Many appear full of mildness and sweetness as long as everything goes their own way; but the moment any contradiction or adversity arises, they are in a flame, and begin to rage like a burning mountain. Such people as these are like red-hot coals hidden under ashes. This is not the mildness which Our Lord undertook to teach us in order to make us like Himself.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Do not forget that holiness consists not in extraordinary actions, but in performing your duties towards God, yourself and others well.
–Saint Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)
Realize above all that you are in God’s presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor. Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what his mother brings him.
— Saint Romuald of Ravenna (951-1027)
Before reading you should empty your soul of everything. Arouse the desire to know about what is being read. Turn prayerfully to God. Follow what you are reading with attention and place everything in your open heart. If something did not reach the heart, stay with it until it reaches. You should of course read quite slowly. Stop reading when the soul no longer wants to nourish itself with reading. That means it is full. If the soul finds one passage utterly stunning, stop there and read no more… Thus you can take up a little bit each day.
–Saint Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)
If a man wants to reform the world, either by reason of the authority of his position or the duty of his office, he must begin with himself.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
If you seek peace and tranquillity, you will certainly not find them so long as you have a cause of disturbance and turmoil within yourself.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
