Faith Quotes

Quotes on faith and religion by men and women of faith, statesmen, and others.

The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. — Dante Alighieri

Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more than something personal—it is a status, an office. Just as it is the crown, and not merely the will to rule, that makes the king, so it is marriage, and not merely your love for each other, that joins you together in the sight of God and man.…It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

He is no fool that gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. — Jim Elliot

The real conflict is the inner conflict…. [T]here are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves? — Saint Maximilian Kolbe

The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers. — Saint Maximilian Kolbe

There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church.…If we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do. — Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

The freedom to kill is not true freedom, but a tyranny that reduces the human being to slavery. — Pope Benedict XVI

I believe America’s greatest problem is not un-godliness. It is not spiritual darkness. It is an un-repentant church who has decided that it is more important to be politically correct than it is to proclaim the principles of the Word. — Senior Pastor Harry Jackson, Hope Christian Church

For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe, no explanation will suffice. — Joseph Dunninger

Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure, when we’ve removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of people that these liberties are the gifts of God? — President Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)

Only the Catholic Church protested against the Hitlerian [Nazi] onslaught on liberty. Up ’til then I had not been interested in the Church, but today I feel a great admiration for the Church, which alone has had the courage to struggle for spiritual truth and moral liberty. — Albert Einstein

It is only right, however, that at all times and in all places, the Church should have true freedom to preach the faith, to teach her social doctrine, to exercise her role freely among men, and also to pass moral judgment in those matters which regard public order when the fundamental rights of a person or the salvation of souls require it. — Gaudium et Spes: Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World

It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish. — Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live. — Blessed Pope John Paul II

Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought. — Blessed Pope John Paul II

If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze! — Saint Catherine of Sienna

We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials. — Saint Teresa of Avila

Give something, however small, to the one in need. For it is not small to one who has nothing. Neither is it small to God, if we have given what we could. — Saint Gregory Nazianzen

You cannot be half a saint; you must be a whole saint or no saint at all. — Saint Therese of Lisieux

Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven. — Saint Rose of Lima

Pray, hope, and don’t worry. — Saint Pio of Pietrelcino

Conscience has rights because it has duties. — Blessed John Henry Newman

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:19-21 (RSV)

What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. — Saint James, James 2:14-17 (RSV)

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; they said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who set up divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. — Saint Jude, Jude 1:17-19 (RSV)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 22:37-40 (RSV)

Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ — John 20:21-23 (RSV)

God who gave us life gave us liberty. — President Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)

…the [Catholic Church] has not merely told this truth or that truth, but has revealed itself as a truth-telling thing. All other philosophies say the things that plainly seem to be true; only this philosophy has again and again said the thing that does not seem to be true, but is true. — G. K. Chesterton

Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. — President George Washington

I’ve lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth: That God governs in the Affairs of Men. — Benjamin Franklin

If Men are so wicked as we now see them with Religion what would they be if without it? — Benjamin Franklin

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. — Saint Paul, 1 Timothy 3:14-15 (RSV)

I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. — Our Lady of Good Help, as recorded by Adele Brise, 1859

Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause. — Saint John of Kanty

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. — “Yes, Virginia…” Editorial, The New York Sun, 1897

The universe is not the result of chance, as some would want to make us believe. Contemplating it, we are invited to read something profound into it: the wisdom of the creator, the inexhaustible creativity of God. — Pope Benedict XVI

Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America’s gift to the world, it is God’s gift to humanity. — President George W. Bush (R)

Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul. — Saint Teresa of Avila

You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so you learn to love God and man by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves. — Saint Francis de Sales

Make friends with the angels, who though invisible are always with you…. Often invoke them, constantly praise them, and make good use of their help and assistance in all your temporal and spiritual affairs. — Saint Francis de Sales

Just as it is better to illuminate than merely to shine, so to pass on what one has contemplated is better than merely to contemplate. — Saint Thomas Aquinas

Love the sinner and hate the sin. — Saint Augustine of Hippo

It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. — Saint Augustine of Hippo

An unjust law is no law at all. — Saint Augustine of Hippo

The spiritual virtue of a sacrament is like light…although it passes among the impure, it is not polluted. — Saint Augustine of Hippo

Therefore do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that thou mayest understand. — Saint Augustine of Hippo

As a youth I prayed, ‘Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.’ — Saint Augustine of Hippo

So material a difference does it make, not what ills are suffered, but what kind of man suffers them. For, stirred up with the same movement, mud exhales a horrible stench, and ointment emits a fragrant odor. — Saint Augustine of Hippo

But it isn’t just a matter of faith, but of faith and works. Each is necessary. For the demons also believe and tremble, but their believing doesn’t do them any good. Faith alone is not enough, unless works too are joined to it: ‘Faith working through love,’ says the apostle. — Saint Augustine of Hippo

No one in the world can change truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. — Saint Maximilian Kolbe

Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent. — Saint John of the Cross

Much harm may result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse than what is better. — Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church: for if Faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from God Himself. — Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Truly, matters in the world are in a bad state; but if you and I begin in earnest to reform ourselves, a really good beginning will have been made. — Saint Peter of Alcantara

Comfort in tribulation can be secured only on the sure ground of faith holding as true the words of Scripture and the teaching of the Catholic Church. — Saint Thomas More

If Saint Paul exhorts us to pray for one another, and we gladly think it right to ask every poor man to pray for us, should we think it evil to ask the holy Saints in Heaven to do the same? — Saint Thomas More

The Devil never runs upon a man to seize him with his claws until he sees him on the ground, already having fallen by his own will. — Saint Thomas More

The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country. — President George Washington

In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return. — God, Genesis 3:19 (RSV)

But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? — Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Freedom and not servitude is the cure of anarchy; as religion, and not atheism, is the true remedy for superstition. — Edmund Burke

Religious persecution may shield itself under the guise of a mistaken and over-zealous piety. — Edmund Burke

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:3 (RSV)

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:4 (RSV)

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:5 (RSV)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:6 (RSV)

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:7 (RSV)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:8 (RSV)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:9 (RSV)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:10 (RSV)

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:11-12 (RSV)

Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:17-18 (RSV)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen — Ave Maria (Hail Mary), Traditional English Rendering

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen. — Fatima Prayer, Traditional English Rendering

A nation which kills its own children is a nation without a future. — Blessed Pope John Paul II

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. — Saint John the Evangelist, 1 John 1:8-9 (RSV)

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him… — Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (RSV)

Ever since the days of Adam, man has been hiding from God and saying, ‘God is hard to find.’ — Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. — Saint Paul, 1 Corinthians 11:26-27 (RSV)

Men despise religion; they hate it and fear it is true. To remedy this, we must begin by showing that religion is not contrary to reason; that it is venerable, to inspire respect for it; then we must make it lovable, to make good men hope it is true; finally, we must prove it is true. — Blaise Pascal

I have attended public worship in all countries and with all sects and believe them all much better than no religion, though I have not thought myself obliged to believe all I heard. — President John Adams (Federalist)

I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God. — President Abraham Lincoln (R), (as recollected by Gilbert J. Greene)

Let us see life as it really is…. It is a moment between two eternities. — Saint Therese of Lisieux

God has created me to do him some definite service…. I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. — Blessed John Henry Newman

The history of every human being passes through the threshold of a woman’s motherhood. — Blessed Pope John Paul II

There is more value in a little study of humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge in the world. — Saint Teresa of Jesus

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’ — Saint John the Evangelist, Revelation 18:4-5 (RSV)

I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh. — Jesus Christ, John 6:51 (RSV)

Likewise, our churches should not be afraid to challenge the moral decay that surrounds them today—even if the righteous stance is unpopular or ‘offensive’ in some (or even all) circles. — Scott Bradford

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Drive out the wicked person from among you.’ — Saint Paul, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (RSV)

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. — King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (RSV)

I know that there is nothing better for [men] than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; also that it is God’s gift to man that every one should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil. — King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (RSV)

Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work. — King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 (RSV)

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only…. Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 24:36,42 (RSV)

Then if any one says to you, ‘Lo, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 24:23-24 (RSV)

I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. — Jesus Christ, John 12:46 (RSV)

You cannot please both God and the world at the same time, they are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions. — Saint John Vianney

Everything is grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father’s love. Everything is grace because everything is God’s gift. Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events–to the heart that loves, all is well. — Saint Therese of Lisieux

Oh, how precious time is! Blessed are those who know how to make good use of it. Oh, if only all could understand how precious time is, undoubtedly everyone would do his best to spend it in a praiseworthy manner! — Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. — Jesus Christ, John 14:21 (RSV)

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. — King Solomon, Proverbs 9:8 (RSV)

They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me. — Jesus Christ, John 16:2-3 (RSV)

Modern liberty means that nobody is allowed to discuss [religion]. Good taste, the last and vilest of human superstitions, has succeeded in silencing us where all the rest have failed. — G. K. Chesterton, Heretics

Carlyle said that men were mostly fools. Christianity, with a surer and more reverent realism, says that they are all fools. This doctrine is sometimes called the doctrine of original sin. It may also be described as the doctrine of the equality of men. — G. K. Chesterton, Heretics

But if we do revive and pursue the pagan ideal of a simple and rational self-completion we shall end where Paganism ended. I do not mean that we shall end in destruction. I mean that we shall end in Christianity. — G. K. Chesterton, Heretics

I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 12:36-37 (RSV)

Salvation, while personal, is not private. To be incorporated into Christ is to be incorporated into his Church. You cannot sunder the two: it is not two in any case. It is one thing. — Thomas Howard, On Being Catholic

O God, Present in this Most Holy Sacrament, O Bread of Angels, O heavenly food, I love Thee; but Thou art not, neither am I, satisfied with my love. I love Thee; but I love Thee too little. — Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament

Thou art an infinite God, and I am a miserable worm. It would be little, did I die for Thee, or wear myself out for Thee, Who didst die for me, and dost sacrifice Thy entire self for me every day on the Altar. — Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. — Saint Paul, Romans 12:21 (RSV)

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. — Saint Paul, Galatians 5:13 (RSV)

You ask me for a method of obtaining perfection. I know of Love and Love only! Our hearts are made for this alone. — Saint Therese of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith. — Saint Paul, 1 Timothy 6:20-21 (RSV)

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. — Saint Paul, 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (RSV)

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works…. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. — Saint James, James 2:21-22, 26 (RSV)

But the devotion which we have to the Saints of God, whether living or dead, does not stop at them, but passes on to God, since we venerate God in God’s ministers. — Saint Thomas Aquinas, On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

If God exists, then He must be outside the natural world, and therefore the tools of science are not the right ones to learn about Him. Instead…the evidence of God’s existence would have to come from other directions, and the ultimate decision would be based on faith, not proof. — Francis S. Collins, The Language of God

The church is made up of fallen people. The pure, clean water of spiritual truth is placed in rusty containers, and the subsequent failings of the church down through the centuries should not be projected onto the faith itself, as if the water had been the problem. — Francis S. Collins, The Language of God

But do we not sometimes hear the thief contend that he is not guilty of sin, because he steals from the rich and the wealthy, who, in his mind, not only suffer no injury, but do not even feel the loss? Such an excuse is as wretched as it is baneful. — The Catholic Church, The Catechism of the Council of Trent

Nothing is so efficacious in appeasing God, when His wrath is kindled; nothing so effectually delays or averts the punishments prepared for the wicked as the prayers of men. — The Catholic Church, The Catechism of the Council of Trent

Who does not perceive how much we stand in need of the goodness and beneficence of God, if he but consider the extreme destitution and misery of man? — The Catholic Church, The Catechism of the Council of Trent

We are to pray for all mankind, without exception of enemies, nation or religion; for every man, be he enemy, stranger or infidel, is our neighbour, whom God commands us to love, and for whom, therefore, we should discharge a duty of love, which is prayer. — The Catholic Church, The Catechism of the Council of Trent

The confusing in-fighting, doctrinal disunity, and ‘a-la-carte’ nature of the greater church in the world today is what made it possible for atheism, moral relativism, and disbelief to wedge in and become the norm in western society. This ongoing fracture provides ammunition for those who seek to dismiss Christianity as outmoded superstition. — Scott Bradford

Non-believers have a difficult (if not impossible) time coming to the truth because there are now so many variants of ‘truth’ to choose from. Believers have an easy time abandoning their faith for the same reason. — Scott Bradford

You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:43-45 (RSV)

Each person matters; no human life is redundant. — Basil Hume

But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. — Prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah 20:11 (RSV)

Christianity doesn’t begin by telling people what they must do, but what God has done for them. Gift comes before duty. — Father Raneiro Cantalamessa

The Church does not derive from human will, from reflection, from man’s ability and organizational capacity…if that were so it would have become extinct a long time ago, like all human things. — Pope Benedict XVI

America seeks no earthly empire built on blood and force…. The higher state to which she seeks the allegiance of all mankind is not of human, but of divine origin. She cherishes no purpose save to merit the favor of Almighty God. — President Calvin Coolidge (R), 1925 Inaugural Address

Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. — Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

We concede—as we must—that so much of what [the Catholic Church says] is true: that the papacy has God’s word and the office of the apostles, and that we have received holy scriptures, baptism, the sacrament, and the pulpit from them. What would we know of these if it were not for them? — Father Martin Luther

Reason itself is a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all. — G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. — Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Those who don’t love you will tell you what you want to hear; those who love you will lead you to the truth. — Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. — Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

If God can work through me, He can work through anyone. — Saint Francis of Assisi

Have you been calumniated, my friends? Have you been loaded with insults? Have you been wronged? So much the better! That is a good sign; do not worry; you are on the road that leads to Heaven. — Saint John Vianney, The Beloved Crosses

There can never be a contradiction between faith and science because both originate in God. It is God who gives us both the light of reason and of faith. — Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Art is not freedom from discipline, but a disciplined freedom. — Father Edward Catich

Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset. If you find that you have wandered away from the shelter of God, lead your heart back to Him quietly and simply. — Saint Francis de Sales

There are some people who seem to want to ask favors from God as a right. A pretty kind of humility that is! He Who knows us all does well in seldom giving things to such persons, He sees clearly that they are unable to drink of His chalice. — Saint Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection

Pay no heed, then, to anyone who tries to frighten you or depicts to you the perils of the way. What a strange idea that one could ever expect to travel on a road infested by thieves, for the purpose of gaining some great treasure, without running into danger! — Saint Teresa of Avila

You must practice simplicity and humility, for those are the virtues which achieve everything. You must say: ‘Fiat voluntas tua.’ — Saint Teresa of Avila

…perfect souls are in no way repelled by trials, but rather desire them and pray for them and love them. — Saint Teresa of Avila

But I advise you once more, even if you think you possess it, to suspect that you may be mistaken; for the person who is truly humble is always doubtful about his own virtues; very often they seem more genuine and of greater worth when he sees them in his neighbors. — Saint Teresa of Avila

I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. — Saint Paul, Romans 16:17-18 (RSV)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. — Saint Paul, 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (RSV)

Few people deny the existence of heaven (though, oddly, some do), but there are many who deny the existence of hell. And their motivation for doing so is understandable, if not correct. The only doctrine of the Church I wish weren’t true is the doctrine that hell exists. — Patrick Madrid

For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. — Saint Paul, Romans 2:6-8 (RSV)

[You] shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born. — Early Church Fathers, The Didache (ca. 100AD)

Whosoever, therefore, comes and teaches you all these things that have been said before, receive him. But if the teacher himself turns and teaches another doctrine to the destruction of this, hear him not. — Early Church Fathers, The Didache (ca. 100AD)

If he asks for money, he is a false prophet. — Early Church Fathers, The Didache (ca. 100AD)

And every prophet who teaches the truth, but does not do what he teaches, is a false prophet. — Early Church Fathers, The Didache (ca. 100AD)

If he who comes is a wayfarer, assist him as far as you are able…. But if he has no trade, according to your understanding, see to it that, as a Christian, he shall not live with you idle. But if he wills not to do, he is a Christ-monger. Watch that you keep away from such. — Early Church Fathers, The Didache (ca. 100AD)

Interpretation of Scripture can never be a purely academic affair, and it cannot be relegated to the purely historical. Scripture is full of potential for the future, a potential that can only be opened up when someone ‘lives through’ and ‘suffers through’ the sacred text. — Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth

The prevailing view today is that everyone should live by the religion—or perhaps by the atheism—in which he happens to find himself already. This, it is said, is the path of salvation for him. Such a view presupposes a strange picture of God and a strange idea of man and of the right way for man to live. — Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth

In a word, the true morality of Christianity is love. And love does admittedly run counter to self-seeking—it is an exodus out of oneself, and yet this is precisely the way in which man comes to himself. — Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth

Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:19 (RSV)

Normally, thought precedes word; it seeks and formulates the word. But praying the Psalms and liturgical prayer in general is exactly the other way round: The word, the voice, goes ahead of us, and our mind must adapt to it. — Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth

I love you, not because you have the power to give heaven or hell, but simply because you are you—my king and my God. — Saint Francis Xavier

For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Saint Paul, Romans 8:38-39 (RSV)

…[The] ancient world did in fact experience the birth of Christianity as a liberation from the fear of demons that, in spite of skepticism and enlightenment, was all-pervasive at the time. The same thing also happens today wherever Christianity replaces old tribal religions, transforming and integrating their positive elements into itself. — Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth

Too many people get credit for being good, when they are only being passive. They are too often praised for being broadminded when they are so broadminded they can never make up their minds about anything. — Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen

I can’t help but laugh when I am condemned for believing in Heaven, Hell, and an invisible God by people who believe in invisible matter and hidden dimensions. We’re saying almost the same thing…. If we could stop getting distracted by our different phraseology, we’d find that we’re basically on the same page. — Scott Bradford

It is perfectly evident to my mind that there exists a necessary, eternal, supreme, and intelligent being. This is no matter of faith, but of reason. — Voltaire

To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. — President Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)

An atheist has to know a lot more than I know. An atheist is someone who knows there is no god. By some definitions atheism is very stupid. — Carl Sagan