Teresa of Ávila, born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus was a Spanish noblewoman who felt called to convent life in the Catholic Church. A Carmelite nun, a prominent Spanish mystic, religious reformer, author, theologian of the contemplative life and of mental prayer, she earned the rare distinction of being declared a Doctor of the Church, but not until over four centuries after her death. Active during the Catholic Reformation, she reformed the Carmelite Orders of both women and men. These Saint Teresa of Avila quotes will motivate you.
Best Saint Teresa of Avila Quotes
- “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes with which Christ looks out his compassion to the world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Let nothing Disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, Though all things pass, God does not change. Patience wins all things. But he lacks nothing who possesses God; For God alone suffices.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “The surest way to determine whether one possesses the love of God is to see whether he or she loves his or her neighbor. These two loves are never separated. Rest assured, the more you progress in love of neighbor the more your love of God will increase.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “When we accept what happens to us and make the best of it, we are praising God.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “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. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“Prayer is an act of love. Words are not needed.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Christ has no body now but mine. He prays in me, works in me, looks through my eyes, speaks through my words, works through my hands, walks with my feet and loves with my heart.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Desire to see God, be fearful of losing Him, and find joy in everything that can lead to Him. If you act in this way, you will always live in great peace.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“Every part of the journey is of importance to the whole.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Each of us has a soul, but we forget to value it. We don’t remember that we are creatures made in the image of God. We don’t understand the great secrets hidden inside of us.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life. . . . If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “It is love alone that gives worth to all things.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“The closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “About the injunction of the Apostle Paul that women should keep silent in church? Don’t go by one text only.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Do not think you have gained a virtue unless you have first been tried by its opposite.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Let us remember that within us there is a palace of immense magnificence.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“Let us live in such a way as not to be afraid to die.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Out of suffering comes the serious mind; out of salvation, the grateful heart; out of endurance, fortitude; out of deliverance faith. Patient endurance attends to all things.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Life is a night spent in an uncomfortable inn.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “If we practice love of neighbor with great perfection, we will have done everything.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“Settle yourself in solitude, and you will come upon God in yourself.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Always think of yourself as everyone’s servant; look for Christ Our Lord in everyone and you will then have respect and reverence for them all.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Before prayer, endeavour to realise Whose Presence you are approaching and to Whom you are about to speak, keeping in mind Whom you are addressing. If our lives were a thousand times as long as they are we should never fully understand how we ought to behave towards God, before Whom the very Angels tremble, Who can do all He wills, and with Whom to wish is to accomplish.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “If you seek to carry no other crosses but those whose reason you understand, perfection is not for you.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“God is even kinder than you think.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Be happy when you are blamed and accused wrongly, for then you have the chance to see all the bitter, hostile or self-pitying responses that your sinful soul wants to spew out – as if these puny things could in any way defend you! Watch and see if any of these poisons come out of you when your spirit is pricked by an accusation. Only then can you see yourself as you are, and confess thy sin that is within you and forsake yourself again into the Lord’s care.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Let nothing disturb thee, let nothing affright thee. All things are passing. Patience obtains all things. He who has God has everything – God alone suffices.” ~ Saint Teresa of Avila Quotes
- “They deceive themselves who believe that union with God consists in ecstasies or raptures, and in the enjoyment of Him. For it consists in nothing except the surrender and subjection of our will – with our thoughts, words and actions – to the will of God.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“Christ does not force our will, He only takes what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees that we yield ourselves entirely to Him.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “This body of ours has one fault: the more you indulge it, the more things it discovers to be essential to it. It is extraordinary how it likes being indulged.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “It constantly happens that the Lord permits a soul to fall so that it may grow humbler.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Truth suffers, but never dies.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Teach by works more than words.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“What peace can we hope to find elsewhere if we have none within us” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “People in the world pay little heed to reason where their own interests are involved.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “We need no wings to go in search of Him, but have only to look upon Him present within us.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “No one should think or say anything of another which he would not wish thought or said of himself.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “What a great favor God does to those He places in the company of good people!” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “It is not a matter of thinking a great deal but of loving a great deal, so do whatever arouses you most to love.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Never do anything which you could not do in the sight of all.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “May God protect me from gloomy saints.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“It is a dangerous thing to be satisfied with ourselves.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Her heart is full of joy with love, for in the Lord her mind is stilled. She has renounced every selfish attachment and draws abiding joy and strength from the One within. She lives not for herself, but lives to serve the Lord of Love in all, and swims across the sea of life breasting its rough waves joyfully.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “As to the aridity you are suffering from, it seems to me our Lord is treating you like someone He considers strong: He wants to test you and see if you love Him as much at times of aridity as when He sends you consolations. I think this is a very great favor for God to show you.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “There is no affliction, trial, or labor difficult to endure, when we consider the torments and sufferings which Our Lord Jesus Christ endured for us.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “How friendly we should all be with one another if nobody were interested in money and honor.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“He who has God finds he is lacking nothing.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people’s, if we are always criticizing trivial actions – which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our ignorance of their motives.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “To have courage for whatever comes in life – everything lies in that.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “There is more value in a little study of humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge in the world.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Those seeking the life of the spirit should be cheerful and free, and not neglect recreation. Married people must act in conformity with their vocation–but their progress will of necessity be but the pace of a hen.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “The life of prayer is just love to God, and the custom of being ever with Him.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Love draws forth love.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “I was living an extremely burdensome life, because every time I prayed, I became more clearly aware of my faults. On the one hand, God was calling me. On the other, I was following the way of the world. Doing what God wanted made me happy; but I felt bound by the things of this world.” ~ Teresa of Avila
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“All things pass… Patience attains all it strives for.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Prayer is a friendly conversation with the One we know loves us.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Pain is never permanent.” ~ Teresa of Avila
- “Love makes labour light. Love alone gives value to all things.” ~ Teresa of Avila
