... in this valley of tears we must expect much sorrow and little consolation.

Hell is full of the talented, but Heaven of the energetic.

we must be as satisfied to be powerless, idle and still before God, and dried up and barren when He permits it, as to be full of life, enjoying His presence with ease and devotion. The whole matter of our union with God consists in being content either way.

Suffering borne in the will quietly and patiently is a continual, very powerful prayer before God.

The great method of prayer is to have none. If in going to prayer one can form in oneself a pure capacity for receiving the spirit of God, that will suffice for all method.

There is no danger if our prayer is without words or reflection because the good success of prayer depends neither on words nor on study. It depends upon the simple raising of our minds to God, and the more simple and stripped of feeling it is, the surer it is.

... in this valley of tears we must expect much sorrow and little consolation.