The mystic cannot wholly do without symbol and image, inadequate to his vision though they must always be: for his experience must be expressed if it is to be communicated, and its actuality is inexpressible except in some hint or parallel which will stimulate the dormant intuition of the reader.
Evelyn UnderhillThe direction and constancy of the will is what really matters, & intellect & feeling are only important in so far as they contribute to that.
Evelyn UnderhillThe first question here, then, is not "What is best for my soul?" nor is it even "What is most useful to humanity?" But-transcending both these limited aims-what function must this life fulfill in the great and secret economy of God?
Evelyn UnderhillA saint is simply a human being whose soul has ... grown up to its full stature, by full and generous response to its environment, God. He has achieved a deeper, bigger life than the rest of us, a more wonderful contact with the mysteries of the Universe; a life of infinite possibility, the term of which he never feels that he has reached.
Evelyn UnderhillNever forget that the key of the situation lies in the will & not in the imagination.
Evelyn UnderhillLove is creative. It does not flow along the easy paths, spending itself in the attractive. It cuts new channels, goes where it is needed.
Evelyn UnderhillFor the most part, of course, the presence of the great spiritual universe surrounding us is no more noticed by us than the pressure of air on our bodies, or the action of light. Our field of attention is not wide enough for that; our spiritual senses are not sufficiently alert. Most people work so hard at developing their correspondence with the visible world, that their power of correspondence with the invisible is left in a rudimentary state.
Evelyn Underhill