9 quotes
Timely silence, then, is precious, for it is nothing less than the mother of the wisest thoughts.
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480)
With tears we sow seeds of prayer in the earth of the heart, hoping to reap the harvest in joy.
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480)
The perceptive faculty natural to our soul is single, but it is split into two distinct modes of operation as a result of Adam's disobedience.
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480)
The eye of the soul cannot be led astray when its veil, by which I mean the body, is refined to near-transparency through self-control.
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480)
Spiritual discourse always keeps the soul free from self-esteem, for it gives every part of the soul a sense of light, so that it no longer needs the praise of men.
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480)
Whoever loves himself cannot love God.
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480)
No one can love God consciously in his heart unless he has first feared Him with all his heart. Through the action of fear the soul is purified and, as it were, made malleable and so it becomes awakened to the action of love.
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480)
One side of the soul is carried away by the passionate part in man, and we are then captivated by the good things of this life, but the other side of the soul frequently delights in the activity of the intellect and, as a result, when we practice self-restraint, the intellect longs to pursue heavenly beauty.
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480)
So long as the soul is worldly-minded, it remains unmoved and untroubled however much it sees people trampling justice under foot. Preoccupied with its own desires, it pays no attention to the justice of God. When, however, because of its disdain for this world and its love for God, it begins to rise above its passions, it cannot bear, even in its dreams, to see justice set at naught.