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It is wonderful, Lord! It is wonderful, Lord! It is as if, Lord, one might set upright that which had been upturned, or might reveal what was hidden, or might point out the path to one who had gone astray, or might bring an oil lamp into the darkness so that those with eyes might see material shapes.
But maybe I have overlooked something, or misunderstood certain ideas. It cannot be possible that this condition of despair is natural to man.
Man does not know himself and does not know how to use the energies hidden in him, nor does he know that he carries the stars hidden in himself and that he is the microcosm, and thus carries within him the whole firmament with all its influence.
The greatness and the wretchedness of men are so evident that the true religion must necessarily teach us both that there is in man some great source of greatness, and a great source of wretchedness. It must then give us an explanation of these astonishing contradictions. In order to make man happy, it must prove to him that there is a God, and we ought to love Him, that our true happiness is to be in Him, and our sole evil to be separated from Him.
Do you never look at yourself when you criticize another person?
The path of love is a dynamic balance of opposites, a painful creative tension of uncertainties.
Every man’s nature is concealed with many folds of disguise, and covered with various veils. His brows, his eyes, and very often his countenance, are deceitful, and his speech is most commonly a lie.
To win true peace, a man needs to feel himself directed, pardoned, and sustained by a supreme power, to feel himself on the right road, at the point where God would have him be — in harmony with God and the universe. This reliance gives strength and calm.
Let no man think lightly of good, saying in his heart, “It will not benefit me.” As by the falling of raindrops a jar of water is filled, so the wise man becomes full of good, even though he collects it little by little.
Men recognize that in their lives something is wrong, and that something needs improving. Man is able to improve only that one thing which is in his power: himself. But in order to improve oneself one must first of all recognize one’s own deficiencies, and this one does not desire to do.
A little time alone in your own room will prove more valuable than anything else that could even be given to you.
Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it; and with this I begin and end.
I count life just a stuff to try the soul’s strength on.
Your humiliation is your salvation.
Who looks outside, dreams… who looks inside, awakes.
The less tenderness a man has in his own nature, the more he requires if from others.
There is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace and my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him, I will find myself, and if I find my true self, I will find Him.
Happiness is no other than soundness and perfection of the mind.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Love and resentment can never occupy the same space at the same time.