The conditions of a solitary bird are five: The first, that it flies to the highest point; The Second, that it does not suffer for company, not even of its own kind; The Third, that it aims its beak to the skies; The Fourth, that it does not have a definite color; The Fifth, that it sings very softly.
John of the CrossIt is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others.
John of the CrossObedience is a penance of reason, and, on that account, a sacrifice more acceptable than all corporal penances and mortifications.
John of the Cross