If a man's patience is stronger than his whims and desires, then he is like an angel, but if his whims and desires are stronger than his patience, then he is like a devil. If his desire for food, drink and sex is stronger than his patience, then he is no better than an animal.
Ibn Qayyim Al-JawziyyaAs you can taste a pot full of food with a spoon likewise someone's tounge can tell you about his heart.
Ibn Qayyim Al-JawziyyaThere are no means of attaining faith and certainty except through the Qur'an.
Ibn Qayyim Al-JawziyyaAnd if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill his emptiness.
Ibn Qayyim Al-JawziyyaThere is no captive in a worse state than the one who is captivated by his worst enemy (Shaytan) and there is no prison which is tighter than the prison of hawa (desire) and there is no bond/fetter more strong than the bond of desire. How, then, will a heart which is captivated, imprisoned and fettered travel unto Allah and the Home of the Hereafter?
Ibn Qayyim Al-JawziyyaO you who sold yourself for the sake of something that will cause you suffering and pain, and which will also lose its beauty, you sold the most precious item for the cheapest price, as if you neither knew the value of the goods nor the meanness of the prize. Wait until you come on the Day of Mutual Loss and Gain and you will discover the injustice of this contract.
Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya