Whenever conscience commands anything, there is only one thing to fear, and that is fear.

The more we see that any action springs not from the motive of obedience, the more evident is it that it is a temptation of the enemy; for when God sends an inspiration, the very first effect of it is to infuse a spirit of docility.

Holy church-that mother who is also a queen because she is a king's bride.

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

Our greatest gain is to lose the wealth that is of such brief duration and, by comparison with eternal things, of such little worth; yet we get upset about it and our gain turns to loss.

What a miserable life is this! There is no happiness that is secure and nothing that does not change.

This body of ours has one fault: the more you indulge it, the more things it discovers to be essential to it. It is extraordinary how it likes being indulged.