Top Twenty Quotes from St. Teresa of Avila

Today is the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, the first woman doctor of the Church. Here are her top twenty quotes:

1. “Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, all things are passing: God never changes.     Patience obtains all things. He who possesses God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.” 

2. “It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.” 

3. “It is love alone that gives worth to all things”

4. “Thank God for the things that I do not own.” 

5. “You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.” 

6. “From sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!” 

7. “Love turns work into rest.” 

8. “Be gentle to all, and stern with yourself.” 

9. “God calls to us in countless little ways all the time. Through illnesses and suffering and through sorrow he calls to us. Through a truth glimpsed fleetingly in a state of prayer he calls to us. No matter how halfhearted such insights may be, God rejoices whenever we learn what he is trying to teach us.” 

10. “The important thing is not to think much but to love much; and so do that which best stirs you to love.” 

11. “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.”

12. "Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us."

13. "I would never want any prayer that would not make the virtues grow within me."

14. "Pain is never permanent." 

15. “Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.” 

16. “Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.” 

17. “In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.” 

18. To God: “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so many enemies.”

19. “God withholds Himself from no one who perseveres.” 

20.  “The devil frequently fills our thoughts with great schemes, so that instead of putting our hands to what work we can do to serve our Lord, we may rest satisfied with wishing to perform impossibilities.”