Saint Teresa of Avila Quotes
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My good works, however wretched and imperfect, have been made better and perfected by Him Who is my Lord: He has rendered them meritorious. As to my evil deeds and my sins, He hid them at once. The eyes of those who saw them, He made even blind; and He has blotted them out of their memory.
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The devil put before me that I could not endure the trials of the religious life, because of my delicate nurture. I defended myself against him by alleging the trials which Christ endured, and that it was not much for me to suffer something for His sake; besides, He would help me to bear it.
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I am more afraid of those who are terrified of the devil than I am of the devil himself.
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Prayer is an act of love; words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love.
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To have courage for whatever comes in life - everything lies in that.
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In a state of grace, the soul is like a well of limpid water, from which flow only streams of clearest crystal. Its works are pleasing both to God and man, rising from the River of Life, beside which it is rooted like a tree.
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For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.
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Be gentle to all and stern with yourself.
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Don't let your sins turn into bad habits.
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If God should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept this gladly.
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Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.
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There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.
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Pain is never permanent.
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To reach something good it is very useful to have gone astray, and thus acquire experience.
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If I should say anything that is not in conformity with what is held by the Holy Roman Catholic Church, it will be through ignorance and not through malice. This may be taken as certain, and also that, through God's goodness, I am, and shall always be, as I always have been, subject to her.
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May God protect me from gloomy saints.
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I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible.
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All things must come to the soul from its roots, from where it is planted.
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I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him.
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It is no small misfortune and disgrace that, through our own fault, we neither understand our nature nor our origin.
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We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can - namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us.
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If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend.
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Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything.
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Our body has this defect that, the more it is provided care and comforts, the more needs and desires it finds.