A soul untried by sorrows is good for nothing.
True self-knowledge – to see our own defects above all else – is the only way forward
True self-knowledge is to see one’s own defects and weaknesses so clearly that they fill our whole view. And mark this — the more you see yourself at fault and deserving of every censure, the more you will advance.
The main fruit of prayer is not sweetness, but contrition – St Theophan
The principal fruit of prayer is not warmth and sweetness, but fear of God and contrition.