O my God, what must a soul be like when it is in this state! It longs to be all one tongue with which to praise the Lord. It utters a thousand pious follies, in a continuous endeavor to please Him who thus possesses it. – St. Teresa of Avila
In the case of a soul that through its own fault withdraws from this fount and plants itself in a place where the water is black and foul smelling, everything that flows from it is equally wretched and filthy. -St. Teresa of Avila
The more interior the suffering is and the less apparent to the eyes of creatures, the more it rejoices You, O my God! -St. Therese
For often when a person is distracted and forgetful of God, His majesty will awaken it. -St. Teresa of Avila
The center of the soul is God. When the soul loves and understands and enjoys God to its utmost capacity it will have reached its deep center, God. -St. John of the Cross
I must immerse myself in the sacred darkness by putting all my powers in darkness and emptiness…for He wants me to be luminous with His light alone. – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
If you want to find a hidden treasure you must enter the hiding place secretly, and once you have discovered it, you will also be hidden just as the treasure is hidden. Since, then, your beloved Bridegroom is the treasure hidden in a field for which the wise merchant sold…
I am not disturbed at seeing myself weakness itself. On the contrary it is in my weakness that I glory, and I expect each day to discover new imperfections in myself. -St. Therese
Whether you have little or much, He wants everything for Himself. -St. Teresa of Avila
The Beloved cares for nothing else but love. The soul therefore, anxious to please him perfectly, occupies itself unceasingly in pure love of God. -St. John of the Cross