How should thy patience be crowned in heaven if none adversity should befall to thee in earth? If thou wilt suffer none adversity how mayest thou be the friend of Christ?

He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver.

If thou wilt receive profit, read with humility, simplicity and faith, and seek not at any time the fame of being learned.

Few spirits are made better by the pain and languor of sickness; as few great pilgrims become eminent saints.

No man doth safely rule, but he that hath learned gladly to obey.

The more spiritual a man desires to be, the more bitter does his present life become to him; because he sees more clearly and perceives more sensibly the defects of human corruption.

Jesus has many who love the kingdom of God, but few who bear a cross. He has many who desire His comfort, but few who desire His suffering. All want to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for Him. He writes; there are many who admire his miracles, but there are few who follow in the humiliation of the cross.