I became evil for no reason. I had no motive for my wickedness except wickedness itself. It was foul, and I loved it. I loved the self-destruction, I loved my fall, not the object for which I had fallen but my fall itself. My depraved soul leaped down from your firmament to ruin. I was seeking not to gain anything by shameful means, but shame for its own sake.

Keep on adding, keep on walking, keep on progressing: do not delay on the road, do not go back, do not deviate.

Teach correctly... Find delight in contemplation.

What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the body of Christ and the chalice is the blood of Christ. This has been said very briefly, which may perhaps be sufficient for faith; yet faith does not desire instruction

Mary heard God's word and kept it, and so she is blessed. She kept God's truth in her mind, a nobler thing than carrying his body in her womb.

Because I do it with one small ship, I am called a terrorist. You do it with a whole fleet and are called an emperor.

Better that I find you, God, and leave the questions unanswered, than to find the answers without finding you.