quotes

Archive of Quotes

Homeland Security & The Patriot Act:

"He who sacrifices freedom for security
is neither secure nor free."

~ Benjamin Franklin

Advice to the would-be followers of Mother Teresa:

"Stay where you are. Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right there where you are -- in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools. ... You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see. Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by society -- completely forgotten, completely left alone."

~ Blessed Mother Teresa

On the Separation of Church and State...

(Thurs Aug. 14th, 2003) Earlier this month U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson set an August 20 deadline for the 5,300-pound monument's removal and suggested he would impose hefty daily fines against the state if Moore fails to comply with the order. In a fiery speech given just six days before a federal deadline to remove the Ten Comandments monument, Chief Justice Roy Moore said he would take his case to the
U.S. Supreme Court.

"I have no intention of removing the monument of the Ten Commandments,
the moral foundation of our law," he said. "To do so would, in effect,
be a disestablishment of the justice system of this state.

"Separation of church and state never was meant to separate God
from our government. It was never meant to separate God from our law," he said.

The First Amendment's "very purpose is to allow us the freedom to worship Almighty God. That freedom is being taken from us by federal courts who misuse the First Amendment to take away our rights instead of as a shield to preserve them for us."

Pro-life and the American Constitution...

Keynote address by Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania who spoke of policy issues regarding
family and culture Chicago -- The 2003 Regnum Christi Youth and Family Encounter.
More than 5,000 participants made the Youth and Family Encounter 2003 a spirited success.

Regarding the problem of abortion: he noted that the American rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness must come in that order." He said Americans should oppose abortion not on a religious basis but because the "right to abortion" distorts this country´s founding principles "by putting the mother´s right to liberty ahead of her baby´s right to life, which is never justified. The right to life must always be primary," he said.

He means business...

"I'm not gonna fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent
and hit a camel in the butt."

Sr. Ex-President Bush overheard in remarks to his Cabinet
regarding the Gulf War.

The Price of an Education:

"Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing."

~ Oscar Wilde, playwright

A fool and his knowledge soon part...

"No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions."

~ Unknown

Doing is believing...

"I hear, and I forget.
I see, and I remember.
I do, and I understand."

~ Confucius

American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Communist Agenda:

"I am for socialism, disarmament, and ultimately for abolishing the State itself
as an instrument of violence and compulsion.
I seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied class,
and sole control of those who produce wealth. Communism is the goal."

~ Roger Baldwin, founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),
quoted in the National Federation for Decency Journal, September 1988, page 9.

True Humility built this house...

"No structure of virtue can possibly be raised in our soul unless, first,
the foundations of true humility are laid in our heart."

~ St. John Cassian

Just the facts 'mam...

"To treat your facts with imagination is one thing,
to imagine your facts is another."

~ John Burroughs, naturalist

The Role of the Laity in the 'New Evangelization'

"...Be holy men and women! Do not forget that the fruits of the apostolate
depend on the depth of the spiritual life, on the intensity of prayer,
of continual formation and sincere adhesion
to the directives of the Church."

"HOUR OF THE LAITY HAS STRUCK," JOHN PAUL II
Urging Catholics to Embrace Documents of Vatican II
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 26, 2000 (ZENIT.org)

Questions the Holy Father posed to the laity in making personal examinations:

"What have I done with my baptism and confirmation?
Is Christ really at the center of my life?
Do I have time for prayer in my life?
Do I live my life as a vocation and mission?"

"The vocation and mission of the faithful can only be understood
in light of a renewed awareness of the Church as sacrament or sign and
instrument of intimate union with God, of the unity of the whole of mankind,
and of the personal duty to adhere more closely to her."

LAITY URGED TO DO "SERIOUS EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE"
Papal Message to World Congress of Catholic Laity
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 26, 2000 (ZENIT.org)

Not many people really love truth...

"Most people go not by argument, but by sympathies."

John Henry Neumann

"Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer."

Romans 12: 12

On Perseverance

"Consider the postage stamp:
Its usefulness consists in the ability
to stick to one thing till it gets there."

~ Josh Billings, humorist

The Tenacity of Pride...

"Pride dies 20 minutes after death."

~ St. Francis de Sales

Take care of your own soul...before saving the rest of the world:

"I Love Jesus Christ and that is why I am on fire
with the desire to give Him souls, first of all my own,
and then an incalculable number of others."

~ St. Alphonsus Liguori

We are not our own.

"We were born not for ourselves, but to do good to others,
for the love of God."

Favorite saying of Captain John Smith, who came over with the early settlers in Virginia,
and whose life was saved by Pocohontas.

In Imitation of Christ...

When asked if the stigmata (medically unexplained deep bleeding wounds
in the hands, feet and side) were painful, Padre Pio replied,

"Do you think that the Lord gave them to me for a decoration?"

Tap into The Source of Comfort in affliction...

"If at times you are in such confusion of mind that you seem totally incapable of calming yourself, have immediate recourse to prayer. And persevere in it in imitation of Christ, Our Lord, Who prayed three times in the garden to show mankind that only in conversation with God can afflicted souls find haven and refuge."

~ Dom Lorenzo Scupoli,
priest and author of the book, 'The Spiritual Combat'

"An old fool is the worst of all fools."

~ Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand

The 'free will' clause of Salvation...

"When I am told (by those who confuse predestination with God's providence) that God already knows who will be saved and who will be damned, and therefore anything we do is useless, I usually answer with four truths that the bible spells out for us:

God wants that everyone be saved;
No one is predestined to go to hell;
Jesus died for everyone;
and everyone is given sufficient graces for salvation."

~ Fr. Gabriele Amorth, Exorcist & author of the book;
'An Exorcist Tells His Story', (Ignatius Press)

Fear is useless

"The fear of death keeps us from living, not from dying."

~ Paul C. Roud, novelist

Jesus Conquered Sin and Death

"Now since the children share in blood and flesh, he likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life."

Hebrews 2:14-15

How many watts is your prayer life?

"No prayer, no power.
A little prayer, a little power.
A lot of prayer, a lot of power!
Never forget this."

~ Sound advice from a Catholic priest

On Election 2000

"Those who cast the votes decide nothing.
Those who count the votes decide everything."

~ Joseph Stalin

"The Unborn child is not a potential life,
but a life with potential."

~ Jim Manfordonia, Host of 'Come to Me'
WISP 1570 AM Radi

The Burden of Responsibility

"It often happens that I wake at night,
begin to think about a serious problem and decide
I must tell the pope about it.
Then I wake up completely and remember I am the pope."

~ Pope John XXIII

On Maturity

"The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20
has wasted 30 years of his life."

~ Muhammad Ali, world heavyweight boxing champion

On Success:

"Start by doing what is neccessary,
then do what is possible,
and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

~ St. Francis of Assisi

On Conversion:

"Conversion is a form of martyrdom. It involves the surrender of oneself - body, mind intellect and faith to Christ. It requires docility and a willingness to be led to the truth, and for many the truth lies in a direction 'where you do not want to go.' (John 21:18-19)

~ Patrick Madrid, convert to Catholicism & author of "Surprised by Truth"

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and enjoy security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart's requests.

Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the nooday shall be your vindication.

Leave it to the LORD,
and wait for him;
Be not vexed at the successful path
of the man who does malicious deeds.

Give up your anger, and forsake wrath;
be not vexed, it will only harm you.
For evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD
shall possess the land.

Psalm 37:3-9

On Humility:

"Let nothing be done through contention, neither by vain glory:
but in humility, let each esteem others better than themselves:
Each one not considering the things that are his own,
but those that are other men's."

~ Paul's letter to the Phillippians
Douay Rheims
(Phillippians 2:3)

On Laziness:

"Even if you're on the right track,
you'll get run over if you just sit there."

~ Will Rogers

On Denial:

"Denial is not just a river in Egypt,
It's where I've been all my life."

~ Eric Clapton in recovery from a cocaine addiction

Scary People:

"If the personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution
inhibit the government's ability to govern the people,
we should look to limit those guarantees."

~ President Bill Clinton
(found on the front page of the Boston Globe Sept. 2000)

On Perseverance:

"Failure is the path of least persistence."

Seen on a sign outside the Redeemer Lutheran Church

Can a Jew still be Jewish and yet be a Catholic?

"You cannot be more Jewish ...then when you are Catholic."

"All creation will be restored to you. I found the holiness and reverance of God I once experienced as a youth in the Synagogue."

"I have a new mother...Mary is the ultimate Jewish Mother."

~ Rosalind Moss a Jewish-Catholic convert from evangelical prostestantism

On Evangelization:

"You can't give what you don't have."
"You have to be filled with it in order to share it."

"A good teacher is someone who is humble enough
to be set on fire with the love of God."

"A good preacher is someone who is set on fire
and the people come to watch him burn!"

"If you don't believe it...the people will know it."

~ Fr. John Corape
A convert to the Catholic Faith

Regarding the atomic horror committed against the people
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

"We have grasped the mystery of the atom
and rejected the sermon on the mount"

~ General Omar Bradley

On True Love:

"Love is the Cross, and the Cross is Love."

~ St. Terese of The Child Jesus

On Success:

"If you can look in your mother's eyes and she's proud of you,
then you're a champion."

~ George Foreman

On The Virtue of Humility:

"Humility is the mother of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put yourself on a pedestal."

~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 'The Joy in Loving' pg. 363

On Setting Goals:

"If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it:
Every arrow that flies feels the attraction of the earth."

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

On Moderation and Self-Denial:

"For it is better to suffer a little want
than to have too much."

~ St. Augustine of Hippo

On Suffering:

"If God causes you to suffer much,
it is a sign that He certainly intends
to make you a saint."

~ Saint Ignatius

"Pray, trust and don't worry."

~ Blessed Padre Pio

"In the Holiness of Truth."

Motto of the new Archbishop Egan of N.Y.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you"

~ The Eternal Father

Jeremiah 1:5

Ronald Reagan's endearing optimism:

To Nancy after being shot by a crazed gunman soon after his election:

"Honey...I forgot to duck."

In the hospital emergency room after being shot:

"Please tell me you're all Republican."

On The Mystery of the Human Conscience...

"In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does not impose upon himself, but which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience when necessary speaks to his heart: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law written by God; to obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged.

(9) Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man.
There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.

(10) In a wonderful manner conscience reveals that law which is fulfilled by love of God and neighbor.

(11) In fidelity to conscience, Christians are joined with the rest of men in the search for truth, and for the genuine solution to the numerous problems which arise in the life of individuals from social relationships. Hence the more right conscience holds sway, the more persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and strive to be guided by the objective norms of morality. Conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance without losing its dignity. The same cannot be said for a man who cares but little for truth and goodness, or for a conscience which by degrees grows practically sightless as a result of habitual sin."

PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD
'GAUDIUM ET SPES'
PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS, POPE PAUL VI ON DECEMBER 7, 1965

On the Separation of Church & State...

"The religious acts whereby men, in private and in public and out of
a sense of personal conviction, direct their lives to God transcend by their very nature the order of terrestrial and temporal affairs. Government therefore ought indeed to take account of the religious life of the citizenry and show it favor, since the function of government is to make provision for the common welfare.
However, it would clearly transgress the limits set to its power,
were it to presume to command or inhibit acts that are religious."

DECLARATION ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
'DIGNITATIS HUMANAE'
ON THE RIGHT OF THE PERSON AND OF COMMUNITIES TO SOCIAL AND CIVIL FREEDOM IN MATTERS RELIGIOUS PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI (DECEMBER 7, 1965)

On Education:

"To educate a person in mind and not in morals
is to educate a menace to society."

~ President Theodore Roosevelt

"A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination."

~ Nelson Mandela
former South African leader

On Good Character:

"Associate with men of good quality,
if you esteem your own reputation;
for it is better to be alone than in bad company."

~ President George Washington

On Good Character:

Walk with wise men and you will become wise,
but the companion of fools will fare badly.

Proverbs 13:20

How to be a human being...

"The Ten Commandments are the basic law of human nature
telling us how to be human."

~ Fr. John Mary Cloviture,
Host of EWTN's 'Live Wire.'

On Living Well:

"Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever;
and take care of your soul
as if you were going to die tomorrow."

~ St. Augustine

On The Importance of Good Leaders...

"The good morals and salvation of the people depend on good pastors. If there is a good priest in charge of the parish, you will soon see devotion flourishing, people frequenting the Sacraments, and honoring the practice of mental prayer. Hence the proverb:

'Like pastor, like parish': Qualis pastor, talis parochia.According to this word of Ecclesiasticus (x:2) Those who dwell in the state, take after their ruler.' Qualis est rector civitatis tales et in habitantes in ea."

~ St. Alphonsus

Prayer is the Ultimate Weapon...

"Those who pray do more for the world than those who fight,
and if the world is going from bad to worse,
it's because there are more battles than prayers."

Eminent statesman, Donoso Cortes, after his conversion

Fill your Heart with God

"A pure soul is synonomous with a heart full of love of God."

~ Blessed Padre Pio, in a letter written to a spiritual daughter

On Worry:

"Do not worry over things that generate
preoccupation and anxiety.
One thing only is necessary:
To lift up your spirit and love to God."

~ Blessed Padre Pio, in a letter written to a spiritual daughter

On Self-Improvement:

"Have patience with all things,
but chiefly have patience with yourself.
Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections,
but instantly set about remedying them
- every day begin the task anew."

~ St. Francis de Sales

On Age and Wisdom:

"For venerable old age is not that of a long time;
nor counted by the number of years,
but the understanding of a man is his grey hairs."

The Book of Wisdom 4;8

God is Love:

"Love is a fruit, in season at all times
and within the reach of every hand.
Anyone may gather it and no limit is set.
Everyone can reach this love through meditation,
the spirit of prayer and sacrifice."

~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 'The Joy in Loving' pg 333

Our Helplessness and Hope:

"We ought to say to God:
"I can do nothing of myself.
I can only give you my desire to love you.
Here it is!

O my God, uphold me and do all yourself."

~The Cure' D' Ars

Throw Them a Life Line...Not an Anchor!

"As believers, how can we fail to see that abortion,
euthanasia and assisted suicide are a terrible rejection
of God's gift of life and love?

And as believers, how can we fail to feel the duty
to surround the sick and those in distress
with the warmth of our affection and the support
that will help them always to embrace life?"

~ POPE JOHN PAUL II

On Running The Good Race...

"Faith is what gets you started.
Hope is what keeps you going.
Love is what brings you to the end."

~ Mother Angelica

Accomplishing life's daily tasks...

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life
and patience for the small ones;
and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task,
go to sleep in peace. God is awake."

~ Victor Hugo, writer

A view to the end of this mortal journey...

"Remember when you leave this earth,
you can take with you nothing that you have received
~ only what you have given:

A heart enriched by honest service,
love, sacrifice and courage."

~ St. Francis of Assisi

On Human Equality...

"For no king has any different origin or birth,
but one is the entry into life for all;
and in one same way they leave it."

The Book of Wisdom 7:5,6

If God Himself wouldn't do such a thing...how can we?

Shall I bring a mother to the point of birth,
and yet not let her child be born?
Says the Lord; Or shall I who allow her to conceive,
yet close her womb? says your God.

Isaiah 66:9

The Passion and True Presence of Jesus

�When you look at the crucifix,
you understand how much Jesus loved you.

When you look at the Sacred Host
you understand how much Jesus loves you now."

~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The Value of Forgiveness:

"You will always be a victim until you forgive."

"One of the greatest deposits you can make
in your relationships with other family members
~ and in the basic quality and richness of your own life
~ is to forgive.

Remember, it isn't the snake bite
that does the serious damage;
it's chasing the snake
that drives the poison to the heart."

~ Stephen R. Covey,
Author of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families"
pages 58,61

Giving Alms to the Poor:

"When we give alms, we should think that we are giving
to our Lord, and not to the poor.
We often think we are relieving a poor person,
and we find it is our Lord...."

~ Cure' of Ars, St. Jean Vianney

On the Practice of Prayer...

"This presence of God ...if practiced faithfully, works secretly in the soul ...and leads it insensibly to the simple gaze, that loving sight of God everywhere present, which is the most holy, the most solid, the easiest, (and) the most efficacious manner of prayer."

~ Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, OCDS

Holy Excercise Recommended to All:

"Let the Meditations be about the Divine attributes and perfections,
and also about the Mysteries of the Life,
Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
from which chiefly all religious perfection and sanctity
take their increase."

~ St. Paul of the Cross, spiritual director, priest and Founder of The Passionist Order (1694-1775)pg. 88, "Dove in the Cleft, The Life of Mother Mary Crucified of Jesus, C.P., The First Passionist Nun (1723-1787)"
by Jude Mead, C.P.

On St. John the Baptist:

"His death was the price of one dance..."

~ Inscription by St. Jean Vianney,
picked for his Chapel of St. John the Baptist

The Apostle, St. Paul writes,

"Or know you not, that your members are
the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you,
whom you have from God;
and you are not your own?"
For you are bought with a great price.
Glorify and bear God in your body."

(1 Cor. 6:19,20)

The Critical Importance of Prayer:

" If you pray you are sure of saving your soul.
If you do not pray you are just as sure to lose
your soul."

~ St. Alphonsus Liguori

Regarding Faithfulness in Little Things:

"Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God.
Do all that you do with love."

~ St. Therese of the Child Jesus

At the Heart of All Justice Lies The Ten Commandments:

The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom
and his tongue utters what is right.
The law of his God is in his heart,
and his steps do not falter.

Psalm 37:30,31

What is Prayer?

"Prayer is the lifting of our hearts and minds to God.
For no matter what we're saying, we're asking,
"Do you love me?"

And no matter how He answers, He's saying,
"Yes, I do."

~ Mother Angelica
"Answers, Not Promises" pgs. 95, 96

Planned Parenthood:
A Government Funded Institution
of Liars, Thieves & Murderers:

Abortionists and Population Control Experts
- who claim to speak for the poor
and the freedom of a woman's right to choose:

"I have never heard anyone associated with Planned Parenthood apologize for the open racism
of their founder, Margaret Sanger.

She wanted to segregate and sterilize 'subhumans'.
She talked about strategies for keeping 'rebellious' blacks
in line.

She was disgusted with charity programs that made life easier
for people who, she thought, would be better off dead.

And although she and her friends have hidden themselves
behind a lot of propaganda about 'choice',
they praised the Nazis for their 'efficient' eugenics policies
in the 1930s, and today they praise the 'efficient' Chinese
for their coercive policies."

~ Joan Andrew Bell, Prisoner of Conscience and Heroic Defender
of God's Precious Infants

"A nation which kills it's own young has no future."

~ Pope John Paul II

A Poverty of Faith and Courage:

"I find it a great, great poverty that a child must die
because we are afraid to feed one more child,
to educate one more child.
The fear of feeding one more old person in the family
means that that person must be put away,
and yet one day we too have to meet the Master.

What will we answer to Him about that child,
that old father and mother, because they are His creation,
they are children of God."

~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The difference between the sheep and the goats...

"Love is the distinctive mark of those
who belong to God,

as the mark of those who reject him
is hatred."

~ The Cure' of Ars, St. Jean Vianney

Seek After The Everlasting Treasure!

"Everyone is ready to run after the latest novelty
... But as for Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament,
he is deserted and forsaken...

~ The Cure' of Ars, St. Jean Vianney

Truth will always stand the test of time!

"The curious have remarked that one institution alone
for now nineteen hundred years
has been attacked not by one opposing principle
but from every conceivable point.

It has been denounced upon all sides and for reasons
successively incompatible: it has suffered the contempt,
the hatred and the ephemeral triumph of enemies as diverse
as the diversity of things could produce.

This institution is the Catholic Church."

~ Hilaire Belloc