Thomas a Kempis quotes:

Oh, how great peace and quietness would he possess who should cut off all vain anxiety and place all his confidence in God.

Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility; for it thinks all things lawful for itself, and all things possible.

The acknowledgment of our weakness is the first step in repairing our loss.

Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature.

What most of all hinders heavenly consolation is that you are too slow in turning yourself to prayer.

An humble knowledge of thyself is a surer way to God than a deep search after learning.

Man proposes, but God disposes.

Bear the Cross cheerfully and it will bear you.

What difference does it make to you what someone else becomes, or says, or does? You do not need to answer for others, only for yourself.

Gladly we desire to make other men perfect, but we will not amend our own fault.

The loftier the building, the deeper must the foundation be laid.

But because many endeavor to get knowledge rather than to live well, they are often deceived and reap little or no benefit from their labor.

Never be entirely idle; but either be reading, or writing, or praying or meditating or endeavoring something for the public good.

Out of sight, out of mind. The absent are always in the wrong.

All men commend patience, although few are willing to practice it.

What else does anxiety about the future bring you but sorrow upon sorrow?

At the Day of Judgment, we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done.

First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.

Of two evils we must always choose the least.

Love is a mighty power, a great and complete good. Love alone lightens every burden, and makes rough places smooth. It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable.

All His glory and beauty come from within, and there He delights to dwell, His visits there are frequent, His conversation sweet, His comforts refreshing; and His peace passing all understanding.

Out of two evils, the less is always to be chosen.

It is much safer to be subject than it is to command. Many live in obedience more from necessity than from love. Such become discontented and dejected on the slightest pretext; they will never gain peace of mind unless they subject themselves wholeheartedly for the love of God.

Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.

Remember that lost time does not return.

Love alone makes heavy burdens light and bears in equal balance things pleasing and displeasing. Love bears a heavy burden and does not feel it, and love makes bitter things tasteful and sweet.

Of two evils, the less is always to be chosen.

God often gives in one brief moment that which He has for a long time denied.

If God were our one and only desire we would not be so easily upset when our opinions do not find outside acceptance.

Faith is required of thee, and a sincere life, not loftiness of intellect, nor deepness in the mysteries of God.

Let this be thy whole endeavor, this thy prayer, this thy desire,-that thou mayest be stripped of all selfishness, and with entire simplicity follow Jesus only.

A man is hindered and distracted in proportion as he draws outward things to himself.

A life without purpose is a languid, drifting thing; Every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves: This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught!

For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.

Wait for the Lord. Behave yourself manfully, and be of good courage. Do not be faithless, but stay in your place and do not turn back.

He has great tranquillity of heart who cares neither for the praises nor the fault-finding of men. He will easily be content and pacified, whose conscience is pure. You are not holier if you are praised, nor the more worthless if you are found fault with. What you are, that you are; neither by word can you be made greater than what you are in the sight of God.

And when he is out of sight, quickly also he is out of mind.

Occasions of adversity best discover how great virtue or strength each one hath. For occasions do not make a man frail, but they show what he is.

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

God is able to do more than man can understand.

Don't think so much about who is for or against you, rather give all your care, that God be with you in everything you do.

There is no creature so small and abject, that it representeth not the goodness of God.

It thou seek rest in this life, how wilt thou then attain to the everlasting rest? Dispose not thyself for much rest, but for great patience. Seek true peace--not in earth, but in heaven; not in men, nor in any other creature, but in God alone.

Learn to humble yourself, you are but earth and clay.

In the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross.

In judging others a man laboreth in vain; he often erreth, and easily falleth into sin; but in judging and examining himself he always laboreth to good purpose.

It is no little wisdom for you to keep yourself in silence and in good peace when evil words are spoken to you, and to turn your heart to God and not to be troubled with the judgment of others.

Love is a great thing...which alone maketh every burden light.. Love is watchful, and while sleeping, still keeps watch; though fatigued, it is not weary; though pressed, it is not forced. Love is sincere, gentle, strong, patient, faithful, prudent, long-suffering, and manly. Love is humble and upright, not weak, not fickle, nor intent on vain things; sober chaste, steadfast, quiet, and guarded in all the senses.

Remember always your end, and that lost time does not return.

Love is active and sincere, courageous, patient, faithful, prudent and manly.

Though weary, it is not tired: though pressed it is not straightened; though alarmed, it is not confounded; but as a living flame it forces itself upwards and securely passes through all.

It carries a burden which is no burden; it will not be kept back by anything low and mean; it desires to be free from all wordly affections, and not to be entangled by any outward prosperity, or by any adversity subdued.

Love is a great thing, yea, a great and thorough good. By itself it makes what is heavy light; and bears evenly all that is uneven.

If you cannot mould yourself entirely as you would wish, how can you expect other people to be entirely to your liking?

No one can obtain from the Pope a dispensation for never dying. [Lat., Nemo impetrare potest a papa bullam numquam moriendi.]

Be Yourself -The man who is neither bent upon pleasing his fellows nor afraid of offending them will enjoy great peace.

A sure way of retaining the grace of heaven is to disregard outward appearances, and diligently to cultivate such things as foster amendment of life and fervour of soul, rather than to cultivate those qualities that seem most popular.

Be assured that if you knew all, you would pardon all.

Let all your thoughts be with the Most High, and direct your humble prayers unceasingly to Christ. If you cannot contemplate high and heavenly things, take refuge in the Passion of Christ, and love to dwell within His Sacred Wounds. For if you devoutly seek the Wounds of Jesus and the precious marks of His Passion, you will find great strength in all troubles.

If you wish to live in peace and harmony with others, you must learn to discipline yourself in many ways.

Bodily exercises are to be done discreetly; not to be taken evenly and alike by all men.

Love is swift, sincere, pious, joyful, generous, strong, patient, faithful, prudent, long-suffering, courageous, and never seeking its own; for wheresoever a person seeketh his own, there he falleth from love....

Too many instances there are of daring men, who by presuming to sound the deep things of religion, have cavilled and argued themselves out of all religion.

Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars.

For a little reward men make a long journey; for eternal life many will scarce lift a foot once from the ground. Mean reward is sought after; for a single piece of money sometimes there is shameful striving; for a thing which is vain and for a trifling promise, men shrink not from toiling day and night.

Two things specially avail unto improvement in holiness, namely firmness to withdraw ourselves from the sin to which by nature we are most inclined, and earnest zeal for that good in which we are most lacking.

At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done.

Go where thou wilt, seek what thou wilt, and thou shalt not find a higher way above, nor a safer way below, than the way of the holy Cross."- Thomas A Kempis (The Following of Christ)

Oh, how swiftly the glory of the world passes away!

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.

Who has a harder fight than he who is striving to overcome himself.

Let temporal things be in the use, eternal things in the desire.

The more humble and obedient to God a man is, the more wise and at peace he will be in all that he does.

It is much safer to obey than to rule.

No confict is so severe as his who labors to subdue himself.

You will never be an inwardly religious and devout man unless you pass over in silence the shortcomings of your fellow men, and diligently examine your own weaknesses.

A pure, sincere, and stable spirit is not distracted though it be employed in many works; for that it works all to the honor of God, and inwardly being still and quiet, seeks not itself in any thing it doth.

I would far rather feel remorse than know how to define it.

Let temporal things serve thy use, but the eternal be the object of thy desire.

He will be with you also, all the way, that faithful God. Every morning when you awaken to the old and tolerable pain, at every mile of the hot uphill dusty road of tiring duty, on to the judgment seat, the same Christ there as ever, still loving you, still sufficient for you, even then. And then, on through all eternity.

Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.

Intelligence must follow faith, never precede it, and never destroy it.

There is no man in this world without some manner of tribulation or anguish, though he be king or pope.

It is better to have but little knowledge with humility and understanding, than great learning which might make you proud. For a person's merits are not to be estimated by having many visions, or by knowledge of the bible, or by being placed in a higher position; but by being grounded in true humility, and by seeking always, purely, and entirely, the honor of God.

Simplicity is the intention, purity in the affection; simplicity turns to God, purity unites with and enjoys him.

When comfort is withdrawn, do not be cast down, but humbly and patiently await the visitation of God. He is able and powerful to give you more grace and more spiritual comfort than you first had.

Love longs to be free, a stranger to every worldly desire, lest its inner vision become dimmed, and lest worldly self-interest hinder it or ill-fortune cast it down.

Activate yourself to duty by remembering your position, who you are, and what you have obliged yourself to be.

Occasions do not make a man either strong or weak but they show what he is.

How quickly passes away the glory of this world.

He will easily be content and at peace, whose conscience is pure.

A book has but one voice, but it does not instruct everyone alike.

A disciple once complained, "You tell us stories, but you never reveal their meaning to us." The master replied, "How would you like it if someone offered you fruit and then chewed it up for you before giving it to you?" If your heart is straight with God, then every creature will be to you a mirror of life and a book of holy doctrine.

A humble knowledge of ourselves is a surer way to God than is the search for depth of learning.

A lover of Jesus and of the truth can lift himself above himself in spirit.

A man of peace does more good than a very learned man.

A man that is well ordered in his soul needeth little the unkind demeanor of worldly people nor yet their proud behavior.

A wise and good man will turn examples of all sorts to his own advantage. The good he will make his patterns, and strive to equal or excel them. The bad he will by all means avoid.

Ah, Lord God, thou holy lover of my soul, when thou comest into my heart, all that is within me shall rejoice.

All earthly joy begins pleasantly, but at the end it gnaws and kills.

All is vanity but to love God and serve Him.

All men are frail; but thou shouldst reckon none so frail as thyself.

All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.

Always be ready; always live in such a way that death can never find you unprepared.

Always be thou prepared, and so live that death may never find thee unprepared.

Always keep a good distance between yourself and lying, quarreling, detracting, insulting and gossip. The person who can do that will some day learn to enjoy the silence.

And if thy heart be straight with God then every creature shall be to thee a mirror of life and a book of holy doctrine for there is no creature so little or so despised but that sheweth and representeth the goodness of God.

Anyone who is not totally dead to himself will soon find that he is tempted and overcome by piddling and frivolous things. Whoever is weak in spirit, given to the flesh and inclined to sensual things can, but only with great difficulty, drag himself away from his earthly desires. Therefore he is often gloomy and sad when he is trying to pull himself away from them, and easily gives way to anger should someone attempt to oppose him.

Anyone who thinks hard work will never hurt you has never had to pay to have it done. Jesus now has many lovers of his Heavenly Kingdom, but few bearers of his cross.

As iron cast into fire loses its rust and becomes glowing white, so he who turns completely to God is stripped of his sluggishness and changed into a new man.

As iron put into the fire loseth its rust and becometh clearly red-hot, so he that wholly turneth himself unto God puts off all slothfulness, and is transformed into a new man.

At the day of judgment we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done.

At the least bear patiently, if thou canst not joyfully.

Be at peace with yourself first and then you will be able to bring peace to others.

Be thankful for the least gift, so shalt thou be meant to receive greater.

Be thankful for the smallest blessing and you will deserve to receive greater. Value the least gifts no less than the greatest, and simple graces as especial favors. If you remember the dignity of the Giver, no gift will seem small or mean.

Be thankful for the smallest blessing, and you will be worthy to receive greater.

Blessed are the simple, for they shall have much peace.

Blessed is the pilgrim, who in every place, and at all times of this his banishment in the body, calling upon the holy name of Jesus, calleth to mind his native heavenly land, where his blessed Master, the King of saints and angels, waiteth to receive him. Blessed is the pilgrim who seeketh not an abiding place unto himself in this world; but longeth to be dissolved, and be with Christ in heaven.

Both above and below, without and within, which way so ever thou dost turn thee, everywhere thou shalt find the Cross; and everywhere of necessity thou must hold fast patience, if thou wilt have inward peace, and enjoy an everlasting crown.