“I will” and “I will not” are strangers in this house.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A fault that might easily be overcome at its first appearance becomes unconquerable through passing of time and habitual giving way.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A good life is much better than learning, whether for obtaining or for communicating to others the gifts of the Holy Ghost.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A healthy community must preserve itself and look to its welfare by cutting off its corrupt members in good time, before their rottenness reaches to the parts that are sound.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A judge does ill to believe an accuser, unless on hearing the accused he finds him guilty.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A little holiness and great health of body does more in the care of souls than great holiness and little health.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A little thing well grounded and lasting is better than a great thing that is uncertain and insecure.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A man may be justified in using less care about human concerns; but to serve the immortal God negligently is in no wise to be borne.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A man who finds the path to virtue difficult, yet sets out on it bravely to conquer himself, gains double the reward of those whose mild and slothful nature gives them no trouble.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A man who has control over the motions of his heart gains more by a quarter of an hour’s meditation than another does in many hours.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A man who is secretly depraved and lives among those who delight in uprightness will not remain with them for long.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A man who is subject to motions of anger should not withdraw from the company of others: for such movements are overcome, not by flight, but by resistance.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A member that is torn away from the body receives therefrom neither motion nor feeling, nor any life at all.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A religious ought to be more afraid of the fear of poverty than of poverty itself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A rough and unshapen log has no idea that it can be made into a statue that will be considered a masterpiece, but the carver sees what can be done with it. So many seem to know scarcely anything of the Christian life and do not understand that God can mould them into saints, until they put themselves into the hands of that almighty Artisan.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A soul that desires to make progress in the spiritual life must go in the opposite direction from the devil’s leading.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A superior ought to root out errors immediately, lest, if he wink at them once or twice, custom become law.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A superior ought to treat his subjects in such a way that they may be cheerful, free from sadness, and serve God with a serene mind.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A system of mortification openly pursued, over and above that which one’s rule prescribes, is rightly prohibited; both that we may be mindful that obedience is better than sacrifice, and that we may not extol ourselves foolishly.St. Ignatius of Loyola
A thing is worth just as much as God makes it worth.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Above all we must consider what God will require of us in his judgment, what explanation of our actions he will demand, so that we may arrange our lives to accord with his judgment and not with our own inclination.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Act toward the wicked like the loving mother who is tormented with pity for her sick child, and caresses him with no less ardor when he is ill than when he is strong and well.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Against that vice you should lay hold of those arms to which you feel most moved, and not sound the retreat until, by God’s guidance, you have conquered it.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Against the devil’s daily wiles it is fitting to keep daily watch at stated times, and to enter diligently into oneself, so as to consider all our words, deeds, and thoughts in the presence of God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
All contempt of earthly things will be helpful to union on both sides, for in these self-love, the most dangerous enemy of this union and universal good, is wont to wander.St. Ignatius of Loyola
All for the greater glory of God! St. Ignatius repeats these words and their like 376 times in his Constitutions.St. Ignatius of Loyola
All of us are bound by a common obligation to rejoice in the good and profit of God’s image, which he redeemed with the precious Blood of his only begotten Son.St. Ignatius of Loyola
All the good things God has created, weighed against prison, fetters, and disgrace, should count for nothing at all.St. Ignatius of Loyola
All the honey of all the flowers in the world is not so sweet as the gall and vinegar of the Lord Jesus.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Almost the whole life of religious bodies lies in the maintenance of their first fervor.St. Ignatius of Loyola
An innocent and holy life, it is true, in itself counts for much, and is to be preferred far above all else; but unless it be combined with prudence in your relations with other men, it will be weak and insecure.St. Ignatius of Loyola
As cleanliness that is modest and sober is the token of a composed and ordered mind, so if it is excessive—and this usually arises from eagerness to please—it is to be accounted as neglect.St. Ignatius of Loyola
As far as possible give no foothold to sloth, the source of all evils.St. Ignatius of Loyola
As often as we manifest others’ failings we show up our own.St. Ignatius of Loyola
As one who strives to cast out an evil thought gains a great reward in heaven, so he who does not consent to good inspirations runs a grave risk of falling into great evils.St. Ignatius of Loyola
As we have made a bad use of the powers of our body and mind in acting against God’s law, so, now that by penance we have been restored to grace, let us use the same powers to amend our lives.St. Ignatius of Loyola
As we hold those dearer whom we find immovable in firmness of heart and manly virtue, so shall we more severely chastise their smallest faults.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Ask God for grace to suffer much. To whom God gives this he gives a great gift: all his other benefits are included in this single one.St. Ignatius of Loyola
At one moment the devil takes away all fear, lest you fall: at another he increases it, that you may yield: and both to your destruction.St. Ignatius of Loyola
At times the devil torments a man so that he is, as it were, out of his mind: and hence it is that we sometimes put down to nature or sickness what ought to be ascribed to temptation.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Attend as much as you can to this, that you regard one another kindly, so that there may be natural love between you.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Avoid all obstinacy; but when you have begun a thing well, stick to it, and do not basely flee through weariness or despair.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Behold, with heartfelt and deep sorrow, in what great ignorance of God everyone remains!St. Ignatius of Loyola
Better great prudence and ordinary holiness than great holiness and little prudence.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Better the forsaking of one’s own will than the gift of raising the dead.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Better to die a violent death than to live for vanity.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Better to get what you want by a request or a gift than by fighting for it.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Beware of condemning any man’s action. Consider your neighbor’s intention, which is often honest and innocent, even though his act seems bad in outward appearance.St. Ignatius of Loyola
But if anyone has without sufficient consideration chosen a course from which he may lawfully withdraw, it remains that when he begins to repent of doing so, he should make up for his wrong choice by good life and zealous deeds.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Change of climate does not involve change of life. The imperfect man will be much the same wherever he is, until he has forsaken himself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Charity and kindness unwedded to truth are not charity and kindness, but deceit and vanity.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Check impulse with impulse, habit with habit, as one nail is blunted with another.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Children may be brought to virtuous ways and actions by presents and sweetmeats, as a pet animal by those who smile at it.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Conquer yourself; for if you do this you will gain a brighter crown in heaven than others who are meeker by nature.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Count yourselves but worthless, mean-spirited, cowardly, and slothful if there be one man found at court who, to gain an earthly king’s favor, obeys his commands more faithfully than you do those of the King of heaven, in order that you may be found pleasing in his sight.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Desire to be openly known to everyone, both inwardly and outwardly.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Do everything you do without expecting praise: but let everything you do be such as cannot justly be blamed.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Do not be familiar with or at the beck and call of everyone, but consult the Spirit as to whom he most urges you.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Do not look upon what you spend on natural needs as lost to religion.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Do not put off the mortification of your body or your passions till old age, which is uncertain and cannot endure hardness.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Do not use asperity toward those of little strength, lest the degree of evil that may arise with its consequent despair be much greater than the good to be expected from a severe rebuke.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Do nothing and write nothing that may be the occasion of any bitterness or harsh words.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Dwell not for a single night under the same roof with a man whose soul you know to be burdened with grievous sin.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Even if I had all the money in the world, I would not give a penny to the man who by his own fault has become unworthy of the religious state.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Even though they gave only equal, and not greater, glory to God, yet poverty, contempt, and a reputation for foolishness should be chosen with Christ rather than wealth, honor, and the repute of learning, since by choosing the former we more closely follow him.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Every Christian ought in love to prefer rather to turn to good another’s doubtful opinion or proposal than to condemn it.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Everything you say and do will come to light: remember that what you say in secret will be shouted from the housetops.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Experience shows that the most frequent contradictions are followed by the greatest fruit.St. Ignatius of Loyola
For correction to be of any use, either he who corrects must have authority, or he who is corrected proved love.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Give me humility, O Lord, but of such a kind that it permits of and includes the love of thee.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Give me only thy love and thy grace, O Lord, and I am rich enough; I ask for nothing more.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Go and set the whole world on fire.St. Ignatius of Loyola
God has chosen you out lest miserable and transitory human concerns should keep your mind ensnared and your heart distracted this way and that.St. Ignatius of Loyola
God has much more regard for the interests of a man who puts himself and his own concerns in the second place and God’s service first, than the man himself would have if he preferred his own business to God’s.St. Ignatius of Loyola
God is no blind moneychanger; he values love’s works more than its words.St. Ignatius of Loyola
God leads us by a twofold way: one, unknown because hidden, is taught by himself; the other he allows to be shown us by men.St. Ignatius of Loyola
God would readily give us much greater graces if our perverse wills did not stand in the way of his bounty.St. Ignatius of Loyola
God’s liberality will supply in abundance from its own store the gain that he sees you despise for his sake.St. Ignatius of Loyola
God’s supreme goodness, mighty love, and fatherly care are more ready freely to bestow perfection on us than we are to seek it out.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Great is the error of those who, blinded by self-love, think that they are being obedient when by some argument they bring their superior to agree to what they themselves want.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Great is the liberality of God: from him I obtain what I cannot get from men. Though they give me nothing, I shall gain all things from God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Has God put you into this world so that you may live as if there were no such things as heaven and hell? Is getting saved so easy a business that you need not trouble yourself about it?St. Ignatius of Loyola
He lives the blessed life who, so far as possible, has his mind continually fixed on God and God in his mind.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who carries God in his heart bears heaven with him wherever he goes.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who fears men much will never do anything great for God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who has God lacks nothing, though he has nought else.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who is going to enter religion must know that he will not find continual calm and rest therein unless he cross the threshold with both feet, the will and the judgment, at once.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who is making a choice ought to examine himself whether the affection that he has towards anything arises solely from love of God and regard to him.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who is sick may safely refrain from the tasks of those in good health, and be content to make up for them by equanimity and patience, without ruining his body by toil.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who is zealous soars with wondrous speed in a few moments to a degree of virtue that the slothful cannot reach after many years.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who knows God knows how to raise his mind immediately to God’s love, not only when he beholds the starry heavens, but even on considering a blade of grass, or the smallest thing of any kind.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who loves perfection must be filled with humility like a lamp with oil: for lamps are full within and give light without, and their influence makes itself felt in whatever direction they are turned.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who seeks to scale the heights must go far down into the depths.St. Ignatius of Loyola
He who wants to do great things in God’s service must beware above all else not to be too clever.St. Ignatius of Loyola
How earth stinks in my nostrils when I look up to heaven!St. Ignatius of Loyola
How few people realize what God would do for them if they were to give themselves up wholly into his hands!St. Ignatius of Loyola
How few there are who use for their salvation the gift of Jesus’ Blood!St. Ignatius of Loyola
How great a risk salvation and innocence run amid those storms and tempests that are roused at one moment by the raging whirlwind of goods and wealth, at another by honor and glory, at another by pleasure!St. Ignatius of Loyola
How greatly mistaken are those who, while thinking themselves to be full of the spirit, are eager for the government of souls!St. Ignatius of Loyola
How much a man loses, not only of liberty but of authority, who accepts gifts!St. Ignatius of Loyola
However great your poverty, spare no expense that nothing may be wanting for the welfare of the sick.St. Ignatius of Loyola
I am at wondrous peace with the world so long as I do not make war on it, forgetting the tongue of my native land: but let me go forth to the camp, and you will see the whole city rise up against me while I fight on every side.St. Ignatius of Loyola
I am glad when the good are well and the bad ill: so that the former may use all their strength for God’s glory, and the latter may be led to him as they grow weaker.St. Ignatius of Loyola
I beseech you in the grace of Jesus Christ, forget those things that are behind, and as if you had just begun your long journey for the first time, set out eagerly on the way of virtue with unwearied step.St. Ignatius of Loyola
I care but little for the fear of slavery or death that you put before me: the only fear that troubles me is the fear of offending God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
I leave it to your good sense to decide which is better: to say now to all that is earthly, What does it profit a man? Or to cry in vain later on, What did it profit?St. Ignatius of Loyola
I would have every one of you above all things to be glowing with a pure and sincere love of Jesus Christ our Savior, and with a zeal for God’s glory and your neighbor’s salvation.St. Ignatius of Loyola
I would not have the emotions, particularly anger, to be entirely extinguished and dead in those who are in authority, but kept in proper control.St. Ignatius of Loyola
I would rather have God’s servants remarkable for virtue than for numbers, and manifest rather by the reality of their service than their repute for it.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If a man is not moved to forsake all that is his for God, let him nonetheless refer all things to him; many though they be, they will always be less than that one thing that Christ called needful.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If a man publicly reviles princes or magistrates, he rather gives rise to harm and scandal than offers a remedy.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If a man wants to reform the world, either by reason of the authority of his position or the duty of his office, he must begin with himself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If a soldier in time of war fights better to gain worthless glory and spoil than you, who from the victory you strenuously obtain are to gain eternal glory in the kingdom of heaven, you are soldiers of Christ neither in name nor in fact.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If discretion seem to you a rare thing and hard to obtain, supply the lack of it by obedience: have recourse to that, and you will be safe.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If ever you find ignorant or malicious people calumniating you, pray God that the things they say may never be true.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If God makes you suffer greatly, it is a sign that he wants to make you a great saint.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If it were possible for one who loved God to be damned without fault of his own, he could easily bear all the pains of hell save the blasphemies of the damned against God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If signs are to be asked from God, the keeping of the precepts alone should require more and clearer signs than the keeping of the counsels.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If the body complains of being mortified on the pretext that it is ill, it is not to be listened to in the hope of ease, but chastised by the substitution of some other equal mortification.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If the devil urges you to sin by an unwonted onslaught of evil thoughts, you must have recourse also to unwonted remedies for the sudden attack as well as to the usual ones.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If the guide God chooses for you to follow were only a little dog, you should not complain, but at God’s command follow it willingly and gladly.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If the pricks of a still partly untamed nature call forth from us words or deeds unsuited to our profession, so we must repress them all the more severely when they are obedient to us.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If we were to die now, what would happen to us? What account should we give of the many riches, graces, and companions left to perish through our means?St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you are asked for anything you think it would be harmful to give, take care, though you refuse what is asked, to retain the asker’s friendship.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you begin by winning your own approval, you will easily command that of others.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you do not lack humility and meekness, so neither will you lack God’s goodness to aid you.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you find you have fallen, do not despair; even falls are an aid to well-being.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you promise anything for tomorrow, do it today rather than put it off.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you seek peace and tranquillity, you will certainly not find them so long as you have a cause of disturbance and turmoil within yourself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you want to be of use to others, begin by taking pains with yourself: the fire that is to enkindle others should be lighted at home.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you want to bring anything to a successful conclusion, you must accommodate yourself to the task, not the task to yourself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you want to know what God requires of you, you must first of all put aside all affection and preference for one thing rather than another.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you want to make progress in love, speak about love; for holy conversation, like a breeze, fans the flame of charity.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you wish to live among and mix with your fellows securely, you must esteem it a matter of the first importance to be equally affected to all and partial to none.St. Ignatius of Loyola
If your neighbor’s sin is so manifest that you cannot in honesty excuse it, blame not the sinner but the violence of his temptation, remembering that you yourself might have fallen as badly or even worse.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In a house that is well ordered the elders should live the life of the young, the younger the life of the mature, so that the former may display the keenness of youth, the latter the judgment of full age.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In helping our neighbor we should be like the angels, who neglect no kind of toil in their care for men’s salvation, yet lose none of their blessed and everlasting peace, whatever their success.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In houses over which a calm and undisturbed tranquility is always brooding, it will go hard but some evils will make their nest.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In judging of what you are to choose, you should consider not the plausibility of appearances, but look forward to the end.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In my heart I hear a music that has no words, a harmony that has no sound: yet so gladsome is what I hear that nothing in the world can be compared thereto.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In order that a man’s natural gifts may be put to account for the salvation of souls, they must be set in motion by interior virtue, and strength obtained thereby for doing things well.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In particular, do not embark on affairs of public interest, which will be open to the observation and criticism of the many, unless you foresee a way of bringing them to a successful conclusion.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In some matters silence is better than speech. When Truth is its own apologist, it needs no help from style.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In the matter of your neighbor’s salvation authority is necessary, but not the kind that partakes of the vain authority of the world.St. Ignatius of Loyola
In your good works and holy exercises, avoid all sloth and lukewarmness as your worst enemy.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is a great help to progress to possess a friend who is privileged to point out to you your failings.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is a mistake to measure a man’s progress by his look, his gestures, his good nature, or his love of solitude, when it ought to be estimated from the violence he does himself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is a mistake to spend on prayer the efforts that ought to be directed to getting the affections under control.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is best to converse with seculars of matters relating to salvation in the morning, and of profane matters after midday.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is better to go on living without the certainty of blessedness, and serve God and seek your neighbor’s salvation the while, than to die at once with the assurance of glory.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is but just that we should be deprived of divine consolation, seeing how lukewarm we are in spiritual things.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is certain that the lazy will never come to peace of mind or the perfect possession of virtue, since they do not conquer themselves; while the diligent easily obtain both in a few days.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is dangerous to make everybody go forward by the same road: and worse to measure others by oneself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is far better to procure a mere morsel of some one good thing safely than to gain a hundred at the risk of your salvation.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is God’s habit of his goodness to defend most skillfully what the devil attacks most bitterly.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is God’s habit to put just so much value on anything as that thing is joined to him as an instrument for doing good.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is hard to tarry on earth, unless your conversation be rather in heaven and in God through charity than on earth and with yourself: like the sun’s rays, which shine forth from the sun and endure, so long as their life is in the sun.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is not enough that I should serve God by myself: I must help the hearts of all to love him and the tongues of all to praise him.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is not fitting that those who are implicated in their own affairs should immediately turn to the things of the soul: that would be like casting a hook without worm or bait.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is part of a good religious to urge men to the service not of their prince but of God, that he may show that in choosing such a Lord he has done the best thing possible.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is stupid to neglect an immediate opportunity of serving God in the hope of doing something greater in future: for it may well be that you will lose the one without gaining the other.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is the devil’s habit to do his business out of doors rather than at home. God, on the other hand, works at man and moves him inwardly rather than outwardly.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is the part of a reasonable man not only to curb his passions to prevent them from coming to light either in word or deed, but also to rule them in such a way that everything is done by reason, nothing on impulse.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is the part of a truly prudent man to put no trust in his own prudence, especially in regard to his own concerns, of which a man whose mind is disturbed can hardly be a good judge.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is the part of God and of every good angel to infuse true spiritual joy into the soul.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It is wrong to entrust difficult and dangerous affairs to the strength of young people.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It often happens that others’ works are impeded for our sake, when we ought to manifest our own to others.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It should constantly be our care to see God’s presence in everything, and not only to raise our minds to him when we are at prayer.St. Ignatius of Loyola
It would indeed be a great miracle if God left destitute of his help those who for the sake of his love have given up the power to help themselves.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Just as it is harmful to defame superiors in public, so it is worthwhile to admonish in private those who, if they would, could amend evils.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Know a man thoroughly before becoming his friend.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Less knowledge, more virtue!St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let everyone set before himself for his imitation those whom he sees to be noteworthy for zeal and greatness of spirit.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let he who is rich strive to possess his goods, not be possessed by them.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let it be your principle to allow others who are worldlywise to begin the conversation, but keep the end for yourself, so that whatever be the metal of the speech, you may have a chance of transmuting it into gold.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let one man’s salvation be more to you than all the riches in the world.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let superiors take care not to estrange their subjects by asperity; a mere suspicion of severity is harmful.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let the capable ruler beware lest some particular affection endanger his general charity.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let the workman remember that his material is not gold, but clay, and let him keep a sharp eye on himself, lest he permit in himself a blemish such as he works hard to remove from others.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let us go forth eagerly, sure that whatever cross we have to bear will not be without Christ, and that his aid, more powerful than all the plots of our enemies, will always be with us.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let us think of nothing but serving God: he will readily provide whatever else we need.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let your first rule of action be to trust in God as if success depended entirely on yourself and not on him: but use all your efforts as if God alone did everything, and yourself nothing.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let your garb, as is fitting, be decent, in accordance with local custom, and suitable to your condition and profession.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Let your modesty be a sufficient incitement, yea, an exhortation to everyone to be at peace on their merely looking at you.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Life would be unbearable to me if I found lurking in my soul anything human and not wholly divine.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Listening is easier than speech.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Lord, what do I want, what can I want, apart from thee?St. Ignatius of Loyola
Love even the most abandoned: love whatever faith in Christ remains in them: if they have lost this, love their virtues; if these have gone, love the holy likeness they bear, love the blood of Christ through which you trust they are redeemed.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Make no decision about anything when the mind is biased either by affection or by great dejection. Put it off till the anxiety has disappeared, so that you may do what mature reason, not impulse, dictates.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Many folk are drawn to love virtue more through its being commended by a man they esteem than for its own sake.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Many things, often even good ones, can be left undone, and things done that, though they do not amount to sins, ought not to be done, for the sake of men whom we desire to profit.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Mary grieves more at her Son’s being offended by men’s sins than she did for his crucifixion.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Meditation and converse with God constrains the power of free nature and checks its impulses.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Men of great virtue, though their learning for their neighbors’ help be small, preach more eloquently and persuade their people to goodness more powerfully by their appearance than they could by rhetorical skill, however highly instructed they were.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Much more danger lurks in making light of little sins than of great ones.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Negligence and lukewarmness always make labor a sad business for the slothful.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Never contradict anybody, with cause or without; but always accept what others approve.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Never say or do anything until you have asked yourself whether it will be pleasing to God, good for yourself, and edifying to your neighbour.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Never tickle a man’s ears with promises too great for your actions to correspond with them.St. Ignatius of Loyola
No created thing can give rise to any gladness in the soul that is worthy of comparison with the joy of the Holy Ghost.St. Ignatius of Loyola
No man is to be offended, least of all those who, if they were our enemies, might impede our progress in God’s service and in zeal for the general welfare.St. Ignatius of Loyola
No one should call himself a friend of Christ unless he cherishes those souls that Christ redeemed by the shedding of his Blood.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Not only ought you to continually love and cherish each other but to communicate that love to all men.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Nothing is hard to a man whose will is set on it, especially if it be a thing to be done out of love.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Nothing is sweeter than loving God—in such a way that you endure great things for his love.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Nothing makes religious more contemptible in the world’s eyes than to see them divided into parties and sects among themselves.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Nothing more desirable or gladsome can happen than to die for Christ’s sake and our neighbor’s salvation.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Nothing resists the truth for long: it may be assailed, but never overcome.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Nothing that is not in itself evil is to be put away because abuse of it is possible: to do so would shut the way to a great increase of God’s glory.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Nothing worthy of God can be done without earth being set in uproar and hell’s legions roused.St. Ignatius of Loyola
O God of supreme goodness, how canst thou endure so foul a sinner as I?St. Ignatius of Loyola
O God, if men only knew what thou art!St. Ignatius of Loyola
Often, especially when one has but lately embarked on a better life, a scruple is of no little help to the mind empty of spiritual things.St. Ignatius of Loyola
One rare and exceptional deed is worth far more than a thousand commonplace ones.St. Ignatius of Loyola
One who is bound by so great an obligation to serve God as you are must not be content with ordinary labor and service.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Penitence should include contrition of heart, confession of the lips, and satisfaction in act.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Persecution is the bellows that fans the flame of our virtue: if it were lacking—which God forbid—our strength would die away and not perform its task rightly.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Praise and thanksgiving to God our Creator, from whose infinite liberality and bounty overflows the fullness and fruit of all good things.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Prudence belongs not to the one who obeys command, but to the one who gives it.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Rare indeed are good workmen of the kind that seek not their own things, but the things of Jesus Christ.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Rare indeed is the man who knows all his weaknesses of all kinds, unless God specially reveals them to him.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Religious who try to serve God in ways detrimental to their Rule pull down the tree in order to pluck the fruit.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Seek to be held a fool by all men, that God may account you wise.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Self-love does a great deal; frequently it deludes our mind’s eye so as to make us think things impossible that, if we saw them clearly, would evidently appear easy and even necessary.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Serving the world halfheartedly matters little; but serving God halfheartedly is not to be borne.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Since the object of our love is infinite, we can always love more and more perfectly.St. Ignatius of Loyola
So order the inner man that its order overflows into the outer.St. Ignatius of Loyola
So that our handling of great affairs may go as we wish, the smallest concerns are to be sent before them, that so we may ask for the great ones the help of him who gives grace to the humble.St. Ignatius of Loyola
So that our self-love may not lead us astray in dealing with matters that concern ourselves, we should think of them as if they concerned others, that thus our judgment may be guided by truth and not by affection.St. Ignatius of Loyola
So you lay your affairs aside till next month or next year? Why, where do you get your confidence that you will live so long?St. Ignatius of Loyola
Speak little, listen much.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Spend whatever is necessary on the care of the sick; we who are well can easily manage with dry bread, if there is nothing else.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Strive after the end to which you are called with all your might, since God has supplied you with so many aids and means thereto.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Success and dryness are equally dangerous to those who are given to prayer: the one tends to make the mind swell with pride, the other provokes it to boredom.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Suffer nothing dirty or disordered about you. At the same time be careful to avoid that affected carefulness that savors of effeminacy and conceit.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Take care lest the children of this world spend more care and attention on transitory things than you do on seeking those that are eternal.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The best kind of mortifications are those that, while their sting is sharper, do less hurt: for by these the body is afflicted both more annoyingly and more lastingly.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The best kind of obedience is that which in its eagerness to obey does not wait either for the necessity of the highest command or the intimation of an order.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The Catholic Church is but one; for as the Bridegroom is one, the Bride must be one also. Between the Bridegroom and the Bride there is one and the same spirit.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The closer we draw to God, the better disposed we are to receive the gifts of his divine bounty.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The closer you bind yourself to God and the more wholeheartedly you give yourself up to his supreme majesty, the more liberal he will be to you.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The concern of serving our neighbor, which extends far and wide on all sides, is gathered up together in holy desires and prayers.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The devil has much joy of a soul that works indiscreetly, without being held in check by him who ought to rule it: for the higher such a one strives to mount, the greater its fall.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The devil never has greater success with us than when he works secretly and in the dark.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The devil often acts in such a way as to curtail the time set apart for meditation or prayer.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The difference between a pious man and a vain one is that the one abstains from earthly things and abounds in spiritual consolations: the other delights in sensuous things and is tormented by interior ones.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The difference between human felicity and the cross of Christ is this, that on tasting the former we loathe it, but the more we drink of the latter, the greater is our thirst.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The evil man is ready to suspect others, like a man attacked by giddiness who thinks that all things are whirling round him, not from any fault of theirs, but because of the disturbed humors of his own head.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The evils of the soul arise from excess, whether of lukewarmness or of fervor.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The evils of vanity and vainglory arise from ignorance and blind self-love.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The fall of one man is a terror to others, and casts a damper on the fervor of many in the way of virtue.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The fullness of God’s consolation is so great that the sweetness of it not only touches the soul, but even overflows to the body.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The good hunter of souls ought to conceal many things as if he did not know them; afterward, when he is master of the will, he can bend the novice in virtue whither he lists.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The grace of speech in conducting necessary business with one’s neighbor is greatly to be desired.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The Holy Ghost, who moves you to make your choice, will easily supply the manner and form of the choice.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The laborers in the Lord’s vineyard should have one foot on the ground, and the other raised to proceed on their journey.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The lover of voluntary poverty should be like a statue, enduring rags or fine linen and purple with unchanged countenance.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The man of prayer must not be cast down in aridity, nor elated when he receives consolation. In dryness let him remember the graces he has enjoyed; and when he feels sensible devotion, let him consider it an alms given him gratis by God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The man who forgets himself and his own welfare for God’s service will have God to look after him.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The man who gazes on heaven with a clear eye will see all the better the darkness of earthly things: for though these emit a certain kind of brilliance, the splendor of heaven darkens all their light.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The man who has turned aside from the world should be like a statue, which refuses neither to be clothed with a rough garment nor to be despoiled of the rich robe it used to wear.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The man who is going forth to labor in the Lord’s vineyard should direct his steps by humility and self-contempt toward what is difficult and hard; for the rest of the building will be safely fixed if it is based on humility for its foundation.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The man who professes to despise the world for Christ’s sake has no country on earth to call his own.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The man who sets about making others better is wasting his time, unless he begins with himself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The more a man withdraws himself from all his friends and acquaintances and from care for all things human, the more progress he will make in the spiritual life.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The more desperate things seem, the more must we hope in God. When man’s aid fails, God’s is close at hand.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The more detached and solitary a soul becomes, the better fitted it grows to seek and find its Creator.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The more exactly a superior knows the whole inner life of his subjects, the more is he able to assist them with greater diligence, love, and care.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The more useful the conversation of one who is fervent with outsiders is if it be good, the more harmful is it if it be dissolute.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The more you converse with and make friends of spiritual men, the greater will be your delight in God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The most precious crown is reserved in heaven for those who do all that they do as zealously as possible: for to do good deeds in not enough by itself; we must do them well.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The providence of our most loving Father and wise Physician purges all the more in this world those whom he most loves, and whom he wishes most speedily to bring after this life to eternal happiness.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The sayings of backbiters are to be refuted by the testimonies of good men; and the mouth of him that speaks iniquity stopped by good deeds.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The sharper you are at noticing other people’s failings, the more apt will you be to overlook your own.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The shortest—almost the only—path to salvation is to turn resolutely away from everything that the world loves and cleaves to.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The soul’s desire is satisfied not by abundance of knowledge, but by an inward feeling and taste for things.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The true religious is he who is wholly free not only from the world but from himself as well.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The way to avoid distress and affliction of mind in this world is to strive to conform our will wholly to God’s.St. Ignatius of Loyola
The wise fisher of men, in order to gain all, ought to attune himself to all, even though his attempts have small success.St. Ignatius of Loyola
There are three sure marks of the good state of a religious house: the observance of the enclosure, of purity, and of silence.St. Ignatius of Loyola
There is but one right kind of ambition: to love God, and as the reward of loving him, to love him more.St. Ignatius of Loyola
There is more to be learnt in one hour at Manresa with God for teacher than all the teachers in the world could impart.St. Ignatius of Loyola
There is no better wood for feeding the fire of God’s love than the wood of the Cross.St. Ignatius of Loyola
There is no storm worse than calm, and no foe more dangerous than to have no foes.St. Ignatius of Loyola
There is no wild beast on earth fiercer, keener, or more persistent in injuring man than the devil, that he may fulfill the desire of his malicious and obstinate mind for our destruction.St. Ignatius of Loyola
There ought to be no questioning whether one’s superior is good or middling or poor: such a distinction takes away the virtue of obedience.St. Ignatius of Loyola
They who, though they indeed do what their superiors order, yet do it unwillingly and without interior consent, are to be numbered with the vilest slaves.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Those who are elegant and foppish should be taught contempt of self and of every kind of preeminence in preference to and before bodily mortification.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Those who are specially remarkable for birth, learning, or wit ought to give themselves up more than ever to selfabnegation, or they will come to greater harm than the humble and unlearned.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Those who are too cautious in matters relating to God seldom do anything great and heroic; a man who is terrified of every little difficulty that may occur does not undertake such things.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Those who have care of souls need nothing so much as courage, lest, while they are looking after others’ salvation, they endanger their own.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Those who in the world would, through nature’s bounty, have met with the best fortune have likewise greater success in zealously showing forth the glory of God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Those who obey with the will alone, while their reason is still unsubdued, walk lamely in the religious life.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Though all men and all reasons persuade us thereto, we should begin no business till we have first consulted God in prayer.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Though by nature alone the assent of the judgment is moved toward what offers the appearance of truth, yet in many things, those namely wherein the evidence of known truth offers no support, it can be bent by the weight of the will to one side rather than the other.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To avoid disputes is a thing not only greathearted and worthy of the peace of the Christian spirit, but it is also justified by results.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To do many things and to mix with many people, yet not to turn aside from either God or oneself, is a great and rare art.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To foresee what we shall have to do, and to call up for judgment what we have done, are the most trustworthy rules for right action.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To gain men’s goodwill in God’s service we must become all things to all men; for men’s hearts are gained by nothing so much as by similarity of habits and interests.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To hate the shortcomings of others too keenly is productive of estrangement rather than amendment, and serves to put people to flight rather than to help them.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To have prevented one single sin is reward enough for the labors and efforts of a whole lifetime.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To leave God for God’s sake is no loss, but great profit, on the soul’s balance sheet.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To one who possesses God nothing troublesome can happen; for God cannot be lost, unless we will to lose him; and all sadness arises from our losing, or fearing to lose, some good thing.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To prevent us doing a good deed, the devil often suggests to us a better: then he raises fresh difficulties and obstacles to prevent our doing that.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To see a religious who seeks nothing but God sad, or one who seeks everything except God happy, is a great miracle.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To seek to bring all men to salvation by one road is very dangerous. He who does so fails to understand how many and various are the gifts of the Holy Ghost.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To subdue the spirit is harder than to afflict the flesh.St. Ignatius of Loyola
To the just man even the strokes of adverse fortune are of profit: while hurting they advantage him, like a dew of precious stones depriving the vine of its leaves to bestow on it a better treasure.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Too frequent punishment is a sign of a rule that is impatient rather than desirous of discipline.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Truth always shines with its own light, while a lie is hidden in darkness: but the mere presence of the reality is enough to dispel that darkness.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Undertake nothing without consulting God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Use and experience teach that it is not the lazy and listless, but the ardent and eager, who enjoy calm and peace of mind in God’s service.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Virtue and holiness of life can do a great deal, almost everything, with men, as well as with God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We are not masters of our body, but God; and so its mortifications cannot be meted out with the same measure to everyone.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We cannot expect too much from God, for with him it is as easy to perform as to will.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We do not learn so much from conversation or argument as from humble recourse to God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We may be quite sure that God is always ready to be liberal, provided he find in us a deep and true humility.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We may fairly hope that together with our spiritual good our earthly good also will not fail to increase.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We must not keep away from the Bread of Angels because we find no sensible delight therein: that would be like perishing of hunger because we had nothing tasty to eat.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We must strive as hard as we can to lay hold of that we follow after, and having entered the way of perfection, attain to what is most perfect.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We must use the same weapons against the devil for our salvation as he abuses for our destruction.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We ought always to hold in suspicion the accusations our body makes against us, for it is accustomed to plead a pretended lack of strength to disguise a yearning to escape hardship.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We ought to consider not only God, but also men for his sake.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We should avoid excessive dealings with women, even those who are religious: for there always arises from it either smoke or fire.St. Ignatius of Loyola
We should be slow to speak and patient in listening to all men, but especially to inferiors. Our ears should be wide open to our neighbor until he seems to have said all that is in his mind.St. Ignatius of Loyola
What is best in itself is not always most useful for everybody, but that should be done which in the actual circumstances is of most profit to each one.St. Ignatius of Loyola
What is poisonous in books spreads far, unless it is opposed at the beginning.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Whatever graces from God you find in yourself, look upon as gold and gems that the goodness of God the goldsmith has mercifully created out of wood fit only for the fire.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Whatever is done without the will and consent of the director is to be imputed to vainglory, not merit.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Whatever suggestion comes to you from any source other than God or your rule is a temptation: hold it suspect.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Whatever you have to suffer that God may will, or that the devil with God’s permission may bring upon you, nevertheless hope in God for victory.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When a superior commands you to do anything, you may still use prudence in doing it.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When an affair has been discussed and decided, do not act until you have slept on it.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When an untamed and intractable horse is piled up with many burdens beyond his strength, spurs are applied to him, not the bridle.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When despair shows itself, man is driven by the evil spirit, at whose instigation nothing is ever done well.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When everything goes as you want it to, put no trust in the continuance of your good fortune, but fear all the more.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When everything goes favorably, beware lest all is not so well as it might be with the service of God.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When I am serving those who are servants of my Lord, I consider that I am doing the service of my Lord himself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When kindness toward a man turns out useless, severity will be useful as an example to others.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When people come to you in order to pass the time, talk to them of death, judgment, and other such grave matters. Thus their attention will be captured, even though they try to be deaf, and you will benefit both yourself and them. Either they will go away the better, or they will abstain from wasting your time in future.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When storms rage against us through no fault of our own, it is a kind of pledge of success in the near future.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When taking the first steps on the road of virtue the old man must be mortified, but in such a way as not to slay the new man.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When the devil cannot bring you to commit sin, he will take a delight in annoying you and filching your peace of mind.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When the devil instills into your mind mean and petty thoughts, turn your memory to the benefits God has shown you in times past.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When the devil meets with a too delicate conscience, he tries to make it much more delicate, and to reduce it to extreme distress, so that it may be so wretchedly disturbed as at last to fall out of the race for spiritual improvement.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When the devil wants to attack and harass a man with peculiar bitterness, he prefers to work at night.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When the devil wants to attack anyone, he first of all looks to see on what side his defenses are weakest or in worst order; then he moves up his artillery to make a breach at that spot.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When you are tempted, summon to your assistance the hope and thought that consolation will shortly follow, especially if by holy struggles you gradually overcome the struggles of despair.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When you render assistance to virtue, you are at the same time having regard to your neighbor’s salvation.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When you say anything in secret, speak as if you were speaking to the whole world.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When you undertake a contest, be sure always to have some support.St. Ignatius of Loyola
When, as is but human, errors are committed by others, you should see in them, as in a mirror, some deformity that needs removing in yourself.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Whether the body be made prone to some fault by softness, or weakened by excessive severity, an account must equally be rendered to God—even though the latter course may seem to have been undertaken for his honor and glory.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Without temperance and moderation, good degenerates into evil and virtue into vice.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Workers for the salvation of souls ought so to labor as to make themselves acceptable not only to God but also to men for his sake; and regulate their zeal for the divine honor by their neighbor’s progress.St. Ignatius of Loyola
You cannot speak of the things of God to any man, even the worst, without his gaining much profit thereby.St. Ignatius of Loyola
You do a great deal by the mere intention of undertaking labor for souls.St. Ignatius of Loyola
You may be sure that the progress you make in spiritual things will be in proportion to the degree of your withdrawal from self-love and concern for your own welfare.St. Ignatius of Loyola
You must attend to both kinds of mortification, interior and exterior; but with this difference, that the former is the principal, to be sought always and by everyone, the latter is to be measured by the circumstances of place, person, and time.St. Ignatius of Loyola
You must strive much harder to tame the inner than the outer man, to break the spirit than the bones.St. Ignatius of Loyola
You owe obedience to your superior not on account of his prudence or goodness or any other gifts of God he may possess, but solely because he stands in God’s place in regard to you.St. Ignatius of Loyola
You should trust in God enough to believe that you could cross the seas on a bare plank if there were no ship.St. Ignatius of Loyola
You will be helped more in procuring another man’s salvation by meekness and humility than by authority; and you will gain your end sooner by yielding than by fighting.St. Ignatius of Loyola
Your cowardice makes the devil bolder, just as women are bold only when they see that their lovers are soft.St. Ignatius of Loyola