfect, but we will not amend our own fault.

How sweet it is to love, and to be dissolved, and as it were to bathe myself in thy love

A man is hindered and distracted in proportion as he draws outward things to himself.

Whatsoever is done in charity, however small and of no reputation it be, bringeth forth good fruit

It thou seek rest in this life, how wilt thou then attain to the everlasting rest? Dispose not thyself for much rest, but for great patience. Seek true peace – not in earth, but in heaven; not in men, nor in any other creature, but in God alone

Thou wilt always rejoice in the evening if thou has spent the day profitably.

Of what use is a long life, if we amend so little? Alas, a long life often adds to our sins rather than to our virtue!

Love feels no burden, regards not labors, strives toward more than it attains, argues not of impossibility, since it believes that it may and can do all things.

Confidence is the illusion born of accidental success

If you cannot mould yourself entirely as you would wish, how can you expect other people to be entirely to your liking?

God evaluates by this criterion: How much love you invest in what you do is more important than how you do. The one who loves much is actually the one who does much

Love makes everything that is heavy light

The only safe ruler is he who has learned to obey willingly

Do not try to find a place free from temptations and troubles. Rather, seek a peace that endures even when you are beset by various temptations and tried by much adversity.

The better you understand yourself the less cause you will find to love yourself.

How should thy patience be crowned in heaven if none adversity should befall to thee in earth? If thou wilt suffer none adversity how mayest thou be the friend of Christ?

He does much who loves much.

In the morning fix thy good purpose; and at night examine thyself what thou hast done, how thou hast behaved thyself in word, deed, and thought

Sweet shall be your rest if your heart does not reproach you

Our own opinion of ourselves should be lower than that formed by others, for we have a better chance at our imperfections

In Jesus and for Him, enemies and friends alike are to be loved.

If thou may not continually gather thyself together, do it sometime at least once a day, morning or evening

Some people are tempted most strongly at the beginning of their spiritual life, others near the end. Some are troubled all their lives. Still others receive only light temptation. Such things are decided by God, and we can trust his wisdom

A book has but one voice, but it does not instruct everyone alike

Caution is crediting, and reserve in speaking, and in revealing one’s self to but very few, are the best securities both of a good understanding with the world, and of the inward peace of our own minds

What difference does it make to you what someone else becomes, or says, or does? You do not need to answer for others, only for yourself

Happy is the man who renounces everything which may bring a stain or burden upon his conscience

Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from grace

Our dependence upon God ought to be so entire and absolute that we should never think it necessary, in any kind of distress, to have recourse to human consolations

He that seeketh anything else but simply God and the salvation of his soul, will find nothing but trouble and sorrow.

We feel and weigh soon enough what we suffer from others: but how much others suffer from us, of this we take no heed.

Don’t flatter the rich, or appear to willing before the great.

Do what lieth in thy power, and God will assist in thy good will.

Simplicity reaches out after God; purity discovers and enjoys Him

If thou hadst simplicity and purity, thou wouldst be able to comprehend all things without error, and behold them without danger. The pure heart safely pervades not only heaven, but hell.

Thou art my glory and the exultation of y heart: thou art my hope and refuge in the day of my trouble

To take no account of oneself, but always to think well and highly of others is the highest wisdom and perfection.

If your heart were sincere and upright, every creature would be unto you a looking-glass of life and a book of holy doctrine.

Thy peace shall be in much patience

It carries a burden which is no burden; it will not be kept back by anything low and mean; it desires to be free from all wordly affections, and not to be entangled by any outward prosperity, or by any adversity subdued.

I can take credit for only two things: pride and sin.

If thou art willing to suffer no adversity, how wilt thou be the friend of Christ?

I have often heard, that it is safer to hear and to take counsel, than to give it.

Love longs to be free, a stranger to every worldly desire, lest its inner vision become dimmed, and lest worldly self-interest hinder it or ill-fortune cast it down.

No one is qualified to converse in public except those contented to do without such conversation.

Peace and happiness are what you covet, but these are only to be obtained by labor.

May not be your peace in the mouth of the men; since no matter if they thing good or bad about you, you should not be a different man because of that.

Do not let your peace depend on the hearts of men; whatever they say about you, good or bad, you are not because of it another man, for as you are, you are.

A man that is well ordered in his soul needeth little the unkind demeanor of worldly people nor yet their proud behavior

Count not thyself to have found true peace, if thou hast felt no grief; nor that then all is well if thou hast no adversary; nor that this is perfect, if all things fall out according to thy desire.

In judging others a man laboreth in vain; he often erreth, and easily fallen into sin; but in judging and examining himself he always laboreth to good purpose.

At the day of judgment we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done.

Love is active and sincere, courageous, patient, faithful, prudent and manly.

Praise adds nothing to your holiness, nor does blame take anything from it. You are what you are, and you cannot be said to be better than you are in God’s sight.

It is better to feel repentance, than to be able to define it.

Faith is required of thee, and a sincere life, not loftiness of intellect, nor deepness in the mysteries of God

Forasmuch as many people study more to have knowledge than to live well therefore ofttimes they err and bring forth little fruit or none.

Do not be influenced by the importance of the writer, and whether his learning be great or small, but let the love of pure truth draw you to read. Do not inquire, Who said this? but pay attention to what is said.

All is vanity but to love God and serve Him.

Know all and you will pardon all

Scruples, temptations, and fears, and cutting perplexities of the heart, are often the lot of the most excellent persons.

Grant me prudently to avoid him that flatters me, and to endure patiently him that contradicts me.

A wise and good man will turn examples of all sorts to his own advantage. The good he will make his patterns, and strive to equal or excel them. The bad he will by all means avoid.

For they truly know their Lord in the breaking of bread, whose heart within them so vehemently burneth, whilst Thou, O blessed Jesus, dost walk and converse with them.

Intelligence must follow faith, never precede it, and never destroy it.

Study, therefore, to withdraw the love of your soul from all things that are visible, and turn it to things that are invisible.

A humble knowledge of ourselves is a surer way to God than is the search for depth of learning.

Do not read to satisfy curiosity or to pass the time, but study such things as move your heart to devotion.

The more the flesh is wasted by affliction, so much more is the Spirit strengthened by inward grace

The more spiritual a man desires to be, the more bitter does this present life become to him, because he perceives better and sees more clearly the defects of human corruption

Love flies, runs, and rejoices; it is free and nothing can hold it back

He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver

Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars

And if thy heart be straight with God then every creature shall be to thee a mirror of life and a book of holy doctrine for there is no creature so little or so despised but that sheweth and representeth the goodness of God

Be thankful for the smallest blessing, and you will be worthy to receive greater

Renounce all things, and thou shalt find all things; give up thy lust, and thou shalt find rest.

The acknowledgment of our weakness is the first step in repairing our loss.

Wherever you go, you will always bear yourself about with you, and so you will always find yourself.

Be assured that if you knew all, you would pardon all

The measure of every man’s virtue is best revealed in time of adversity – adversity that does not weaken a man but rather shows what he is

Judge yourself and beware of passing judgement on others. In judging others we expend our energy to no purpose; we are often mistaken and easily sin. But if we judge ourselves our labour is always to our profit.

A sure way of retaining the grace of heaven is to disregard outward appearances, and diligently to cultivate such things as foster amendment of life and fervour of soul, rather than to cultivate those qualities that seem most popular

He that avoideth not small faults, by little and little falleth into greater

As iron put into the fire loseth its rust and becometh clearly red-hot, so he that wholly turneth himself unto God puts off all slothfulness, and is transformed into a new man

Love Him, and keep Him for thy Friend, who, when all go away, will not forsake thee, nor suffer thee to perish at the last.

For it is the grace of Christ, and not our own virtue, that gives us the power to overcome the flesh and the world

O Lord, self-renunciation is not the work of one day, nor children’s sport; yea, rather in this word is included all perfection

All men are frail; but thou shouldst reckon none so frail as thyself.

Both above and below, without and within, which way so ever thou dost turn thee, everywhere thou shalt find the Cross; and everywhere of necessity thou must hold fast patience, if thou wilt have inward peace, and enjoy an everlasting crown

Be Yourself -The man who is neither bent upon pleasing his fellows nor afraid of offending them will enjoy great peace

Never be entirely idle; but either be reading, or writing, or praying or meditating or endeavoring something for the public good.

God often gives in one brief moment that which He has for a long time denied

If you wish to live in peace and harmony with others, you must learn to discipline yourself in many ways

Blessed are the simple, for they shall have much peace

Two wings lift a person up from earthly concerns: Simplicity in intention, and Purity in feeling

My child, it will be better for you if you accept my decisions without complaint. Do not ask me to defend my actions or to explain why one person is favored and another seems slighted. The answers to these questions go far beyond your comprehension

What thou art, that thou art

Few spirits are made better by the pain and languor of sickness; as few great pilgrims become eminent saints.

First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.

By two wings a man is lifted up from things earthly: by simplicity and purity

Therefore, a man ought to root himself so firmly in God that he will not need the consolations of men

It is vanity to desire a long life and to take no heed of a good life

But because many endeavor to get knowledge rather than to live well, they are often deceived and reap little or no benefit from their labor

It is much safer to be subject than it is to command. Many live in obedience more from necessity than from love. Such become discontented and dejected on the slightest pretext; they will never gain peace of mind unless they subject themselves wholeheartedly for the love of God

He does much who loves God much, and he does much who does his deed well, and he does his deed well who does it rather for the common good than for his own will.

If God were our one and only desire we would not be so easily upset when our opinions do not find outside acceptance

He is truly great that is great in charity. He is truly great that is little in himself, and maketh no account of any height of honor. And he is truly learned that doeth the will of God, and forsaketh his own will

If you desire to know or learn anything to your advantage, then take delight in being unknown and unregarded. A true understanding and humble estimate of oneself is the highest and most valuable of all lessons

And when he is out of sight, quickly also he is out of mind

Restrain an inordinate desire for knowledge, in which is found much anxiety and deception. Learned men always wish to appear so, and desire recognition of their wisdom. But there are many matters, knowledge of which brings little or no advantage to the soul

A pure, sincere, and stable spirit is not distracted though it be employed in many works; for that it works all to the honor of God, and inwardly being still and quiet, seeks not itself in any thing it doth

Always be thou prepared, and so live that death may never find thee unprepared

Bodily exercises are to be done discreetly; not to be taken evenly and alike by all men.

Occasions of adversity best discover how great virtue or strength each one hath. For occasions do not make a man frail, but they show what he is

Oh, how quickly the world’s glory passes away

You are a man, not God; you are human, not an angel. How can you expect to remain always in a constant state of virtue, when this was not possible even for an angel of Heaven, nor for the first man in the Garden?

For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step

We should have much more peace if we would not busy ourselves with the sayings and doings of others

All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace

No confict is so severe as his who labors to subdue himself

Of two evils, the lesser must always be chosen De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

Is a man one whit the better because he is grown great in other men’s esteem?

No man is without his load of trouble

He is truly great that is little in himself, and that maketh no account of any height of honors

One who views thing as they are in reality, and not as they are said or thought to be, is truly wise, taught by God rather than by other persons

O how quickly passes away the glory of the earth

Whoever would fully and feelingly understand the words of Christ, must endeavor to conform his life wholly to the life of Christ

No man doth safely rule, but he that hath learned gladly to obey

Pass no rash condemnation on other peoples words or actions

All earthly joy begins pleasantly, but at the end it gnaws and kills

If thou be not busy for thyself now, who shall be busy for thee in time to come?

Endeavor to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others, of what sort ’soever they be; for that thyself also has many failings which must be borned with by others

If thou hadst a good conscience thou wouldst not greatly fear death.

Always keep a good distance between yourself and lying, quarreling, detracting, insulting and gossip. The person who can do that will some day learn to enjoy the silence

He who knows himself well is mean and abject in his own sight, and takes no delight in the vain praise of men

He rides pleasantly enough whom the grace of God carries

To be able to live peaceably with hard and perverse persons, or with the disorderly, or with such as go contrary to us, is a great grace

We are sometimes stirred by emotion and take it for zeal

He is truly great who hath a great charity

So fixed are our spirits in slothfulness and cold indifference that we seldom overcome so much as one evil habit

It is much safer to obey than to rule

A lover of Jesus and of the truth can lift himself above himself in spirit.

It is no little wisdom for you to keep yourself in silence and in good peace when evil words are spoken to you, and to turn your heart to God and not to be troubled with the judgment of others.

How seldom we weigh our neighbor in the same balance with ourselves

Love is swift, sincere, pious, joyful, generous, strong, patient, faithful, prudent, long-suffering, courageous, and never seeking its own; for wheresoever a person seeketh his own, there he falleth from love.

Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame

Without labor there is no rest, nor without fighting can the victory be won

Simplicity is the intention, purity in the affection; simplicity turns to God, purity unites with and enjoys him

The enemy is more easily overcome if he be not suffered to enter the door of our hearts, but be resisted without the gate at his first knock

Thou shalt rest sweetly if thy heart condemn thee not

Simplicity and purity are the two wings by which a man is lifted above all earthly things. Simplicity is in the intention – purity in the affection. Simplicity tends to God,- purity apprehends and tastes Him

Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God’s sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God.

Love alone makes heavy burdens light and bears in equal balance things pleasing and displeasing. Love bears a heavy burden and does not feel it, and love makes bitter things tasteful and sweet.

The end of all is death and man’s life passeth away suddenly as a shadow

If you would endeavor, like men of courage, to stand in the battle, surely we would feel the favorable assistance of God from heaven. For he who give the us occasion to fight, to the end we may get the victory, is ready to succor those that fight manfully, and do trust in his grace

Constantly choose rather to want less, than to have more

Love is a great thing, yea, a great and thorough good. By itself it makes what is heavy light; and bears evenly all that is uneven

God deceiveth thee not

Temptations discover what you are.

There is no creature so small and abject, that it representeth not the goodness of God.

Have therefore zeal to better thyself and then mayst thou have zeal to thy neighbor

A man of peace does more good than a very learned man

What else does anxiety about the future bring you but sorrow upon sorrow