Quotes of famous people

“Believe what you like, but don't believeyou read without questioning it.”

Pauline Baynes (1922–2008) English illustrator of children's books

“All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.”

Edgar Allan Poe book A Dream Within a Dream

“That is a simple rule, and easy to remember. When I, a thoughtful and unblessed Presbyterian, examine the Koran, I know that beyond any question every Mohammedan is insane; not in all things, but in religious matters. When a thoughtful and unblessed Mohammedan examines the Westminster Catechism, he knows that beyond any question I am spiritually insane.”

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American author and humorist

“When you speak in His presence about your past sins, He does not even understand your language. Only the present and the future have any interest for Him... I have committed crimes and have blood on my conscience. I told Jesus about it again and again. But because He had long ago washed all this away, there was no possibility of communication between us. He did not understand what I was talking about.”

Richard Wurmbrand (1909–2001) Romanian Christian minister of Jewish descent

“The longer the trial to which God subjects you, the greater the goodness in comforting you during the time of the trial and in the exaltation after the combat.”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“The most beautiful act of faith is the one made in darkness, in sacrifice, and with extreme effort.”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“Every holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know. It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the holy Sacrifice of the Mass.”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God's heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips, but with your heart. In fact on certain occasions you should only speak to Him with your heart.”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“My past, O Lord, to Your mercy; my present, to Your love; my future to Your providence.”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“Do you not see the Madonna always beside the tabernacle?”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“Have courage and do not fear the assaults of the Devil. Remember this forever; it is a healthy sign if the devil shouts and roars around your conscience, since this shows that he is not inside your will.”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“Joy, with peace, is the sister of charity. Serve the Lord with laughter.”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”

Padre Pio (1887–1968) Italian saint, priest, stigmatist and mystic

“Sometimes we get caught up in trying to glorify God by praising what He can do and we lose sight of the practical point of what He actually does do.”

Dallas Willard (1935–2013) American philosopher

“The idea of having faith in Jesus has come to be totally isolated from being his apprentice and learning how to do what he said.”

Dallas Willard (1935–2013) American philosopher

“We don't believe something by merely saying we believe it, or even when we believe that we believe it. We believe something when we act as if it were true.”

Dallas Willard (1935–2013) American philosopher

“Few people arise in the morning as hungry for God as they are for cornflakes or toast and eggs.”

Dallas Willard (1935–2013) American philosopher

“Our failure to hear His voice when we want to is due to the fact that we do not in general want to hear it, that we want it only when we think we need it.”

Dallas Willard (1935–2013) American philosopher