Bernard of Clairvaux Quotes

40 Sourced Quotes

That beast of the Apocalypse, to whom is given a mouth speaking blasphemies, and to make war with the saints, is sitting on the throne of Peter, like a lion ready for his prey.

Bernard of Clairvaux
The peacemakers shall be called the sons of God, who came to make peace between God and man. What then shall the sowers of discord be called, but the children of the devil? And what must they look for but their father's portion?

Bernard of Clairvaux
He that will teach himself in school, becomes a scholar to a fool.

Bernard of Clairvaux
In the cloister, under the eyes of the brethren who read there, what profit is there in those ridiculous monsters, in that marvellous and deformed beauty, that beautiful deformity? To what purpose are those unclean apes, those fierce lions, those monstrous centaurs, those half-men, those striped tigers, those fighting knights, those hunters winding their horns.

Bernard of Clairvaux
"My burden is light," said the blessed Redeemer, a light burden indeed, which carries him that bears it. I have looked through all nature for a resemblance of this, and seem to find a shadow of it in the wings of a bird, which are indeed borne by the creature, and yet support her flight towards heaven.

Bernard of Clairvaux
We find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place in ourselves for those who love us.

Bernard of Clairvaux
If you concentrate hard on the state you are in, it would be suprising if you have time for anything else.

Bernard of Clairvaux
The true measure of loving God is to love Him without measure.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Prostrate, see Thy cross I grasp,
And Thy pierced feet I clasp;
Gracious Jesus, spurn me not;
On me, with compassion fraught,
Let Thy glances fall.
Thy cross of agony,
My Beloved, look on me;
Turn me wholly unto Thee;
"Be thou whole," say openly:
"I forgive thee all."

Bernard of Clairvaux
Obey your bishop! Obey those set over you [Heb 13:17], the teachers of the Church…. I remind you, my dear friends, of what I said when I was with you: do not receive any outside or unknown preacher, unless he be sent by your bishop or preaches with the permission of the pope. For how shall they preach unless they are sent [Rom 10:15]?

Bernard of Clairvaux
To learn in order to know is scandalous curiosity.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Jesus to me is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, a song in the heart,

Bernard of Clairvaux
We are to love God for Himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Pride only, the chief of all iniquities, can make us treat gifts as if they were rightful attributes of our nature, and, while receiving benefits, rob our Benefactor of His due glory.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Understanding is the sure and clear knowledge of some invisible thing.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Believe me who have tried. Thou wilt find something more in woods than in books. Trees and rocks will teach what thou canst not hear from a master.

Bernard of Clairvaux
For I have learnt for a fact that nothing so effectively obtains, retains and regains grace, as that we should always be found not high-minded before God, but filled with holy fear.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Thus understanding and love, that is, the knowledge of and delight in the truth, are, as it were, the two arms of the soul, with which it embraces and comprehends with all the saints the length and breath, the height and depth, that is the eternity, the love, the goodness, and the wisdom of God.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Love is alone sufficient by itself, it pleases by itself and for it's own sake. It is itself a merit, and itself it's own recompense. It seeks neither cause, nor consequences beyond itself. It is its own fruit, its own object and usefulness. I love because I love you, I love that I may love.

Bernard of Clairvaux
A pretext is never lacking to him who would break with a friend.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Hell is full of good intentions or desires.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Our King [Jesus] is accused of treachery; it is said of him [by the Muslims] that he is not God, but that he falsely pretended to be something he was not.

Bernard of Clairvaux
You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.

Bernard of Clairvaux
What of the souls already released from their bodies? We believe that they are overwhelmed in that vast sea of eternal light and of luminous eternity

Bernard of Clairvaux
I am a kind of chimaera of my age, neither cleric nor layman.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Among us on the earth there is His memory; but in the Kingdom of heaven His very Presence. That Presence is the joy of those who have already attained to beatitude; the memory is the comfort of us who are still wayfarers, journeying towards the Fatherland.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Do what Jesus says,... what he commands through his ministers who are in the Church [see 1 Cor 6:4]. Be subject to his vicars, your leaders, not only those who are gentle and kind, but even those who are overbearing [see 1 Pt 2:18].

Bernard of Clairvaux
It is commonly said: What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve.

Bernard of Clairvaux
One cannot now say, the priest is as the people, for the truth is that the people are not so bad as the priest.

Bernard of Clairvaux
Believe me, you will find more lessons in the woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you what you cannot learn from masters.

Bernard of Clairvaux