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Midnight is not the time to greet a guest.
Caution the doors against both foes and friends,
and try to make the windows understand
their unimportance when the daylight ends.
Persuade the stairs to patience,
and deny the passages their aimless to and fro.
Virtue it is that puts a house at rest.
How well repaid that tenant is, how blest
who, when the call is heard,
is free to take his kindled heart and go.

Self-satisfied joy in one's own works is an injustice and a denial of God who initiates every single good work.  Souls like these make no progress in perfection.

He is within us to sanctify us, so let us ask Him to be Himself our sanctity.

Always be more disposed toward giving to others than giving to yourself, and thus you will not be envious of nor selfish toward your neighbor. This is to be understood from the viewpoint of perfection, for God is angered with those who do not give precedence to His good pleasure over that of men.

Let us struggle without respite. Let us go on, however much we are tired of the struggle. Where would our merit be if we fought only when we feel courageous?

My father was fond of reading good books...These good books together with the care my mother took to have us pray and be devoted to out Lady and to some of the saints began to awaken me.

I assure you that God is much better than you believe. He is content with a glance, a sigh of love. As for me, I find perfection very easy to practice because I have understood it as a matter of taking Jesus by His Heart.

Holiness does not consist in this or that practice; it consists in a disposition of the heart, which makes us always humble and little in the arms of God, well aware of our feebleness, but boldly confident in the Father's goodness.

We must sweeten our minds by charitable thoughts. After that, the practice of patience will become almost natural.

I repeat, it is necessary that your foundation consist of more than prayer and contemplation. If you do not strive for the virtues and practice them, you will always be dwarfs.

Have patience with yourself, the Lord does.

In order to become a temple of the Lord in which He will be pleased to dwell it is necessary to put into practice His teaching and virtues, and the first of these is purity.