There is no affliction, trial, or labor difficult to endure, when we consider the torments and sufferings which Our Lord Jesus Christ endured for us.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
Our greatest gain is to lose the wealth that is of such brief duration and, by comparison with eternal things, of such little worth; yet we get upset about it and our gain turns to loss.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the futility of valuing temporary wealth over eternal spiritual wealth.
Teresa of Avila emphasizes that the pursuit of material wealth, which is fleeting and ultimately insignificant when compared to eternal truths and values, often leads to frustration and unhappiness. Instead of focusing on what truly matters, people can easily become upset over their loss of material possessions, turning what could be a gain in spiritual understanding into a loss of peace.
Themes
WealthEternitySpiritualityLossGain
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about minimalism and personal values, this quote could be used to emphasize the importance of valuing experiences over possessions.
More from Teresa Of Avila
All quotes →How often I failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
What friends or kindred can be so close and intimate as the powers of our soul, which, whether we will or no, must ever bear us company?
Teresa Of AvilaRead
To converse with You, O King of glory, no third person is needed, You are always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire You always find You there, and converse with You face to face
Teresa Of AvilaRead
If we do not use great care to mortify our will, there are many things which can deprives us of the holy freedom of spirit that we are seeking in order to fly more freely to our Creator, without always being bogged down with the clay of this earth. Moreover, there can never be solid virtue in a soul that is attached to its own will.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
I say the same of humility and of all the virtues; the wiles of the devil are terrible, he will run a thousand times round hell if by so doing he can make us believe that we have a single virtue which we have not. And he is right, for such ideas are very harmful, and such imaginary virtues, when they come from this source, are never unaccompanied by vainglory; just as those which God gives are free both from this and from pride.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
Similar quotes
There is something about poverty that smells like death.
Zora Neale HurstonRead
We are here speaking in open disapproval of that false system of philosophy, not so long ago introduced, by which, because of an extended and unbridled desire of novelty, truth is not sought where it truly resides, and, with a disregard for the holy and apostolic traditions, other vain, futile, uncertain doctrines, not approved by the Church are accepted as true, on which very vain men mistakenly think that truth itself is supported and sustained.
Pope Gregory XviRead
The Pacific no longer represents menacing avenues of approach for a prospective invader. It assumes, instead, the friendly aspect of a peaceful lake. Our line of defense is a natural one and can be maintained with a minimum of military effort and expense.
Douglas MacarthurRead
Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this twofold love of God and our neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought.
Saint AugustineRead
Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present you will never find it.
Thomas MertonRead
A thousand people drowned in floods in China are news: a solitary child drowned in a pond is tragedy.
Josephine TeyRead