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If You Can Win Complete Mastery Over Self, You Will Easily Master All Else. To Triumph Over Self Is The Perfect Victory.

-Thomas A Kempis

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If You Can Win

Thomas A Kempis

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If You Can Win Complete Mastery Over Self, You Will Easily Master All Else. To Triumph Over Self Is The Perfect Victory.

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No One Is So Good That He Is Immune From Temptation. We Will Never Be Entirely Free From It. . . . There Is No Order So Holy, No Place So Secret Where There Will Be No Temptation.

In The Morning Fix Thy Good Purpose; And At Night Examine Thyself What Thou Hast Done, How Thou Hast Behaved Thyself In Word, Deed, And Thought.

All Is Vanity But To Love God And Serve Him.

All Men Desire Peace, But Very Few Desire Those Things That Make For Peace.

Do Not Be Influenced By The Importance Of The Writer, And Whether His Learning Be Great Or Small, But Let The Love Of Pure Truth Draw You To Read. Do Not Inquire, Who Said This? But Pay Attention To What Is Said.

Gladly We Desire To Make Other Men Perfect, But We Will Not Amend Our Own Fault.

A Humble Knowledge Of Ourselves Is A Surer Way To God Than Is The Search For Depth Of Learning.

My God, Sweetness Beyond Words, Make Bitter All The Carnal Comfort That Draws Me From Love Of The Eternal And Lures Me To Its Evil Self By The Sight Of Some Delightful Good In The Present. Let It Not Overcome Me, My God. Let Not Flesh And Blood Conquer Me. Let Not The World And Its Brief Glory Deceive Me, Nor The Devil Trip Me By His Craftiness. Give Me Courage To Resist, Patience To Endure, And Constancy To Persevere. Give Me The Soothing Unction Of Your Spirit Rather Than All The Consolations Of The World, And In Place Of Carnal Love, Infuse Into Me The Love Of Your Name.

And When He Is Out Of Sight, Quickly Also He Is Out Of Mind.

Without Labor There Is No Rest, Nor Without Fighting Can The Victory Be Won.

No Man Ruleth Safely But He That Is Willingly Ruled.

O Lord, Self-renunciation Is Not The Work Of One Day, Nor Children's Sport; Yea, Rather In This Word Is Included All Perfection.

I Would Far Rather Feel Remorse Than Know How To Define It.

Carefully Avoid In Yourself Those Things Which Distrub You In Others.

Grant Me Prudently To Avoid Him That Flatters Me, And To Endure Patiently Him That Contradicts Me.

As Iron Cast Into Fire Loses Its Rust And Becomes Glowing White, So He Who Turns Completely To God Is Stripped Of His Sluggishness And Changed Into A New Man.

Let Not Therefore Thy Heart Be Troubled, Neither Let It Fear. Trust In Me, And Put Thy Confidence In My Mercy. When Thou Thinkest Thyself Farthest Off From Me, Oftentimes I Am Nearest Unto Thee. When Thou Countest Almost All To Be Lost, Then Oftentimes The Greatest Gain Of Reward Is Close At Hand. All Is Not Lost, When Any Thing Falleth Out Contrary. Thou Oughtest Not To Judge According To Present Feeling; Nor So To Take Any Grief, Or Give Thyself Over To It.

Too Many Instances There Are Of Daring Men, Who By Presuming To Sound The Deep Things Of Religion, Have Cavilled And Argued Themselves Out Of All Religion.

Of Two Evils, The Lesser Must Always Be Chosen De Duobus Malis, Minus Est Semper Eligendum

Our Dependence Upon God Ought To Be So Entire And Absolute That We Should Never Think It Necessary, In Any Kind Of Distress, To Have Recourse To Human Consolations.

He Does Much Who Loves God Much, And He Does Much Who Does His Deed Well.

Salvation By The Cross. [lat., In Cruce Salus.]

Such As Every Man Is Inwardly So He Judgeth Outwardly.

Always Be Ready; Always Live In Such A Way That Death Can Never Find You Unprepared.

Happy Is The Man Who Renounces Everything Which May Bring A Stain Or Burden Upon His Conscience

When Anger Enters The Mind, Wisdom Departs.

Inspirational Life

Man Sees Your Actions, But God Your Motives.

Remember, Your Prerogative Is To Govern, And Not To Serve The Things Of This World.

The More Humble And Obedient To God A Man Is, The More Wise And At Peace He Will Be In All That He Does.

If Thou Be Not Busy For Thyself Now, Who Shall Be Busy For Thee In Time To Come?

If Thou Hadst A Good Conscience Thou Wouldst Not Greatly Fear Death.

He That Seeks Here Any Other Thing But Simply God And The Salvation Of His Soul, Will Find Nothing But Trouble And Sorrow.

Oh, How Great Peace And Quietness Would He Possess Who Should Cut Off All Vain Anxiety And Place All His Confidence In God.

The Enemy Is More Easily Overcome If He Be Not Suffered To Enter The Door Of Our Hearts, But Be Resisted Without The Gate At His First Knock.

O Lord, Thou Knowest That Which Is Best For Us; Let This Or That Be Done, As Thou Shalt Please. Give What Thou Wilt, How Much Thou Wilt, And When Thou Wilt. Deal With Me As Thou Thinkest Best. Place Me Where Thou Wilt, And Deal With Me In All Things Just As Thou Wilt. Behold, I Am Thy Servant, Prepared For All Things: I Desire Not To Live Unto Myself, But Unto Thee; And Oh, That I Could Do It Worthily And Perfectly!

Love Is Swift, Sincere, Pious, Joyful, Generous, Strong, Patient, Faithful, Prudent, Long-suffering, Courageous, And Never Seeking Its Own; For Wheresoever A Person Seeketh His Own, There He Falleth From Love.

It Is Vanity To Desire A Long Life And To Take No Heed Of A Good Life.

If You Carry Your Cross Joyfully, It Will Carry You.

Whoever Puts His Confidence In Men Or In Any Creature Is Very Foolish.

Love Is Watchful. Sleeping, It Does Not Slumber. Wearied, It Is Not Tired. Pressed, It Is Not Straitened. Alarmed, It Is Not Confused, But Like A Living Flame, A Burning Torch, It Forces Its Way Upward And Passes Unharmed Through Every Obstacle.

If You Bear The Cross Unwillingly, You Make It A Burden, And Load Yourself More Heavily; But You Must Bear It.

Whoever Would Fully And Feelingly Understand The Words Of Christ, Must Endeavor To Conform His Life Wholly To The Life Of Christ.

The Reflections On A Day Well Spent Furnish Us With Joys More Pleasing Than Ten Thousand Triumphs.

By Two Wings A Man Is Lifted Up From Things Earthly: By Simplicity And Purity.

The More Spiritual A Man Desires To Be, The More Bitter Does His Present Life Become To Him; Because He Sees More Clearly And Perceives More Sensibly The Defects Of Human Corruption.

Inspirational Life

Be Therefore Thankful For The Least Gift, So Shalt Thou Be Worthy To Receive Greater.

Man Considers The Actions, But God Weighs The Intentions.

So Fixed Are Our Spirits In Slothfulness And Cold Indifference That We Seldom Overcome So Much As One Evil Habit.

May Not Be Your Peace In The Mouth Of The Men; Since No Matter If They Thing Good Or Bad About You, You Should Not Be A Different Man Because Of That.

A Book Has But One Voice, But It Does Not Instruct Everyone Alike.

Don't Flatter The Rich, Or Appear To Willing Before The Great.

To Say That I Am Made In The Image Of God Is To Say That Love Is The Reason For My Existence, For God Is Love.

It Is Easier Not To Speak A Word At All Than To Speak More Words Than We Should.

We Would Willingly Have Others Perfect, And Yet We Amend Not Our Own Faults. We Would Have Others Severely Corrected And Will Not Be Corrected Ourselves. The Large Liberty Of Others Displeases Us, And Yet We Will Not Have Our Own Desires Denied Us. We Will Have Others Kept Under By Strict Laws, But In No Sort Will Ourselves Be Restrained. And Thus It Appears How Seldom We Weigh Our Neighbor In The Same Balance With Ourselves.

Trust Not To Friends And Kindred, Neither Do Thou Put Off The Care Of Thy Soul's Welfare Til Hereafter; For Men Will Sooner Forget Thee Than Thou Art Aware Of.

Let This Be Thy Whole Endeavor, This Thy Prayer, This Thy Desire,-that Thou Mayest Be Stripped Of All Selfishness, And With Entire Simplicity Follow Jesus Only.

We Should Have Much More Peace If We Would Not Busy Ourselves With The Sayings And Doings Of Others.

As Iron Put Into The Fire Loseth Its Rust And Becometh Clearly Red-hot, So He That Wholly Turneth Himself Unto God Puts Off All Slothfulness, And Is Transformed Into A New Man.

For The Multitude Of Worldly Friends Profiteth Not, Nor May Strong Helpers Anything Avail, Nor Wise Counselors Give Profitable Counsel, Nor The Cunning Of Doctors Give Consolation, Nor Riches Deliver In Time Of Need, Nor A Secret Place To Defend, If Thou, Lord, Do Not Assist, Help, Comfort, Counsel, Inform, And Defend.

How Seldom We Weigh Our Neighbor In The Same Balance With Ourselves.

If Thou Canst Not Make Thyself Such An One As Thou Wouldst, How Canst Thou Expect To Have Another In All Things To Thy Liking?

Simplicity And Purity Are The Two Wings By Which A Man Is Lifted Above All Earthly Things. Simplicity Is In The Intention - Purity In The Affection. Simplicity Tends To God, - Purity Apprehends And Tastes Him.

For Things That Worth Little Or Nothing We Care A Lot; And We Oversight What Is Necessary; Because Every Man Goes Towards The Exterior; And If He Doesn't Regain Consciousness Quickly, With Pleasure Remain Involved In It.

Now Is The Time To Be Doing, Now Is The Time To Be Stirring, Now Is The Time To Amend Myself.

Let All Your Thoughts Be With The Most High, And Direct Your Humble Prayers Unceasingly To Christ. If You Cannot Contemplate High And Heavenly Things, Take Refuge In The Passion Of Christ, And Love To Dwell Within His Sacred Wounds. For If You Devoutly Seek The Wounds Of Jesus And The Precious Marks Of His Passion, You Will Find Great Strength In All Troubles.

Occasions Do Not Make A Man Either Strong Or Weak But They Show What He Is.

It Is Better To Have But Little Knowledge With Humility And Understanding, Than Great Learning Which Might Make You Proud. For A Person's Merits Are Not To Be Estimated By Having Many Visions, Or By Knowledge Of The Bible, Or By Being Placed In A Higher Position; But By Being Grounded In True Humility, And By Seeking Always, Purely, And Entirely, The Honor Of God.

Do Not Read To Satisfy Curiosity Or To Pass The Time, But Study Such Things As Move Your Heart To Devotion.

He Who Knows Himself Well Is Mean And Abject In His Own Sight, And Takes No Delight In The Vain Praise Of Men.

Bodily Exercises Are To Be Done Discreetly; Not To Be Taken Evenly And Alike By All Men.

In Jesus And For Him, Enemies And Friends Alike Are To Be Loved.

God Evaluates By This Criterion: How Much Love You Invest In What You Do Is More Important Than How You Do. The One Who Loves Much Is Actually The One Who Does Much.

God Is Able To Do More Than Man Can Understand.

He That Avoideth Not Small Faults, By Little And Little Falleth Into Greater.

God Often Gives In One Brief Moment That Which He Has For A Long Time Denied.

A Wise And Good Man Will Turn Examples Of All Sorts To His Own Advantage. The Good He Will Make His Patterns, And Strive To Equal Or Excel Them. The Bad He Will By All Means Avoid.

Don't Think So Much About Who Is For Or Against You, Rather Give All Your Care, That God Be With You In Everything You Do.

Always Keep A Good Distance Between Yourself And Lying, Quarreling, Detracting, Insulting And Gossip. The Person Who Can Do That Will Some Day Learn To Enjoy The Silence.

Of What Use Is A Long Life, If We Amend So Little? Alas, A Long Life Often Adds To Our Sins Rather Than To Our Virtue!

Set Me Free From Evil Passions, And Heal My Heart Of All Inordinate Affections; That Being Inwardly Cured And Thoroughly Cleansed, I May Be Made Fit To Love, Courageous To Suffer, Steady To Persevere.

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind. The Absent Are Always In The Wrong.

Of Sight Out Of Mind

Blessed Are The Simple, For They Shall Have Much Peace.

To Take No Account Of Oneself, But Always To Think Well And Highly Of Others Is The Highest Wisdom And Perfection.

At The Least Bear Patiently, If Thou Canst Not Joyfully.

He Does Much Who Loves Much.

We Are Sometimes Stirred By Emotion And Take It For Zeal.

It Thou Seek Rest In This Life, How Wilt Thou Then Attain To The Everlasting Rest? Dispose Not Thyself For Much Rest, But For Great Patience. Seek True Peace--not In Earth, But In Heaven; Not In Men, Nor In Any Other Creature, But In God Alone.

When Comfort Is Withdrawn, Do Not Be Cast Down, But Humbly And Patiently Await The Visitation Of God. He Is Able And Powerful To Give You More Grace And More Spiritual Comfort Than You First Had.

A Man Of Peace Does More Good Than A Very Learned Man.

To Be Able To Live Peaceably With Hard And Perverse Persons, Or With The Disorderly, Or With Such As Go Contrary To Us, Is A Great Grace.

Caution Is Crediting, And Reserve In Speaking, And In Revealing One's Self To But Very Few, Are The Best Securities Both Of A Good Understanding With The World, And Of The Inward Peace Of Our Own Minds.

Oh, How Swiftly The Glory Of The World Passes Away!

If You Bear The Cross Gladly, It Will Bear You.

He Is Truly Great That Is Little In Himself, And That Maketh No Account Of Any Height Of Honors.

Great Tranquility Of Heart Is His Who Cares For Neither Praise Nor Blame.

How Sweet It Is To Love, And To Be Dissolved, And As It Were To Bathe Myself In Thy Love.

And If Thy Heart Be Straight With God Then Every Creature Shall Be To Thee A Mirror Of Life And A Book Of Holy Doctrine For There Is No Creature So Little Or So Despised But That Sheweth And Representeth The Goodness Of God.

The Good Devout Man First Makes Inner Preparation For The Actions He Has Later To Perform. His Outward Actions Do Not Draw Him Into Lust And Vice; Rather It Is He Who Bends Them Into The Shape Of Reason And Right Judgement. Who Has A Stiffer Battle To Fight Than The Man Who Is Striving To Conquer Himself.

Restrain An Inordinate Desire For Knowledge, In Which Is Found Much Anxiety And Deception. Learned Men Always Wish To Appear So, And Desire Recognition Of Their Wisdom. But There Are Many Matters, Knowledge Of Which Brings Little Or No Advantage To The Soul.

Be At Peace With Yourself First And Then You Will Be Able To Bring Peace To Others.

Oh, How Quickly The World's Glory Passes Away.

Pass No Rash Condemnation On Other Peoples Words Or Actions.

If Thou Art Willing To Suffer No Adversity, How Wilt Thou Be The Friend Of Christ?

Love Is A Great Thing...which Alone Maketh Every Burden Light.. Love Is Watchful, And While Sleeping, Still Keeps Watch; Though Fatigued, It Is Not Weary; Though Pressed, It Is Not Forced. Love Is Sincere, Gentle, Strong, Patient, Faithful, Prudent, Long-suffering, And Manly. Love Is Humble And Upright, Not Weak, Not Fickle, Nor Intent On Vain Things; Sober Chaste, Steadfast, Quiet, And Guarded In All The Senses.

Permit No Hour To Go By Without It Due Improvement.

O Lord, You Know What Is Best For Me. Let This Or That Be Done, As You Please. Give What You Will, How Much You Will, And When You Will.

Love Alone Makes Heavy Burdens Light And Bears In Equal Balance Things Pleasing And Displeasing. Love Bears A Heavy Burden And Does Not Feel It, And Love Makes Bitter Things Tasteful And Sweet.

But Because Many Endeavor To Get Knowledge Rather Than To Live Well, They Are Often Deceived And Reap Little Or No Benefit From Their Labor.

Christ Was Willing To Suffer Wrongs And To Be Despised, And Do You Dare To Complain Of Anything?.

Learned Arguments Do Not Make A Man Holy And Righteous, Whereas A Good Life Makes Him Dear To God.

Praise Adds Nothing To Your Holiness, Nor Does Blame Take Anything From It. You Are What You Are, And You Cannot Be Said To Be Better Than You Are In God's Sight.

The Better You Understand Yourself The Less Cause You Will Find To Love Yourself.

If You Wish To Live In Peace And Harmony With Others, You Must Learn To Discipline Yourself In Many Ways.

Anyone Who Thinks Hard Work Will Never Hurt You Has Never Had To Pay To Have It Done. Jesus Now Has Many Lovers Of His Heavenly Kingdom, But Few Bearers Of His Cross.

Our Own Opinion Of Ourselves Should Be Lower Than That Formed By Others, For We Have A Better Chance At Our Imperfections.

No One Can Obtain From The Pope A Dispensation For Never Dying. [lat., Nemo Impetrare Potest A Papa Bullam Numquam Moriendi.]

Out Of Two Evils, The Less Is Always To Be Chosen.

Study, Therefore, To Withdraw The Love Of Your Soul From All Things That Are Visible, And Turn It To Things That Are Invisible.

First Keep Peace With Yourself, Then You Can Also Bring Peace To Others.

If You Desire To Know Or Learn Anything To Your Advantage, Then Take Delight In Being Unknown And Unregarded. A True Understanding And Humble Estimate Of Oneself Is The Highest And Most Valuable Of All Lessons.

For They Truly Know Their Lord In The Breaking Of Bread, Whose Heart Within Them So Vehemently Burneth, Whilst Thou, O Blessed Jesus, Dost Walk And Converse With Them.

The Intention Which Is Fixed On God As Its Only End Will Keep People Steady In Their Purposes, And Deliver Them From Being The Joke And Scorn Of Fortune.

Thou Wilt Always Rejoice In The Evening, If Thou Spend The Day Profitably.

Leave Off That Excessive Desire Of Knowing; Therein Is Found Much Distraction. There Are Many Things The Knowledge Of Which Is Of Little Or No Profit To The Soul.

Blessed Is The Pilgrim, Who In Every Place, And At All Times Of This His Banishment In The Body, Calling Upon The Holy Name Of Jesus, Calleth To Mind His Native Heavenly Land, Where His Blessed Master, The King Of Saints And Angels, Waiteth To Receive Him. Blessed Is The Pilgrim Who Seeketh Not An Abiding Place Unto Himself In This World; But Longeth To Be Dissolved, And Be With Christ In Heaven.

There Is No Creature So Small And Abject, That It Representeth Not The Goodness Of God.

Goodness Of God

For A Small Reward, A Man Will Hurry Away On A Long Journey; While For Eternal Life, Many Will Hardly Take A Single Step.

The Measure Of Every Man’s Virtue Is Best Revealed In Time Of Adversity - Adversity That Does Not Weaken A Man But Rather Shows What He Is.

Confidence Is The Illusion Born Of Accidental Success.

Endeavor To Be Patient In Bearing With The Defects And Infirmities Of Others, Of What Sort 'soever They Be; For That Thyself Also Has Many Failings Which Must Be Borned With By Others.

The Glory Of The Good Is In Their Consciences, And Not In The Tongues Of Men.

Do Not Try To Find A Place Free From Temptations And Troubles. Rather, Seek A Peace That Endures Even When You Are Beset By Various Temptations And Tried By Much Adversity.

You Will Never Be An Inwardly Religious And Devout Man Unless You Pass Over In Silence The Shortcomings Of Your Fellow Men, And Diligently Examine Your Own Weaknesses.

Constantly Choose Rather To Want Less, Than To Have More.

He Is Truly Great Who Is Little In His Own Eyes And Makes Nothing Of The Highest

The Loftier The Building, The Deeper Must The Foundation Be Laid.

Purity And Simplicity Are The Two Wings With Which Man Soars Above The Earth And All Temporary Nature.

Two Wings Lift A Person Up From Earthly Concerns: Simplicity In Intention, And Purity In Feeling.

Whoever Finds Jesus, Finds A Rich Treasure, And A Good Above Every Good. He Who Loses Jesus Loses Much Indeed, And More Than The Whole World. Poorest Of All Is He Who Lives Without Jesus, And Richest Of All Is He Who Stands In Favor With Jesus.

Patience Is Necessary In This Life Because So Much Of Life Is Fraught With Adversity. No Matter How Hard We Try, Our Lives Will Never Be Without Strife And Grief. Thus, We Should Not Strive For A Peace That Is Without Temptation, Or For A Life That Never Feels Adversity. Peace Is Not Found By Escaping Temptations, But By Being Tried By Them. We Will Have Discovered Peace When We Have Been Tried And Come Through The Trial Of Temptation.

For Man Plans, But God Arranges.

Do What Lieth In Thy Power, And God Will Assist In Thy Good Will.

We Are Often Moved With Passion And Think It To Be Zeal.

Cling, Therefore, To Jesus In Life And Death; Trust Yourself To The Glory Of Him Who Alone Can Help You When All Others Fail.

Anyone Who Is Not Totally Dead To Himself Will Soon Find That He Is Tempted And Overcome By Piddling And Frivolous Things. Whoever Is Weak In Spirit, Given To The Flesh And Inclined To Sensual Things Can, But Only With Great Difficulty, Drag Himself Away From His Earthly Desires. Therefore He Is Often Gloomy And Sad When He Is Trying To Pull Himself Away From Them, And Easily Gives Way To Anger Should Someone Attempt To Oppose Him.

Thy Peace Shall Be In Much Patience.

Count Not Thyself To Have Found True Peace, If Thou Hast Felt No Grief; Nor That Then All Is Well If Thou Hast No Adversary; Nor That This Is Perfect, If All Things Fall Out According To Thy Desire.

All Earthly Joy Begins Pleasantly, But At The End It Gnaws And Kills.

Jesus Has Many Lovers Of His Kingdom Of Heaven, But He Has Few Bearers Of His Cross. Many Desire His Consolation, But Few Desire His Tribulation. He Finds Many Comrades In Eating And Drinking, But He Finds Few Hands Who Will Be With Him In His Abstinence And Fastingbut Those Who Love Jesus Purely For Himself, And Not For Their Own Profit Or Convenience, Bless Him As Heartily In Temptation And Tribulation And In All Other Adversities As They Do In Time Of Consolation. And If He Never Sent Them Consolation, They Would Still Bless And Praise Him.

Love Feels No Burden, Thinks Nothing Of Trouble, Attempts What Is Above Its Strength, Pleads No Excuse Of Impossibility; For It Thinks All Things Lawful For Itself, And All Things Possible.

It Is Better To Be Affected With A True Penitent Sorrow For Sin Than To Be Able To Resolve The Most Difficult Cases About It.

Be Not Angry That You Cannot Make Others As You Wish Them To Be, Since You Cannot Make Yourself As You Wish To Be.

There Is No Man In This World Without Some Manner Of Tribulation Or Anguish, Though He Be King Or Pope.

Have Therefore Zeal To Better Thyself And Then Mayst Thou Have Zeal To Thy Neighbor.

Man Proposes, But God Disposes. [lat., Nam Homo Proponit, Sed Deus Disponit.]

The More The Flesh Is Wasted By Affliction, So Much More Is The Spirit Strengthened By Inward Grace.

What Canst Thou See Elsewhere Which Thou Canst Not See Here? Behold The Heaven And The Earth And All The Elements; For Of These Are All Things Created.

Scruples, Temptations, And Fears, And Cutting Perplexities Of The Heart, Are Often The Lot Of The Most Excellent Persons.

A Pure, Sincere, And Stable Spirit Is Not Distracted Though It Be Employed In Many Works; For That It Works All To The Honor Of God, And Inwardly Being Still And Quiet, Seeks Not Itself In Any Thing It Doth.

Activate Yourself To Duty By Remembering Your Position, Who You Are, And What You Have Obliged Yourself To Be.

The Acknowledgment Of Our Weakness Is The First Step In Repairing Our Loss.

Renounce All Things, And Thou Shalt Find All Things; Give Up Thy Lust, And Thou Shalt Find Rest.

If You Can Talk And It's Convenient To Talk, Try To Say Things That Edify.

If You Can Win Complete Mastery Over Self, You Will Easily Master All Else. To Triumph Over Self Is The Perfect Victory.

Remain Tranquil And Prepare To Bear Still Greater Trials. All Is Not Lost Even Though You Be Troubled Oftener Or Tempted More Grievously. You Are A Man, Not God. You Are Flesh, Not An Angel. How Can You Possibly Expect To Remain Always In The Same State Of Virtue When The Angels In Heaven And The First Man In Paradise Failed To Do So? I Am He Who Rescues The Afflicted And Brings To My Divinity Those Who Know Their Own Weakness.

Whatever You Do, Do It With Intelligence, And Keep The End In View.

It Is Futile To Wish For A Long Life, And Then To Give So Little Care To Living Well.

It Is Much Safer To Be Subject Than It Is To Command. Many Live In Obedience More From Necessity Than From Love. Such Become Discontented And Dejected On The Slightest Pretext; They Will Never Gain Peace Of Mind Unless They Subject Themselves Wholeheartedly For The Love Of God.

So Passes Away The Glory Of This World. ('sic Transit Gloria Mundi.')

One Who Views Thing As They Are In Reality, And Not As They Are Said Or Thought To Be, Is Truly Wise, Taught By God Rather Than By Other Persons

If Thou May Not Continually Gather Thyself Together, Do It Sometime At Least Once A Day, Morning Or Evening.

Nothing Is Sweeter Than Love, Nothing More Courageous, Nothing Higher, Nothing Wider, Nothing More Pleasant, Nothing Fuller Nor Better In Heaven And Earth; Because Love Is Born Of God, And Cannot Rest But In God, Above All Created Things.

Let Nothing Disturb Thee, Let Nothing Affright Thee; All Passeth Away: God Only Shall Stay. Patience Wins All: Who Hath God, Needeth Nothing; For God Is His All.

How Should Thy Patience Be Crowned In Heaven If None Adversity Should Befall To Thee In Earth? If Thou Wilt Suffer None Adversity How Mayest Thou Be The Friend Of Christ?

For It Is The Grace Of Christ, And Not Our Own Virtue, That Gives Us The Power To Overcome The Flesh And The World.

Who Is So Wise As To Have A Perfect Knowledge Of All Things? Therefore Trust Not Too Much To Thine Own Opinion, But Be Ready Also To Hear The Opinion Of Others. Thought Thine Own Opinion Be Good, Yet If For The Love Of God Thou Foregoest It, And Followest That Of Another, Thou Shalt The More Profit Thereby.

Remember Always Your End, And That Lost Time Does Not Return.

Both Above And Below, Without And Within, Which Way So Ever Thou Dost Turn Thee, Everywhere Thou Shalt Find The Cross; And Everywhere Of Necessity Thou Must Hold Fast Patience, If Thou Wilt Have Inward Peace, And Enjoy An Everlasting Crown.

He Will Be With You Also, All The Way, That Faithful God. Every Morning When You Awaken To The Old And Tolerable Pain, At Every Mile Of The Hot Uphill Dusty Road Of Tiring Duty, On To The Judgment Seat, The Same Christ There As Ever, Still Loving You, Still Sufficient For You, Even Then. And Then, On Through All Eternity.

Some People Are Tempted Most Strongly At The Beginning Of Their Spiritual Life, Others Near The End. Some Are Troubled All Their Lives. Still Others Receive Only Light Temptation. Such Things Are Decided By God, And We Can Trust His Wisdom.

At The Day Of Judgment We Shall Not Be Asked What We Have Read But What We Have Done.

The Humble Live In Continuous Peace, While In The Hearts Of The Proud Are Envy And Frequent Anger.

All Men Commend Patience, Although Few Are Willing To Practice It.

Love Is Active And Sincere, Courageous, Patient, Faithful, Prudent And Manly.

Let Temporal Things Serve Thy Use, But The Eternal Be The Object Of Thy Desire.

God Deceiveth Thee Not.

A Life Without Purpose Is A Languid, Drifting Thing; Every Day We Ought To Review Our Purpose, Saying To Ourselves: This Day Let Me Make A Sound Beginning, For What We Have Hitherto Done Is Naught!

If You Seek Jesus In All Things You Will Surely Find Jesus. And If You Seek Yourself, You Will Surely Find Yourself, But Only To Your Ruin.

Finding Yourself

Love Longs To Be Free, A Stranger To Every Worldly Desire, Lest Its Inner Vision Become Dimmed, And Lest Worldly Self-interest Hinder It Or Ill-fortune Cast It Down.

He Who Loves With Purity Considers Not The Gift Of The Lover, But The Love Of The Giver.

We Usually Know What We Can Do, But Temptation Shows Us Who We Are.

Of Two Evils We Must Always Choose The Least.

Therefore, A Man Ought To Root Himself So Firmly In God That He Will Not Need The Consolations Of Men.

Whoever Strives To Withdraw From Obedience, Withdraws From Grace.

Sweet Shall Be Your Rest If Your Heart Does Not Reproach You.

What Thou Art, That Thou Art; That God Knoweth Thee To Be And Thou Canst Be Said To Be No Greater.

If Your Heart Were Sincere And Upright, Every Creature Would Be Unto You A Looking-glass Of Life And A Book Of Holy Doctrine.

Be Thankful For The Smallest Blessing, And You Will Be Worthy To Receive Greater.

Though Weary, It Is Not Tired: Though Pressed It Is Not Straightened; Though Alarmed, It Is Not Confounded; But As A Living Flame It Forces Itself Upwards And Securely Passes Through All.

The Only Safe Ruler Is He Who Has Learned To Obey Willingly.

Obeying The Law

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