Quotes about Self-denial

For more than twenty years I was a pious monk, read Mass daily, and so weakened myself with fasting and praying that I would not have been long for this life had I continued. Yet all this taken together cannot help me in even one little crisis to be able to say before God: 'All this I have done, now please consider it, and be gracious to me.' What else did I achieve with this than to plague myself uselessly, impair my health, and waste my time?

Following Jesus means denying yourself, saying 'no' to the things that you imagine make up your 'self', and finding to your astonishment that the 'self' you get back is more glorious, more joyful than you could have imagined.

Self denial is the shining sore on the leprous body of Christianity.

We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours. There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself (see Romans 12:1).

In calling me to deny myself, God is freeing me from my bondage to me. Self-focus never leads to happiness, it never produces contentment, and it never results in a satisfied heart.

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

O Lord, self-renunciation is not the work of one day, nor children's sport; yea, rather in this word is included all perfection.

The road to committed faith is paved with personal abandonment and self-denial. Life ceases to be about us, and it begins to be all about God.

If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and [joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me]." (Mark 8:34 AMP)

Intend to live in continual mortification, and never to expect or desire any worldly ease or pleasure.

A sanctified person will try to do good in the world. He will try to lessen the sorrow and increase the happiness of all around him. He will strive to be like his Master, full of kindness and love to everyone — not in word only, by calling people "dear," but by deeds and actions and self-denying work, according as he has opportunity.