Thomas A Kempis Quotes

If you can talk and it's convenient to talk, try to say things that edify.

Many deceive themselves, imagining they'll find happiness in change.

It is vanity to desire a long life and to take no heed of a good life.

Study, therefore, to withdraw the love of your soul from all things that are visible, and turn it to things that are invisible.

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

If your heart were sincere and upright, every creature would be unto you a looking-glass of life and a book of holy doctrine.

Renounce all things, and thou shalt find all things; give up thy lust, and thou shalt find rest.

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

Simplicity reaches out after God; purity discovers and enjoys Him.

Let nothing disturb thee, Let nothing affright thee; All passeth away: God only shall stay. Patience wins all: Who hath God, needeth nothing; For God is his All.

Happy is the man who renounces everything which may bring a stain or burden upon his conscience

So passes away the glory of this world. ('Sic transit gloria mundi.')

Pass no rash condemnation on other peoples words or actions.

Set not thyself to attain much rest, but much patience.

It is futile to wish for a long life, and then to give so little care to living well.

Would to God that we might spend a single day really well!

Whatever you do, do it with intelligence, and keep the end in view.

He who knows himself well is mean and abject in his own sight, and takes no delight in the vain praise of men.

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

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

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.

If thou hadst simplicity and purity, thou wouldst be able to comprehend all things without error, and behold them without danger. The pure heart safely pervades not only heaven, but hell.

The humble live in continuous peace, while in the hearts of the proud are envy and frequent anger.

Salvation by the cross. [Lat., In cruce salus.]

God evaluates by this criterion: How much love you invest in what you do is more important than how you do. The one who loves much is actually the one who does much.

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.

He that avoideth not small faults, by little and little falleth into greater.

It is thy duty often times to do what thou wouldst not; thy duty too, to leave undone that thou wouldst do.

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

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

Temptations discover what you are.

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

Trust not to your feelings for whatever they might be now, they will quickly be changed towards some other thing.

The better you understand yourself the less cause you will find to love yourself.

The more spiritual a man desires to be, the more bitter does his present life become to him; because he sees more clearly and perceives more sensibly the defects of human corruption.

If you seek Jesus in all things you will surely find Jesus. And if you seek yourself, you will surely find yourself, but only to your ruin.

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.

I can take credit for only two things: pride and sin.

No man is without his load of trouble.

Love flies, runs, and rejoices; it is free and nothing can hold it back.

Now is the time to be doing, now is the time to be stirring, now is the time to amend myself.

Love Him, and keep Him for thy Friend, who, when all go away, will not forsake thee, nor suffer thee to perish at the last.

No one is qualified to converse in public except those contented to do without such conversation.

It is better to be affected with a true penitent sorrow for sin than to be able to resolve the most difficult cases about it.

Of two evils we must always choose the least.

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

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

Permit no hour to go by without it due improvement.

It is much safer to obey than to rule.

For man plans, but God arranges.