The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of infirmities.

Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you.

The prayer of one who does not consider himself a sinner is not accepted by the Lord.

Above anything, welcome silence, for it brings fruits that no tongue can speak of, neither can it be explained.

Conquer evil people by gentle kindness, and make zealous people wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion.

Love is the fruit of prayer ... Patiently abiding in prayer signifies a man's renunciation of himself. Therefore the self-denial of the soul turns into love for God.

As a handful of sand thrown into the ocean, so are the sins of all flesh as compared with the mind of God.

The man with a heart cannot think about or see creatures without his eyes filling up with tears because of the immense compassion which seizes his heart.

Someone who bears a grudge while he prays is like a person who sows in the sea and expects to reap a harvest.

The man who follows Christ in solitary mourning is greater than he who praises Christ amid the congregation of men.

This life has been given to you for repentance; do not waste it in vain pursuits.

Anything that smiles often needs to be reminded that the world is a cruel, dark place.

Have faith in your own instinct and your own truth.

If I only drink beer, nothing stronger, then by the end of the night I can generally recognize myself as a reasonable human being, and more importantly, wake up that way.

Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.

Mountains are earth's undecaying monuments.

What strikes me as funny about Elvis is that all the impersonators choose to do the Vegas Elvis; not the young, cool guy, always the bloated fool.

Life is a crucible. We are thrown into it and tried.

Every soldier should learn survival on land, sea, and in the air.

Pot is an insidious drug because it can steal your life away from you, without you even being aware of it. I had a love affair with pot for ten years. Pot was my most devoted partner.

Punishment also includes judgmental labeling and the withholding of privileges.