Thomas a Kempis Quotes About Desire

Quotes about: Desire

• If God were our one and only desire we would not be so easily upset when our opinions do not find outside acceptance.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Godly, Acceptance, Upset

• Jesus has many who love the kingdom of God, but few who bear a cross. He has many who desire His comfort, but few who desire His suffering. All want to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for Him. He writes; there are many who admire his miracles, but there are few who follow in the humiliation of the cross.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Jesus, Writing, Miracle

• Let this be thy whole endeavor, this thy prayer, this thy desire,-that thou mayest be stripped of all selfishness, and with entire simplicity follow Jesus only.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Jesus, Prayer, Simplicity

• All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Peace, Men, Desire

• We would willingly have others perfect, and yet we amend not our own faults. We would have others severely corrected and will not be corrected ourselves. The large liberty of others displeases us, and yet we will not have our own desires denied us. We will have others kept under by strict laws, but in no sort will ourselves be restrained. And thus it appears how seldom we weigh our neighbor in the same balance with ourselves.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Law, Perfect, Balance

• Anyone who is not totally dead to himself will soon find that he is tempted and overcome by piddling and frivolous things. Whoever is weak in spirit, given to the flesh and inclined to sensual things can, but only with great difficulty, drag himself away from his earthly desires. Therefore he is often gloomy and sad when he is trying to pull himself away from them, and easily gives way to anger should someone attempt to oppose him.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Giving, Sensual, Desire

• O Lord, Thou knowest that which is best for us; let this or that be done, as Thou shalt please. Give what Thou wilt, how much Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt. Deal with me as thou thinkest best. Place me where Thou wilt, and deal with me in all things just as Thou wilt. Behold, I am Thy servant, prepared for all things: I desire not to live unto myself, but unto Thee; and oh, that I could do it worthily and perfectly!

  Thomas a Kempis

  Giving, Justice, Preparation

• Let temporal things serve thy use, but the eternal be the object of thy desire.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Priorities, Desire, Use

  Thomas a Kempis, James Jones (1842). “The Following of Christ...”, p.214

• Jesus has many lovers of His kingdom of heaven, but he has few bearers of His Cross. Many desire His consolation, but few desire His tribulation. He finds many comrades in eating and drinking, but He finds few hands who will be with Him in His abstinence and fastingBut those who love Jesus purely for Himself, and not for their own profit or convenience, bless Him as heartily in temptation and tribulation and in all other adversities as they do in time of consolation. And if He never sent them consolation, they would still bless and praise Him.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Jesus, Drinking, Adversity

• Restrain an inordinate desire for knowledge, in which is found much anxiety and deception. Learned men always wish to appear so, and desire recognition of their wisdom. But there are many matters, knowledge of which brings little or no advantage to the soul.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Men, Anxiety, Soul

• Count not thyself to have found true peace, if thou hast felt no grief; nor that then all is well if thou hast no adversary; nor that this is perfect, if all things fall out according to thy desire.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Peace, Grief, Fall

  Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Augustine, Thomas A'Kempis (2006). “The Confessions of St. Augustine, Including the Imitation of Christ”, p.300, Cosimo, Inc.

• It is vanity to desire a long life and to take no heed of a good life.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Life, Vanity, Long

  Thomas a Kempis (1913). “The Imitation of Christ”

• The more spiritual a man desires to be, the more bitter does his present life become to him; because he sees more clearly and perceives more sensibly the defects of human corruption.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Spiritual, Inspirational Life, Men

  "Moody Classics Complete Set: Includes 19 Classics of the Faith in a Single Volume".

• It carries a burden which is no burden; it will not be kept back by anything low and mean; it desires to be free from all wordly affections, and not to be entangled by any outward prosperity, or by any adversity subdued.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Mean, Adversity, Love Is

• Leave off that excessive desire of knowing; therein is found much distraction. There are many things the knowledge of which is of little or no profit to the soul.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Knowing, Soul, Desire

• Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Stars, Humble, Men

  Thomas (à Kempis), Thomas A. Kempis, Aloysius Croft, Harold Bolton (2003). “The Imitation of Christ”, p.2, Courier Corporation

• Gladly we desire to make other men perfect, but we will not amend our own fault.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Men, Perfect, Judging

  Thomas a Kempis (1913). “The Imitation of Christ”

• Love longs to be free, a stranger to every worldly desire, lest its inner vision become dimmed, and lest worldly self-interest hinder it or ill-fortune cast it down.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Love, Self, Vision

• If you desire to know or learn anything to your advantage, then take delight in being unknown and unregarded. A true understanding and humble estimate of oneself is the highest and most valuable of all lessons.

  Thomas a Kempis

  Humble, Understanding, Desire

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