Action and contemplation are very close companions; they live together in one house on equal terms. Martha and Mary are sisters.
Bernard Of ClairvauxRead
Neither fear nor self-interest can convert the soul. They may change the appearance, perhaps even the conduct, but never the object of supreme desire... Fear is the motive which constrains the slave; greed binds the selfish man, by which he is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed (James 1:14). But neither fear nor self-interest is undefiled, nor can they convert the soul. Only charity can convert the soul, freeing it from unworthy motives.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True transformation of the soul cannot be achieved through fear or selfish desires; only love and charity can lead to genuine change.
This quote emphasizes that superficial changes in behavior, spurred by fear or self-interest, do not equate to true inner transformation. The essence of the soul remains unchanged through such motives, which ultimately stem from base instincts. Instead, genuine conversion and uplifting of the soul can only be attained through acts of charity and love, which liberate one from unworthy desires and lead to a higher purpose.
Themes
FearCharitySelf-InterestMotivesSoulTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of love over fear.
More from Bernard Of Clairvaux
All quotes →You wish to see; listen. Hearing is a step toward Vision.
Bernard Of ClairvauxRead
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.
Bernard Of ClairvauxRead
The piercing nail has become a key to unlock the door, that I may see the good will of the Lord. And what can I see as I look through the hole? Both the nail and the wound cry out that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself... Through these sacred wounds we can see the secret of his heart, the great mystery of love.
Bernard Of ClairvauxRead
What I know of the divine_x000D_ science and holy scripture,_x000D_ I learnt in the woods and fields.
Bernard Of ClairvauxRead
Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a sceptre but a hoe.
Bernard Of ClairvauxRead
Similar quotes
Our instinct may be to see the impossibility of tracking everything down as frustrating, dispiriting, perhaps even appalling, but it can just as well be viewed as almost unbearably exciting. We live on a planet that has a more or less infinite capacity to surprise. What reasoning person could possibly want it any other way?
Bill BrysonRead
Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior. He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope about his neck, is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed.
Charles SpurgeonRead
People of different religions and cultures live side by side in almost every part of the world, and most of us have overlapping identities which unite us with very different groups. We can love what we are, without hating what – and who – we are not. We can thrive in our own tradition, even as we learn from others, and come to respect their teachings.
Kofi AnnanRead
It is far more difficult to murder a phantom than a reality.
Virginia WoolfRead
Naming our murder weapons after victims of our crimes: Apache, Tomahawk... It's as if the Luftwaffe were to call its fighter planes 'Jew' and 'Gypsy.'
Noam ChomskyRead
The best philosophy is to do one's duties, take the world as it comes, submit respectfully to one's lot; bless the goodness that has given us so much happiness with it.
Horace WalpoleRead