“God does not judge you according to your bodies and appearances, but He looks into your hearts and observes your deeds.”

“Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God?”

John of the Cross (1542–1591) Spanish mystic and Roman Catholic saint

“Remember, people will judge you by your actions not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold but so does a hard-boiled egg.”

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American author and poet

“You have not stirred my spirit. For what can I see in you to stir me, as a spirited horse will stir a judge of horses? Your body? That you maltreat. Your dress? That is luxurious. Your behavior, your look?—Nothing whatsoever.”

Epictetus (50–138) philosopher from Ancient Greece

“Give according to your means, or God will make your means according to your giving.”

John Hall (1829–1898) Presbyterian pastor from Northern Ireland in New York, died 1898

“If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.”

Anna Quindlen (1952) journalist, Novelist

“Look to your heart
that flutters in and out like a moth.
God is not indifferent to your need.
You have a thousand prayers
but God has one.”

Anne Sexton (1928–1974) poet from the United States

“It's your own conscience
That is gonna remind you
That it's your heart and nobody else's
That is gonna judge.”

Bob Marley (1945–1981) Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician

“I have a feeling that you despise your body and that you only value art, you only value your argent needs, but eating and sleeping aren’t enough. You believe that your appearance is your enemy, and the only friend you have is music. Why look just in the mirror, look at your reflection, you’ll never find a better friend that yourself.”

Elfriede Jelinek book The Piano Teacher

“Be an observer of providence; for God is showing you ever, by the way in which He leads you, whither He means to lead. Study your trials, your talents, the world's wants, and stand ready to serve God now, in whatever He brings to your hand.”

Horace Bushnell (1802–1876) American theologian