Teresa of Ávila Quotes

You should each do your duty; and, if this is not appreciated by your superior, you may be sure that it will be appreciated and rewarded by the Lord.

Sidnummer 36, sida 40 (Hus 3)
All things obstruct us while prudence rules our actions; we are afraid of everything and therefore fear to make progress — as if we could reach the inner chambers while others make the journey for us! As this is impossible, sisters, for the love of God let us exert ourselves, and leave our reason and our fears in His hands, paying no attention to the weaknesses of nature which might retard us.

damos mil caídas y tropiezos y erramos el camino por no poner los ojos -como digo- en el verdadero camino. Parece que nunca se anduvo, según se nos hace nuevo.

Vilka omdömen som än må fällas om detta, vad som är av vikt är att Gud blir en smula mer prisad och förstådd, sen må hela världen skrika hur den vill.

Truth suffers, but never dies.

It is a dangerous thing to be satisfied with ourselves.

Lord of ours is so anxious that we should desire Him and strive after His companionship that He calls us ceaselessly, time after time, to approach Him; and this voice of His is so sweet that the poor soul is consumed with grief at being unable to do His bidding immediately; and thus, as I say, it suffers more than

The devil makes you think you are poor and makes even others who practice prayer think this of themselves. And he is somewhat right because you have promised poverty — orally, that is. I say orally, for it is impossible that, if with the heart we understand what we promise and then promise it, the devil could draw us for twenty years and even our whole lives into this temptation; 'impossible,' because we would see that we are deceiving the world and our own selves.

for the devil never slumbers. And the nearer we are to perfection, the more careful we must be, since his temptations are then much more cunning because there are no others that he dare send us;

we shall not fail to observe the fasts, disciplines and periods of silence which the Order commands; for, as you know, if prayer is to be genuine it must be reinforced with these things — prayer cannot be accompanied by self-indulgence.

It is certain that a man who has no need of anyone has many friends: in my own experience I have found this to be very true.

Let’s make the best possible use of our feet first and learn to know ourselves. And yet it seems to me that we will never know ourselves unless we seek to know God. Glimpsing his greatness, we recognize our own powerlessness; gazing upon his purity, we notice where we are impure; pondering his humility, we see how far from humble we are.

Mirad que no son tiempos de creer a todos, sino a los que viereis van conforme a la vida de Cristo.

Much harm may result from bad company and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse rather than what is better.

I saw an angel close by me, on my left side, in bodily form. This I am not accustomed to see, unless very rarely. Though I have visions of angels frequently, yet I see them only by an intellectual vision, such as I have spoken of before. It was our Lord's will that in this vision I should see the angel in this wise. He was not large, but small of stature, and most beautiful — his face burning, as if he were one of the highest angels, who seem to be all of fire: they must be those whom we call cherubim. Their names they never tell me; but I see very well that there is in heaven so great a difference between one angel and another, and between these and the others, that I cannot explain it.