Ignatius of Loyola Quotes

29 Sourced Quotes

The enemy is like a woman, weak in face of opposition, but correspondingly strong when not opposed. In a quarrel with a man, it is natural for a woman to lose heart and run away when he faces up to her; on the other hand, if the man begins to be afraid and to give ground, her rage, vindictiveness and fury overflow and know no limit.

Ignatius of Loyola
There is no doubt that God will never be wanting to us, provided that He finds in us that humility which makes us worthy of His gifts, the desire of possessing them, and the promptitude to co-operate industriously with the graces He gives us.

Ignatius of Loyola
The picture. A great plain, comprising the entire Jerusalem district, where is the supreme Commander-in-Chief of the forces of good, Christ our Lord: another plain near Babylon, where Lucifer is, at the head of the enemy.

Ignatius of Loyola
No idle word should be uttered. I understand a word to be idle when it serves no good purpose, either for myself or for another, and was not intended to do so.

Ignatius of Loyola
A religious ought to dread more being afraid of poverty than experiencing it.

Ignatius of Loyola
If anyone asks you for something that you believe would be injurious to him, refuse, but in such a manner as not to lose his good-will.

Ignatius of Loyola
One must wage war against his predominant passion and not retreat until, with God's help, he has been victorious.

Ignatius of Loyola
In the case of those who are making progress from good to better, the good angel touches the soul gently, lightly, sweetly, as a drop of water enters a sponge, while the evil spirit touches it sharply, with noise and disturbance, like a drop of water falling on a rock.

Ignatius of Loyola
The safest and most suitable form of penance seems to be that which causes pain in the flesh but does not penetrate to the bones, that is, which causes suffering but not sickness. So the best way seems to be to scourge oneself with thin cords which hurt superficially, rather than to use some other means which might produce serious internal injury.

Ignatius of Loyola
One of the most admirable effects of Holy Communion is to preserve the soul from sin, and to help those who fall through weakness to rise again. It is much more profitable, then, to approach this divine Sacrament with love, respect, and confidence, than to remain away through an excess of fear and scrupulosity.

Ignatius of Loyola
Calisto, a companion of Ignatius, and who on recovering from a severe illness had heard of the imprisonment of Ignatius, hastened from Segnovia, where he was staying, and came to Alcala, that he, too, might be cast into prison.

Ignatius of Loyola
It is not the finest wood that feeds the fire of Divine love, but the wood of the Cross.

Ignatius of Loyola
Do not put faith in constant happiness, and fear most when all smiles upon you.

Ignatius of Loyola
If one fears men much he will never do anything great for God: all that one does for God arouses persecution.

Ignatius of Loyola
What seems to me white, I will believe black if the hierarchical Church so defines.

Ignatius of Loyola
As for joy, as little as one can have of it in this life, experience shows that it is not the idle who possess it, but those who are zealous in the service of God.

Ignatius of Loyola
Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest:
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labour and not to ask for any reward
Save that of knowing that we do Thy will.

Ignatius of Loyola
They who load us with insults and ignominies give us the means of acquiring treasures more precious than any that man can gain in this life.

Ignatius of Loyola
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES whereby to conquer oneself, and order one's life, without being influenced in one's decision by any inordinate affection.

Ignatius of Loyola
All the honey that can be gathered from the flowers of this world has less sweetness than the vinegar and gall of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ignatius of Loyola