The best thing…
The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them up.
–Dorothy Day (1897-1980)
Wealth consists not…
Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants.
–Esther de Waal
A sinful soul…
A sinful soul, full of passions, cannot have peace and rejoice in the Lord, even if it had charge over all earthly riches, even if it ruled over the whole world. If it was suddenly said to such a king, happily feasting and sitting on his throne, “King, now you will die,” his soul would be troubled and he would tremble with fear, and he would see his powerlessness. But how many beggars there are, whose only wealth is love for God, and who, if you said to them, “You will die now,” would answer peacefully, “Let God’s will be done. Glory to the Lord, that He has remembered me and wants to take me to Himself.”
— Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938)
Material things distract and divide…
Solicitude for material things distracts the soul and divides it. The devil seizes the divided soul and drags it to hell.
–Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Earthly riches are…
Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.
–Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
The world would be better…
The world would be better off if people tried to become better, and people would become better if they stopped trying to become better off. For when everyone tries to become better off nobody is better off. But when everyone tries to become better everyone is better off.
— Dorothy Day (1897-1980)
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