Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds rest in thee.
Confessions · longing
VOICES THAT SHAPED OUR FAITH
The Fathers and Mothers of the Faith
A library of small wisdom from those who walked the road before us.
Love, and do what thou wilt.
Homily on 1 John · love
Late have I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new.
Confessions · longing
He who sings prays twice.
Enarrationes in Psalmos · worship
The Church is the world reconciled.
Sermons · Church
Glory to God for all things.
last words · thanksgiving
Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry.
Homilies on Matthew · prayer
The bee is more honored than other animals not because she labors, but because she labors for others.
Homily on John · service
Make of thy home a Church.
Homilies on Ephesians · family
Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has, requiring an attitude of gratitude.
Homilies · joy
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
attributed · faith
All that I have written seems to me like straw compared to what has been revealed to me.
after his vision, 1273 · humility
There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.
Summa Theologiae · friendship
The things that we love tell us what we are.
Summa Theologiae · love
He was made man that we might be made God.
On the Incarnation · Incarnation
You will not see anyone who is really striving after his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading.
Letters · Scripture
The Word disguised himself by appearing in a body, that He might, as Man, transfer men to Himself.
On the Incarnation · Incarnation
The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry.
Homily on Riches · justice
A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds.
Sermons · holiness
Through the Spirit we acquire a likeness to God.
On the Holy Spirit · sanctification
What has not been assumed has not been healed.
Letter to Cledonius · Incarnation
To make the soul like its Maker — this is the goal of all religion.
Oration · sanctification
Concepts create idols; only wonder grasps anything.
Life of Moses · wonder
He who has the power of dispensing the good gifts of God is judged most worthy of God's gifts.
Sermons · stewardship
The dragon sits by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you.
Catechetical Lectures · vigilance
Have I sinned? Confess it.
Catechetical Lectures · repentance
Christ took on what is ours that we might be sharers in what is His.
On the Unity of Christ · Incarnation
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
Commentary on Isaiah · Scripture
The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning, and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever touching the bottom.
attributed · Scripture
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Letter 36 (paraphrase) · wisdom
No one heals himself by wounding another.
Sermons · mercy
It is better to be silent and be a Christian, than to talk and not be one.
after Ignatius · silence
O Lord, send forth thy light and thy truth.
Death-bed prayer · prayer
I am the wheat of God, and I am ground by the teeth of beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ.
Letter to the Romans · martyrdom
Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King, who hath saved me?
Martyrdom of Polycarp · faithfulness
Let us cleave to those who cultivate peace.
Letter to the Corinthians · peace
Whatever has been spoken aright by any belongs to us Christians.
Second Apology · truth
The glory of God is a living man.
Against Heresies · life
He became what we are that He might make us what He is.
Against Heresies · Incarnation
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
Apologeticus · martyrdom
The soul is made for God, and never rests until it rests in Him.
Homilies on Numbers · longing
He who knows the mystery of the cross and the tomb knows the reasons of all things.
Centuries on Theology · cross
The Word became flesh — and the icon was inevitable.
On the Divine Images · icon
My eyes have seen Him as light.
Hymns of Divine Love · light
Jesus, the very thought of thee, with sweetness fills the breast.
Hymn · adoration
You will find something more in woods than in books.
Letters · wonder
Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.
attributed · witness
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Peace Prayer · peace
Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.
attributed · calling
All the way to heaven is heaven.
Letters · pilgrimage
There is a music of Heaven in all things.
Scivias · music
Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of earth's greenings.
Letters · creation
All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.
Revelations of Divine Love · comfort
The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.
Revelations of Divine Love · joy
At the day of judgment we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done.
The Imitation of Christ · obedience
It is better to feel contrition than to define it.
The Imitation of Christ · humility
Let nothing disturb thee; nothing affright thee.
Bookmark prayer · comfort
Christ has no body now but yours.
attributed · service
In the evening of life, we shall be judged on love alone.
Sayings of Light and Love · love
The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer.
The Practice of the Presence of God · presence
The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.
Pensées · faith
All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.
Pensées · silence
Sing with the spirit, and with the understanding also.
Letters · worship
He that is down need fear no fall.
Pilgrim's Progress · humility
My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage.
Pilgrim's Progress · pilgrimage
Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
Resolutions · time
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can.
Sermons · service
My heart was strangely warmed.
Journal, May 24 1738 · conversion
A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who is not.
attributed · Scripture
Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.
sermon · wisdom
There are three stages in every great work of God: first impossible, then difficult, then done.
attributed · calling
To obey is the highest reach of human grandeur.
Unspoken Sermons · obedience
It is by loving and being loved that one can come nearest the soul of another.
Sir Gibbie · love
Purity of heart is to will one thing.
Upbuilding Discourses · holiness
Faith sees best in the dark.
Journals · faith
My vocation is love.
Story of a Soul · love
Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice.
Story of a Soul · sacrifice
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.
What's Wrong with the World · discipleship
Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.
Orthodoxy · humility
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.
Mere Christianity · heaven
There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.
Letters · hope
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.
Mere Christianity · humility
When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.
The Cost of Discipleship · discipleship
Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.
Letters · courage
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
The Knowledge of the Holy · God
To say He is — is to say nothing; to say He is good is to say something.
The Pursuit of God · God
Trust God and do the next thing.
My Utmost for His Highest · trust
Sit, walk, stand.
Sit, Walk, Stand · identity
Humility is the soul of true prayer.
Humility · prayer
Only one life, twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last.
Poem · calling
In acceptance lieth peace.
His Thoughts Said · peace
There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.
The Hiding Place · comfort
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.
attributed · love
Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.
homily · hope
The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.
address to youth · calling
Worship is what we were made for.
Simply Christian · worship
You are the beloved of God.
Life of the Beloved · identity
Solitude is the furnace of transformation.
The Way of the Heart · silence
There can be no compromise between the truth as it is in Jesus and the falsehood as it is in the world.
Basic Christianity · truth
The gospel is public truth.
The Gospel in a Pluralist Society · truth
Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
attributed · prayer
Peace is the tranquility of order.
City of God · peace