Daily quotes on developing virtue from Saints, Popes and others.
"Begrudge the stomach and your heart will be humbled; please the stomach and your mind will turn proud." Source: St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent
"When I became aware of God’s great plans for me, I was frightened at their greatness and felt myself quite incapable of fulfilling them, and I began to avoid interior conversations with Him, filling up the time with vocal prayer. I did this out of humility, but I soon recognized it was not true humility, [...]
"The true lover of Christ, however, who sincerely pursues virtue, does not fall back upon consolations nor seek such pleasures of sense, but prefers severe trials and hard labors for the sake of Christ." Source: Thomas a’ Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Dover Thrift Editions, 1940.
"I am sorry for people who lose their souls; it is so easy to miss your way when the paths of the world seem so attractive." Source: St. Therese of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul, Saint Benedict Press, 2010.
"Labor, then, in an orderly manner to acquire virtues. Pursue the work with the spirit of observation, with constancy. Proceed always by principle." Source: St. Peter Julian Eymard, The Divine Eucharist St. Peter Julian Eymard was a priest and the founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. This religious order is "a Catholic [...]
"Remember how, at the selfsame time, many religious and other devout persons were kneeling before God, praying or praising Him. Was not their time better spent than yours?" Source: St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Random House, Inc., 2002.
"The willing desire to suffer every pain and hardship even to the point of death for the salvation of souls is pleasing to [God]." Source: St. Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue, Paulist Press, 1980 The Dialogue was dictated by Catherine over a period of five days. Three scribes worked to keep up with Catherine [...]
"If you have eyes for the shortcomings of your neighbor and not for your own, no feeling of mercy will arise in you but rather indignation. You will be more ready to judge than to help, to crush in the spirit of anger than to instruct in the spirit of gentleness. 'You who are spiritual, [...]
"The Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising the ministries of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally well be left to others, [...]
"Society can be saved only if man is saved from his unbearable conflicts, and man can be rescued from them only if his soul is saved." Source: Ven. Fulton J. Sheen, Way to Happiness, St. Pauls, 1998.