Wisdom of the Ages

Wisdom expressed through the saints and sages, and passed down throughout the ages, evoke the divine wisdom within us.  Below are quotes from these wise beings to help us on our inner journey.

You need to hold fast to two virtues: kindness toward your neighbor and humility toward God. ___St, Pio of Pietrelcina 

To see love in the moment you must clean the windows of perception.  If you have your full attention in the moment, you will see only love. ___Deepak Chopra

You can never be free as long as you have an ego to defend. ___Anthony de Mello

When the eye is unobstructed, the result is sight.  When the ear is unobstructed, the result is hearing.  When the mind is unobstructed the result is truth.  When the heart is unobstructed, the result is joy and love. ___Anthony de Mello

Prayer is to our soul what Rain is to the soil. ___St. Jean Vianney

Walk cheerfully, and with a sincere and open heart as much as you can, and when you cannot always maintain this holy joy, at least do not lose your trust in God. ___St. Pio of Pietrelcina.

If you don't make peace with your past it will keep showing up in your present. ___Wayne Dyer

Whatever you do, say, or think, let it be for your soul's good. ___St. John Bosco

Let us strive to make the present moment beautiful! ___St. Francis de Sales

A single act of love makes the soul return to life. ___St. Maximillian Kolbe

Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire. ___St. Catherine of Siena

There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen. ___Rumi

Try not to resist the changes that come your way.  Instead let life live through you.  And do not worry that your life is turning upside down.  How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come? ___Rumi

If you wish to go to extremes, let it be in sweetness, patience, humility and charity. ___St. Philip Neri

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image.  Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them, ___Thomas Merton

The world tells us to seek success, power, money; God tells us to seek humility, service and Love. ___Pope Francis

To be a saint is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone. ___Pope Francis

Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. ___Pope Francis

Suffering is part of our training program for becoming wise. ___Ram Dass

To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light. ___Pope Francis

Gossip can also kill because it kills the reputation of the person!  At first it may seem like a nice thing, even amusing, like enjoying a candy.  But in the end, it fills the heart with bitterness, and even poisons us. ___Pope Francis

Meditation can give you that which nothing else can give you.  It introduces you to yourself. ___Sri Swami Rama

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ___Matthew, VI.21

Be not disturbed at being misunderstood.  Be disturbed rather by not being understanding. ___Ancient Chinese Saying

We cannot know what God is, but rather what He is not. ___St. Thomas Aquinas

God gave us Angels to help us, Saints to call upon to pray for us.  He gave us a Mother, His own Mother to be ours too, the Queen of Heaven and Earth to intercede for us and to shower us with Her affection.  You see, even if we can't see God, even if we are in this valley of tears, we have help, we are not alone, it is up to us to call for help. ___Immaculee Ilibagiza

Love is everywhere, but in some places it is blocked by fear. ___Deepak Chopra

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We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless.  The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.  We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. ___Mother Teresa

The best method of communication is not through the mind or speech; the best communication is through the heart. ___Swami Rama

Only the cool breeze of sincere and innocent prayers can lift the dark clouds covering the world today. ___Amma

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. ___ Mahatma Gandhi

My life is my message. ___ Mahatma Gandhi

An eye for and eye makes the whole world blind. ___Mahatma Gandhi

There is a soul force in the universe, which if we permit it will flow through us and produce miraculous results. ___Mahatma Gandhi

As human beings we all want to be happy and free from misery... we have learned that the key to happiness is inner peace.  The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion, while love and compassion and a sense of universal responsibility are the sources of peace and happiness. ___ Dalai Lama

Life can be found only in the present moment. ___Thich Nhat Hanh

A generous heart, kind speech, and compassion are the things which renew humanity. ___Buddha

Be the silent watcher of your thoughts and behavior.  You are beneath the thinker.  You are the stillness beneath the mental noise. ___Echkhart Tolle

Will is that which changes thought into energy. ___Paramahansa Yogananda

There are no evil people only people who haven't faced their shadow. ___Deepak Chopra

The shadow is the greatest teacher for how to come to the light. ___Ram Dass

Only after rising above egocentric awareness, can one find the universe within.  Only then can one learn to love all and exclude none.  One who does not love one's fellow beings, cannot love God at all. ___Swami Rama

I was neurotic for years.  I was anxious and depressed and selfish.  Everyone kept telling me to change.  I resented them and I agreed with them, and I wanted to change, but simply couldn't, no matter how hard I tried.  Then one day someone said to me, Don't change.  I love you just as you are.  Those words were music to my ears:  Don't change, Don't change.  Don't change... I love you as you are.  I relaxed, I came alive,  And suddenly I changed!  ___Anthony de Mello

You see persons and things not as they are but as you are. ___Anthony de Mello

A nice definition of an awakened person: a person who no longer marches to the drums of society, a person who dances to the tune of the music that springs up from within. ___Anthony de Mello

Any attraction or aversion colors your perception of "reality." ___Ram Dass

When we see the Beloved in each person, it's like walking through a garden, watching flowers bloom all around us. ___Ram Dass

Our spiritual practices allow us to stand aside from our daily lives for a moment, and to take a God's-eye view of what we're doing here. ___Ram Dass

Everything changes once we identify with being the witness to the story, instead of the actor in it. ___Ram Dass

There are other planes of consciousness available to us all the time.  We each have all the clues we need to recognize those other planes were we not so busy denying them. ___Ram Dass

Become the best version of yourself. ___Mathew Kelly
 
Everything you do is based on the choices you make.  It’s not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument or your age that is to blame.  You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make. Period. ___Wayne Dyer
 
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway… if you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.
___Mother Teresa
 
The best things in life are free.  And it is important never to lose sight of that.  So look around you.  Wherever you see friendship, loyalty, laughter, and love…there is your treasure. ___Neale Donald Walsch