Untilled soil, however fertile it may be, will bear thistles and thorns; so it is with man's mind.

Vocal prayer . . . must be accompanied by reflection. A prayer in which a person is not aware of Whom he is speaking to, what he is asking, who it is who is asking and of Whom, I don't call prayer-however much the lips may move.

I had a father and mother, who were devout and feared God. Our Lord also helped me with His grace. All this would have been enough to make me good, if I had not been so wicked.

Nothing is small if God accepts it.

We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can - namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us.

Souls who do not practice prayer are like people whose limbs are paralyzed.

Do not think you have gained a virtue unless you have first been tried by its opposite.