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John of the Cross

John of the Cross Quotes

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Famous John of the Cross Quotes

“He who interrupts the course of his spiritual exercises and prayer is like a man who allows a bird to escape from his hand; he can hardly catch it again.”

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Book:The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Volume II: The Dark Night of the Soul, Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ, the LIV
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“Love consists not in feeling great things but in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved. The soul that is attached to anything, however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of Divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for until the cord be broken, the bird cannot fly.”

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Author:John of the Cross
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“The conditions of a solitary bird are five: The first, that it flies to the highest point; The Second, that it does not suffer for company, not even of its own kind; The Third, that it aims its beak to the skies; The Fourth, that it does not have a definite color; The Fifth, that it sings very softly.”

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Book:San Juan de la Cruz
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