Those who imagine they can attain to holiness by any wisdom or strength of their own will find themselves after many labors, and struggles, and weary efforts, only the farther from possessing it, and this in proportion to their certainty that they of themselves have gained it.
–Saint John of Avila (1500-1569)
God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners.
–Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
You wish absolutely to form Jesus Christ in you, in your heart, in your works, by a sincere love of his doctrine and a perfect imitation of his life; rest assured it will cost you many pangs; but they will pass away, and the presence of Jesus, who shall live in you, will fill your soul with an ineffable joy which can never be taken from you.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am.
— John Newton (1725-1807)
Our Lord has put into your heart a little spark of this blessed fire – that is, himself.
–Walter Hilton (1340-1396)
Each of us is enriched by the presence of God everywhere, in every blade of grass, in every beam of light, in every prayer, and in every truth in every scripture.
–Caroline Myss (1952-
