Thomas a Kempis
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.Collection: Order
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?Collection: All Things
Oh how swiftly the glory of the world passes away! If only the lives of these men had been as admirable as their learning, their study and reading would have been to good purpose! But how many in this world care little for the service of God, and perish in their vain learning. Because they choose to be great rather than humble, they perish in their own conceit.Collection: Reading
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.Collection: Love
For it is the grace of Christ, and not our own virtue, that gives us the power to overcome the flesh and the world.Collection: Giving
Know all and you will pardon all.Collection: Forgiveness
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.Collection: Jesus
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.Collection: Love
If you wish to live in peace and harmony with others, you must learn to discipline yourself in many ways.Collection: Spiritual
Be at peace with yourself first and then you will be able to bring peace to others.Collection: Anger
There is no man in this world without some manner of tribulation or anguish, though he be king or pope.Collection: Kings
If thou may not continually gather thyself together, do it sometime at least once a day, morning or evening.Collection: Morning
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.Collection: Giving
Do not let your peace depend on what people say of you... True peace and joy is to be found in [Jesus] alone.Collection: Christian
There is no creature so small and abject, that it representeth not the goodness of God.Collection: God
Simplicity is the intention, purity in the affection; simplicity turns to God, purity unites with and enjoys him.Collection: God
If you cannot mould yourself entirely as you would wish, how can you expect other people to be entirely to your liking?Collection: People
If you bear the cross gladly, it will bear you.Collection: Bears
Study, therefore, to withdraw the love of your soul from all things that are visible, and turn it to things that are invisible.Collection: Soul
Love is a great thing, yea, a great and thorough good. By itself it makes what is heavy light; and bears evenly all that is uneven.Collection: Love Is
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.Collection: Men
Do not let your peace depend on the hearts of men; whatever they say about you, good or bad, you are not because of it another man, for as you are, you are.Collection: Heart
Love wakes much and sleeps little and, in sleeping, does not sleep. It faints is not weary; it is restricted in its liberty and is great freedom. It sees reasons to fear and does not fear, but, like an ember or a spark of fire, flames always upward, by the fervor of its love, toward God, and through the special help of grace is delivered from all perils and dangersCollection: Sleep
Simplicity reaches out after God; purity discovers and enjoys Him.Collection: Simplicity
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.Collection: Men
It is futile to wish for a long life, and then to give so little care to living well.Collection: Life
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.Collection: Jesus
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.Collection: Sight
He is truly great that is great in charity. He is truly great that is little in himself, and maketh no account of any height of honor. And he is truly learned that doeth the will of God, and forsaketh his own will.Collection: Honor
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.Collection: Jesus
We usually know what we can do, but temptation shows us who we are.Collection: Temptation
To take no account of oneself, but always to think well and highly of others is the highest wisdom and perfection.Collection: Wisdom
A man of peace does more good than a very learned man.Collection: Peace
The more the flesh is wasted by affliction, so much more is the Spirit strengthened by inward grace.Collection: Grace
Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from grace.Collection: Grace
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.Collection: Religious
Love is active and sincere, courageous, patient, faithful, prudent and manly.Collection: Love Is
So fixed are our spirits in slothfulness and cold indifference that we seldom overcome so much as one evil habit.Collection: Evil
God is able to do more than man can understand.Collection: God
Scruples, temptations, and fears, and cutting perplexities of the heart, are often the lot of the most excellent persons.Collection: Fear
Sweet shall be your rest if your heart does not reproach you.Collection: Faith
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.Collection: Knowing
O Lord, self-renunciation is not the work of one day, nor children's sport; yea, rather in this word is included all perfection.Collection: Sports
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.Collection: Thinking
It is better to feel repentance, than to be able to define it.Collection: Able
Love Him, and keep Him for thy Friend, who, when all go away, will not forsake thee, nor suffer thee to perish at the last.Collection: Love
No one is qualified to converse in public except those contented to do without such conversation.Collection: Conversation
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.Collection: Heaven
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.Collection: Love