Bernard of Clairvaux Quotes
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Let us affectionately love His angels as counselors and defenders appointed by the Father and placed over us. They are faithful; they are prudent; they are powerful; Let us only follow them, let us remain close to them, and in the protection of the God of heaven let us abide.
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It is a fault, not a virtue, to wish your humility recognized and applauded.
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Grace is necessary to salvation, free will equally so - but grace in order to give salvation, free will in order to receive it.
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Action and contemplation are very close companions; they live together in one house on equal terms. Martha and Mary are sisters.
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To serve Mary is a mark of eternal salvation to come.
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There are some who wish to learn for no other reason than that they may be looked upon as learned, which is ridiculous vanity ... Others desire to learn that they may morally instruct others, that is love. And, lastly, there are some who wish to learn that they may be themselves edified; and that is prudence.
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Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts, Thou fount of life, thou Light of men, From the best bliss that earth imparts We turn unfilled to Thee again. We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread, And long to feast upon Thee still: We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead, And thirst our souls from Thee to fill. O Jesus, ever with us stay, Make all our moments calm and bright; Chase the dark night of sin away, Shed o'er the world Thy holy light.
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Love of Mary and devotion to her are a sure sign of obtaining eternal salvation.
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I know by myself how incomprehensible God is, seeing I cannot comprehend the parts of my own being.
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For I have learnt for a fact that nothing so effectively obtains, retains and regains grace, as that we should always be found not high-minded before God, but filled with holy fear.
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Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
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He rightly reads scripture who turns words into deeds.
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Learn first to love yourself, and then you can love me.
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The more I contemplate God, the more God looks on me. The more I pray to him, the more he thinks of me too.
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You wish to see; listen. Hearing is a step toward Vision.
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There is no greater misery than false joys.
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Pride only, the chief of all iniquities, can make us treat gifts as if they were rightful attributes of our nature, and, while receiving benefits, rob our Benefactor of His due glory.
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Believe one who has tried, you shall find a fuller satisfaction in the woods than in the books. The trees and the rocks will teach you that which you cannot hear from the masters.
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Let no one believe that he has received the divine kiss, if he knows the truth without loving it or loves it without understanding it. But blessed is that kiss whereby not only is God recognized but also the Father is loved; for there is never full knowledge without perfect love.
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Pride causes us to use our gifts as though they came from ourselves, not benefits received from God, and to usurp our benefactor's glory.
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Theirs is an endless road, a hopeless maze, who seek for goods before they seek for God.
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Jesus to me is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, a song in the heart.
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When God forgives a sinner who humbly confesses his sin, the devil loses his dominion over the heart he had taken.
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Expect much of God, and he will do much for you.