Thomas Merton

“It is awakening, enlightenment, and the amazing, intuitive grasp by which love gains certitude of God's creative and dynamic intervention in our daily life.”

“Contemplation is essentially a listening in silence, an expectancy.”

“Hence its great enemy is noise — both the noise of the world outside and the inner noise of self-preoccupation.”

“And the small voice is often the voice of truth.”

“The world we have to work with and on, the world that needs us, is everywhere.”

“It is in the office, the factory, the kitchen, the road.”

“There are no holy places and no holy times if every place is not holy.”

“There is no chasm in our lives between God and the world.”

“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?”

“This is the most important of all voyages of discovery.”

“Without it, all the rest are not only useless but disastrous.”

“Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.”

“Real virtue is artless. Real love is artless.”

“Anything that is contrived is not yet humble.”

“Be of good cheer. Trust in God. Trust in yourself.”

“Above all, do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever.”

“Even if your whole world seems upset.”

“There is great value in seeing things in perspective.”

“Aim higher.”