Quotes from St. Therese of Lisieux

you must be always as a drop of dew hidden in the heart of this beautiful Lily of the valley ... One must be so little to draw near to Jesus, and few are the souls that aspire to be little and unknown. ... Our Beloved needs neither our brilliant deeds nor our beautiful thoughts. ... The Lily of the valley asks but a single dewdrop, which for one night shall rest in its cup, hidden from all human eyes.

Having forsaken all things, a man should forsake himself.

I have read in the Gospel that the Good Shepherd leaves the faithful ones of His flock in the desert to hasten after the lost sheep. This confidence touches me deeply. You see He is sure of them. How could they stray away? They are prisoners of Love. In like manner does the Beloved Shepherd of our souls deprive us of the sweets of His Presence, to give His consolations to sinners

We are not as yet in our true country, and as gold is tired in the fire so must our souls be purified by temptation.

And I know that all that multitude of sins would disappear in an instant, even as a drop of water cast into a flaming furnace.d'Elbée, Jean du Coeur de Jésus

I know that all that multitude of sins would disappear in an instant, even as a drop of water cast into a flaming furnace.

Jésus n'a pas besoin de livres ni de docteurs pour instruire les âmes; lui, le Docteur des docteurs, enseigne sans bruit de paroles.

If you wish to be a saint, it is not hard. Have one aim--to please Jesus and to unite yourself more intimately to Him.

Does not the Wise Man tell us—"Life is like a ship that passeth through the waves: when it is gone by, the trace thereof cannot be found"?

I have never asked God to let me die young, It is true I have always thought I should do so, but it is a favour I have not tried to obtain.

I ENTREAT THEE TO LET THY DIVINE EYES REST UPON A VAST NUMBER OF LITTLE SOULS, I ENTREAT THEE TO CHOOSE, IN THIS WORLD, A LEGION OF LITTLE VICTIMS OF THY LOVE.

Offer to God the sacrifice of never gathering any fruit. If He will that throughout your whole life you should feel a repugnance to suffering and humiliation—if He permit that all the flowers of your desires and of your good will should fall to the ground without any fruit appearing, do not worry. At the hour of death, in the twinkling of an eye, He will cause fair fruits to ripen on the tree of your soul.