If something has become deeply united with your soul, you should not only regard it as your possession in this life, but believe that it will accompany you into the life to come. If it is something good, rejoice and give thanks to God in your mind; if it is something bad, grieve and sigh, and strive to free yourself from it while you are still in the body.
— Saint Isaac of Syria (Seventh Century)
A small but persistent discipline is a great force; for a soft drop tailing persistently, hollows out hard rock.
— Saint Isaac of Syria (Seventh Century)
Cleanse your mind from anger, remembrance of evil, and shameful thoughts, and then you will find out how Christ dwells in you.
— Saint Maximos the Confessor (580-662)
The more the soul loves, the more it desires to love, and the greater its suffering, the greater its healing.
— Saint Columbanus (543-615)
God wishes us not to rest upon anything but His infinite goodness; do not let us expect anything, hope anything, or desire anything but from Him, and let us put our trust and confidence in Him alone.
— Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.
— Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
