When the Spirit dwells in a person, prayer never from then on departs from his soul. Whether he is eating or drinking or sleeping or whatever else he is doing, even in deepest sleep, the fragrance of prayer rises without effort in his heart. Prayer never again deserts him. Even his silence is prayer, and the movements of his heart are like a secret and silent voice that sings to God.
–Saint Isaac of Syria (Seventh Century)
To be full of things is to be empty of God. To be empty of things is to be full of God.
–Meister Eckhart (1260-1328)
What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.
–Meister Eckhart (1260-1328)
Be prepared for the cross, and have it ever before your eyes: strive to give no cause for complaint to others and bear patiently with their faults.
–Saint John of Avila (1500–1569)
Let us fast from all consolation in any creature, so that, as our souls dwell in solitude, God may come and fill them, because they are empty of all else.
–Saint John of Avila (1500-1569)
The Holy Spirit takes away the hunger our heart feels when wandering amongst creatures, and fills it with the bread of fulness and satisfaction.
–Saint John of Avila (1500–1569)
