Bernard of Clairvaux Quotes
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There are three distinct comings of the Lord of which I know: His coming to men, His coming into men, and His coming against men.
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I have no other masters than the beeches and the oaks.
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A truly obedient man does not discriminate between one thing and another, since his only aim is to execute faithfully whatever may be assigned to him.
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Obey your bishop! "Obey those set over you [Heb 13:17]," the teachers of the Church... I remind you, my dear friends, of what I said when I was with you: do not receive any outside or unknown preacher, unless he be sent by your bishop or preaches with the permission of the pope. For "how shall they preach unless they are sent [Rom 10:15]?"
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Inordinate love for the flesh is cruelty, because under the appearance of pleasing the body, we kill the soul.
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A pretext is never lacking to him who would break with a friend.
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Hell is full of good wishes or desires.
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What does God hate or punish except self-will? Let self-will cease, and there will be no hell. On what does that fire feed except on self-will?
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I do a great wrong in His sight, when I beseech Him that He will hear my prayer, which as I give utterance to it, I do not hear myself. I entreat Him that He will think of me; but I regard neither myself nor Him. Nay, what is worse, turning over corrupt and evil thoughts in mine heart, I thrust a dreadful offensiveness into His presence.
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Death is the gate of life.
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Humility in furs is better than pride in tunics.
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From the best bliss that earth imparts, we turn unfilled to Thee again.
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The spiteful tongue strikes a deadly blow at charity in all who hear him speak and, so far as it can, destroys root and branch, not only in the immediate hearers but also in all others to whom the slander, flying from lip to lip, is afterwards repeated.
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It's not as if grace did one half of the work and free choice the other; each does the whole work, in its own peculiar contribution. Grace does the whole work, and so does free choice - with this one qualification: That whereas the whole is done in free choice, so is the whole done of grace.
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Love me, love my dog.
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If anyone makes himself his own master in the spiritual life, he makes himself scholar to a fool.
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True penance consists in regretting without ceasing the faults of the past, and in firmly resolving to never again commit that which is so deplorable.
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Your actions in passing, pass not away, for every good work is a grain of seed for eternal life.
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Death is the gate of life. Ingratitude is the soul's enemy... Ingratitude is a burning wind that dries up the source of love, the dew of mercy, the streams of grace. You will find something far greater in the woods than you will find in books. Stones and trees will teach you that which you will never learn from masters.
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Love is alone sufficient by itself, it pleases by itself and for it's own sake. It is itself a merit, and itself it's own recompense. It seeks neither cause, nor consequences beyond itself. It is its own fruit, its own object and usefulness. I love because I love you, I love that I may love.
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We find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place in ourselves for those who love us.
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Prayer is a wine which makes glad the heart of man.
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My child, seek those things which make for peace. Cease to stir up the King against the Church, and urge upon him a better course of action. If you will promise to do this, I in return promise to entreat the merciful Lord to grant you offspring.
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Therefore gird yourselves manfully and take up joyful arms for the name of God.