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John of the Cross
47 quotes
“En una noche oscura, con ansias, en amores inflamada, ¡oh dichosa ventura!, salí sin ser notada, estando ya mi casa sosegada;”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Variant translation by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez (1991)
“In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me, Nor I beheld aught, Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Oh, night that guided me, Oh, night more lovely than the dawn, Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved!”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Variant translation by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez (1991)
“Upon my flowery breast Kept wholly for Himself alone There He stayed sleeping And I caressed Him And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze.The breeze blew from the turret as I parted His locks. With His gentle hand He wounded my neck And caused all my senses to be suspended.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I remained, lost in oblivion; My face I reclined on the Beloved. All ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Variant translation by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez (1991)
“In search of my Love I will go over mountains and strands; I will gather no flowers, I will fear no wild beasts; And pass by the mighty and the frontiers. ~ 3”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A thousand graces diffusing He passed through the groves in haste, And merely regarding them As He passed Clothed them with His beauty. ~ 5”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Reveal Thy presence, And let the vision and Thy beauty kill me, Behold the malady Of love is incurable Except in Thy presence and before Thy face. ~ 11”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“O crystal well! Oh that on Thy silvered surface Thou wouldest mirror forth at once Those eyes desired Which are outlined in my heart! ~ 12”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My Beloved is the mountains, The solitary wooded valleys, The strange islands, The roaring torrents, The whisper of the amorous gales; The tranquil night At the approaches of the dawn, The silent music, The murmuring solitude, The supper which revives, and enkindles love. ~ 14 & 15”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“O killing north wind, cease! Come, south wind, that awakenest love! Blow through my garden, And let its odours flow, And the Beloved shall feed among the flowers. ~ 17”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The bride has entered The pleasant and desirable garden, And there reposes to her heart’s content; Her neck reclining On the sweet arms of the Beloved. ~ 22”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There He taught me the science full of sweetness. And there I gave to Him Myself without reserve; There I promised to be His bride. ~ 27”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My soul is occupied, And all my substance in His service; Now I guard no flock, Nor have I any other employment: My sole occupation is love. ~ 28”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If, then, on the common land I am no longer seen or found, You will say that I am lost; That, being enamoured, I lost myself; and yet was found. ~ 29”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When Thou didst regard me, Thine eyes imprinted in me Thy grace: For this didst Thou love me again, And thereby mine eyes did merit To adore what in Thee they saw. ~ 32”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Despise me not, For if I was swarthy once Thou canst regard me now; Since Thou hast regarded me, Grace and beauty hast Thou given me. ~ 33”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The little white dove Has returned to the ark with the bough; And now the turtle-dove Its desired mate On the green banks has found. ~ 34”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In solitude she lived, And in solitude built her nest; And in solitude, alone Hath the Beloved guided her, In solitude also wounded with love. ~ 35”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let us rejoice, O my Beloved! Let us go forth to see ourselves in Thy beauty, To the mountain and the hill, Where the pure water flows: Let us enter into the heart of the thicket. ~ 36”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We shall go at once To the deep caverns of the rock Which are all secret, There we shall enter in And taste of the new wine of the pomegranate. ~ 37”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There thou wilt show me That which my soul desired; And there Thou wilt give at once, O Thou, my life! That which Thou gavest me the other day. ~ 38”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The breathing of the air, The song of the sweet nightingale, The grove and its beauty In the serene night, With the flame that consumes, and gives no pains. ~ 39”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My sole occupation is love. All my occupation now is the practice of the love of God, all the powers of soul and body, memory, understanding, and will, interior and exterior senses, the desires of spirit and of sense, all work in and by love. All I do is done in love; all I suffer, I suffer in the sweetness of love.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When the soul has arrived at this state all the acts of its spiritual and sensual nature, whether active or passive, and of whatever kind they may be, always occasion an increase of love and delight in God: even the act of prayer and communion with God, which was once carried on by reflections and divers other methods, is now wholly an act of love. So much so is this the case that the soul may always say, whether occupied with temporal or spiritual things, "My sole occupation is love." Happy life! happy state! and happy the soul which has attained to it!”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is nothing better or more necessary than love.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have said this to explain the stanza that follows, in which the soul replies to those who call in question its holy tranquillity, who will have it wholly occupied with outward duties, that its light may shine before the world: these persons have no conception of the fibres and the unseen root whence the sap is drawn, and which nourish the fruit.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He who loves is not ashamed before men of what he does for God, neither does he hide it through shame though the whole world should condemn it.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When a soul has advanced so far on the spiritual road as to be lost to all the natural methods of communing with God; when it seeks Him no longer by meditation, images, impressions, nor by any other created ways, or representations of sense, but only by rising above them all, in the joyful communion with Him by faith and love, then it may be said to have found God of a truth, because it has truly lost itself as to all that is not God, and also as to its own self.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Blessed are they who, setting aside their own pleasure and inclination, consider things according to reason and justice before doing them.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God?”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One human thought alone is worth more than the entire world, hence God alone is worthy of it.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The very pure spirit does not bother about the regard of others or human respect, but communes inwardly with God, alone and in solitude as to all forms, and with delightful tranquility, for the knowledge of God is received in divine silence.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you wish to attain holy recollection, you will do so not by receiving but by denying.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Souls will be unable to reach perfection who do not strive to be content with having nothing, in such fashion that their natural and spiritual desire is satisfied with emptiness; for this is necessary in order to reach the highest tranquility and peace of spirit. Hence the love of God in the pure and simple soul is almost continually in act.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Although you perform many works, if you do not deny your will and submit yourself, losing all solicitude about yourself and your affairs, you will not make progress.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you desire to discover peace and consolation for your soul and to serve God truly, do not find your satisfaction in what you have left behind, because in that which now concerns you you may be as impeded as you were before, or even more. But leave as well all these other things and attend to one thing alone that brings all these with it (namely, holy solitude, together with prayer and spiritual and divine reading), and persevere there in forgetfulness of all things.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Love consists not in feeling great things but in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Not all the faculties and senses have to be employed in things, but only those that are required; as for the others, leave them unoccupied for God.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The soul that desires God to surrender himself to it entirely must surrender itself entirely to him without keeping anything for itself.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world disturb it; reflect that all must come to an end.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Whoever flees prayer flees all that is good.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Live as though only God and yourself were in this world, so that your heart may not be detained by anything human.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have said that God is pleased with nothing but love; but before I explain this, it will be as well to set forth the grounds on which the assertion rests. All our works, and all our labours, how grand soever they may be, are nothing in the sight of God, for we can give Him nothing, neither can we by them fulfil His desire, which is the growth of our soul. As to Himself He desires nothing of this, for He has need of nothing, and so, if He is pleased with anything it is with the growth of the soul; and as there is no way in which the soul can grow but in becoming in a manner equal to Him, for this reason only is He pleased with our love. It is the property of love to place him who loves on an equality with the object of his love. Hence the soul, because of its perfect love, is called the bride of the Son of God, which signifies equality with Him. In this equality and friendship all things are common, as the Bridegroom Himself said to His disciples: I have called you friends, because all things, whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If the soul has not reached the state of unitive love, it is necessary for it to make acts of love, as well in the active as in the contemplative life. But when it has reached it, it is not requisite it should occupy itself in other and exterior duties — unless they be matters of obligation — which might hinder, were it but for a moment, the life of love in God, though they may minister greatly to His service; because an instant of pure love is more precious in the eyes of God and the soul, and more profitable to the Church, than all other good works together, though it may seem as if nothing were done.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When the soul, then, in any degree possesses the spirit of solitary love, we must not interfere with it. We should inflict a grievous wrong upon it, and upon the Church also, if we were to occupy it, were it only for a moment, in exterior or active duties, however important they might be. When God Himself adjures all not to waken it from its love, who shall venture to do so, and be blameless? In a word, it is for this love that we are all created. Let those men of zeal, who think by their preaching and exterior works to convert the world, consider that they would be much more edifying to the Church, and more pleasing unto God — setting aside the good example they would give if they would spend at least one half their time in prayer, even though they may have not attained to the state of unitive love.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Worldly people are in the habit of censuring those who give themselves up in earnest to God, regarding them as extravagant, in their withdrawal from the world, and in their manner of life. They say also of them that they are useless for all matters of importance, and lost to everything the world prizes and respects! This reproach the soul meets in the best way; boldly and courageously despising it with everything else that the world can lay to its charge. Having attained to a living love of God, it makes little account of all this; and that is not all: it confesses it itself in this stanza, and boasts that it has committed that folly, and that it is lost to the world and to itself for the Beloved.”
John of the Cross (1542–1591) said by 1591 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source