Thomas Merton Quotes And Sayings

Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. was an American Catholic writer and mystic. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis. Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton’s most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain , which sent scores of World War II veterans, students, and even teenagers flocking to monasteries across the US, and was also featured in National Review’s list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century. Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding.

A Daydream Is An Evasion.

Thomas Merton Quotes (10) - A Daydream Is An Evasion.... - QuotesA Daydream Is An Evasion.

Thomas Merton Quotes (10) - A Daydream Is An Evasion.... - Quotes

Happiness Is Not A Matter Of Intensity But Of Balance, Order, Rhythm And Harmony.

Thomas Merton Quotes (1) - Happiness Is Not A Matter Of Intensity... - QuotesHappiness Is Not A Matter Of Intensity But Of Balance, Order, Rhythm And Harmony.

Thomas Merton Quotes (1) - Happiness Is Not A Matter Of Intensity... - Quotes

The Whole Idea Of Compassion Is Based On A Keen Awareness Of The Interdependence Of All These Living Beings, Which Are All Part Of One Another, And All Involved In One Another.

Thomas Merton Quotes (12) - The Whole Idea Of Compassion Is Based... - QuotesThe Whole Idea Of Compassion Is Based On A Keen Awareness Of The Interdependence Of All These Living Beings, Which Are All Part Of One Another, And All Involved In One Another.

Thomas Merton Quotes (12) - The Whole Idea Of Compassion Is Based... - Quotes

October Is A Fine And Dangerous Season In America. A Wonderful Time To Begin Anything At All. You Go To College, And Every Course In The Catalogue Looks Wonderful.

Thomas Merton Quotes (11) - October Is A Fine And Dangerous Seaso... - QuotesOctober Is A Fine And Dangerous Season In America. A Wonderful Time To Begin Anything At All. You Go To College, And Every Course In The Catalogue Looks Wonderful.

Thomas Merton Quotes (11) - October Is A Fine And Dangerous Seaso... - Quotes

We Have What We Seek, It Is There All The Time, And If We Give It Time, It Will Make Itself Known To Us.

Thomas Merton Quotes (13) - We Have What We Seek, It Is There All... - QuotesWe Have What We Seek, It Is There All The Time, And If We Give It Time, It Will Make Itself Known To Us.

Thomas Merton Quotes (13) - We Have What We Seek, It Is There All... - Quotes

We Do Not Exist For Ourselves Alone, And It Is Only When We Are Fully Convinced Of This Fact That We Begin To Love Ourselves Properly And Thus Also Love Others.

Thomas Merton Quotes (14) - We Do Not Exist For Ourselves Alone, ... - QuotesWe Do Not Exist For Ourselves Alone, And It Is Only When We Are Fully Convinced Of This Fact That We Begin To Love Ourselves Properly And Thus Also Love Others.

Thomas Merton Quotes (14) - We Do Not Exist For Ourselves Alone, ... - Quotes

Perhaps I Am Stronger Than I Think.

Thomas Merton Quotes (16) - Perhaps I Am Stronger Than I Think.... - QuotesPerhaps I Am Stronger Than I Think.

Thomas Merton Quotes (16) - Perhaps I Am Stronger Than I Think.... - Quotes

Pride Makes Us Artificial And Humility Makes Us Real.

Thomas Merton Quotes (15) - Pride Makes Us Artificial And Humilit... - QuotesPride Makes Us Artificial And Humility Makes Us Real.

Thomas Merton Quotes (15) - Pride Makes Us Artificial And Humilit... - Quotes

If You Want To Study The Social And Political History Of Modern Nations, Study Hell.

Thomas Merton Quotes (17) - If You Want To Study The Social And P... - QuotesIf You Want To Study The Social And Political History Of Modern Nations, Study Hell.

Thomas Merton Quotes (17) - If You Want To Study The Social And P... - Quotes

We Are Not At Peace With Others Because We Are Not At Peace With Ourselves, And We Are Not At Peace With Ourselves Because We Are Not At Peace With God.

Thomas Merton Quotes (18) - We Are Not At Peace With Others Becau... - QuotesWe Are Not At Peace With Others Because We Are Not At Peace With Ourselves, And We Are Not At Peace With Ourselves Because We Are Not At Peace With God.

Thomas Merton Quotes (18) - We Are Not At Peace With Others Becau... - Quotes

When Ambition Ends, Happiness Begins.

Thomas Merton Quotes (20) - When Ambition Ends, Happiness Begins.... - QuotesWhen Ambition Ends, Happiness Begins.

Thomas Merton Quotes (20) - When Ambition Ends, Happiness Begins.... - Quotes

Love Is Our True Destiny. We Do Not Find The Meaning Of Life By Ourselves Alone - We Find It With Another.

Thomas Merton Quotes (2) - Love Is Our True Destiny. We Do Not Fi... - QuotesLove Is Our True Destiny. We Do Not Find The Meaning Of Life By Ourselves Alone - We Find It With Another.

Thomas Merton Quotes (2) - Love Is Our True Destiny. We Do Not Fi... - Quotes

Solitude Is Not Something You Must Hope For In The Future. Rather, It Is A Deepening Of The Present, And Unless You Look For It In The Present You Will Never Find It.

Thomas Merton Quotes (19) - Solitude Is Not Something You Must Ho... - QuotesSolitude Is Not Something You Must Hope For In The Future. Rather, It Is A Deepening Of The Present, And Unless You Look For It In The Present You Will Never Find It.

Thomas Merton Quotes (19) - Solitude Is Not Something You Must Ho... - Quotes

We Must Make The Choices That Enable Us To Fulfill The Deepest Capacities Of Our Real Selves.

Thomas Merton Quotes (22) - We Must Make The Choices That Enable ... - QuotesWe Must Make The Choices That Enable Us To Fulfill The Deepest Capacities Of Our Real Selves.

Thomas Merton Quotes (22) - We Must Make The Choices That Enable ... - Quotes

Art Enables Us To Find Ourselves And Lose Ourselves At The Same Time.

Thomas Merton Quotes (21) - Art Enables Us To Find Ourselves And ... - QuotesArt Enables Us To Find Ourselves And Lose Ourselves At The Same Time.

Thomas Merton Quotes (21) - Art Enables Us To Find Ourselves And ... - Quotes

Peace Demands The Most Heroic Labor And The Most Difficult Sacrifice. It Demands Greater Heroism Than War. It Demands Greater Fidelity To The Truth And A Much More Perfect Purity Of Conscience.

Thomas Merton Quotes (26) - Peace Demands The Most Heroic Labor A... - QuotesPeace Demands The Most Heroic Labor And The Most Difficult Sacrifice. It Demands Greater Heroism Than War. It Demands Greater Fidelity To The Truth And A Much More Perfect Purity Of Conscience.

Thomas Merton Quotes (26) - Peace Demands The Most Heroic Labor A... - Quotes

Death Is Someone You See Very Clearly With Eyes In The Center Of Your Heart: Eyes That See Not By Reacting To Light, But By Reacting To A Kind Of A Chill From Within The Marrow Of Your Own Life.

Thomas Merton Quotes (23) - Death Is Someone You See Very Clearly... - QuotesDeath Is Someone You See Very Clearly With Eyes In The Center Of Your Heart: Eyes That See Not By Reacting To Light, But By Reacting To A Kind Of A Chill From Within The Marrow Of Your Own Life.

Thomas Merton Quotes (23) - Death Is Someone You See Very Clearly... - Quotes

We Stumble And Fall Constantly Even When We Are Most Enlightened. But When We Are In True Spiritual Darkness, We Do Not Even Know That We Have Fallen.

Thomas Merton Quotes (24) - We Stumble And Fall Constantly Even W... - QuotesWe Stumble And Fall Constantly Even When We Are Most Enlightened. But When We Are In True Spiritual Darkness, We Do Not Even Know That We Have Fallen.

Thomas Merton Quotes (24) - We Stumble And Fall Constantly Even W... - Quotes

In The Last Analysis, The Individual Person Is Responsible For Living His Own Life And For 'Finding Himself.' If He Persists In Shifting His Responsibility To Somebody Else, He Fails To Find Out The Meaning Of His Own Existence.

Thomas Merton Quotes (25) - In The Last Analysis, The Individual ... - QuotesIn The Last Analysis, The Individual Person Is Responsible For Living His Own Life And For 'Finding Himself.' If He Persists In Shifting His Responsibility To Somebody Else, He Fails To Find Out The Meaning Of His Own Existence.

Thomas Merton Quotes (25) - In The Last Analysis, The Individual ... - Quotes

The Least Of The Work Of Learning Is Done In The Classroom.

Thomas Merton Quotes (27) - The Least Of The Work Of Learning Is ... - QuotesThe Least Of The Work Of Learning Is Done In The Classroom.

Thomas Merton Quotes (27) - The Least Of The Work Of Learning Is ... - Quotes

Just Remaining Quietly In The Presence Of God, Listening To Him, Being Attentive To Him, Requires A Lot Of Courage And Know-how.

Thomas Merton Quotes (31) - Just Remaining Quietly In The Presenc... - QuotesJust Remaining Quietly In The Presence Of God, Listening To Him, Being Attentive To Him, Requires A Lot Of Courage And Know-how.

Thomas Merton Quotes (31) - Just Remaining Quietly In The Presenc... - Quotes

Love Seeks One Thing Only: The Good Of The One Loved. It Leaves All The Other Secondary Effects To Take Care Of Themselves. Love, Therefore, Is Its Own Reward.

Thomas Merton Quotes (28) - Love Seeks One Thing Only: The Good O... - QuotesLove Seeks One Thing Only: The Good Of The One Loved. It Leaves All The Other Secondary Effects To Take Care Of Themselves. Love, Therefore, Is Its Own Reward.

Thomas Merton Quotes (28) - Love Seeks One Thing Only: The Good O... - Quotes

The Biggest Human Temptation Is To Settle For Too Little.

Thomas Merton Quotes (30) - The Biggest Human Temptation Is To Se... - QuotesThe Biggest Human Temptation Is To Settle For Too Little.

Thomas Merton Quotes (30) - The Biggest Human Temptation Is To Se... - Quotes

Yet It Is In This Loneliness That The Deepest Activities Begin. It Is Here That You Discover Act Without Motion, Labor That Is Profound Repose, Vision In Obscurity, And, Beyond All Desire, A Fulfillment Whose Limits Extend To Infinity.

Thomas Merton Quotes (3) - Yet It Is In This Loneliness That The ... - QuotesYet It Is In This Loneliness That The Deepest Activities Begin. It Is Here That You Discover Act Without Motion, Labor That Is Profound Repose, Vision In Obscurity, And, Beyond All Desire, A Fulfillment Whose Limits Extend To Infinity.

Thomas Merton Quotes (3) - Yet It Is In This Loneliness That The ... - Quotes

By Reading The Scriptures I Am So Renewed That All Nature Seems Renewed Around Me And With Me. The Sky Seems To Be A Pure, A Cooler Blue, The Trees A Deeper Green. The Whole World Is Charged With The Glory Of God And I Feel Fire And Music Under My Feet.

Thomas Merton Quotes (29) - By Reading The Scriptures I Am So Ren... - QuotesBy Reading The Scriptures I Am So Renewed That All Nature Seems Renewed Around Me And With Me. The Sky Seems To Be A Pure, A Cooler Blue, The Trees A Deeper Green. The Whole World Is Charged With The Glory Of God And I Feel Fire And Music Under My Feet.

Thomas Merton Quotes (29) - By Reading The Scriptures I Am So Ren... - Quotes

Be Good, Keep Your Feet Dry, Your Eyes Open, Your Heart At Peace And Your Soul In The Joy Of Christ.

Thomas Merton Quotes (32) - Be Good, Keep Your Feet Dry, Your Eye... - QuotesBe Good, Keep Your Feet Dry, Your Eyes Open, Your Heart At Peace And Your Soul In The Joy Of Christ.

Thomas Merton Quotes (32) - Be Good, Keep Your Feet Dry, Your Eye... - Quotes

Wheels Of Fire, Cosmic, Rich, Full-bodied Honest Victories Over Desperation.

Thomas Merton Quotes (33) - Wheels Of Fire, Cosmic, Rich, Full-bo... - QuotesWheels Of Fire, Cosmic, Rich, Full-bodied Honest Victories Over Desperation.

Thomas Merton Quotes (33) - Wheels Of Fire, Cosmic, Rich, Full-bo... - Quotes

The First Step Toward Finding God, Who Is Truth, Is To Discover The Truth About Myself: And If I Have Been In Error, This First Step To Truth Is The Discovery Of My Error.

Thomas Merton Quotes (34) - The First Step Toward Finding God, Wh... - QuotesThe First Step Toward Finding God, Who Is Truth, Is To Discover The Truth About Myself: And If I Have Been In Error, This First Step To Truth Is The Discovery Of My Error.

Thomas Merton Quotes (34) - The First Step Toward Finding God, Wh... - Quotes

To Consider Persons And Events And Situations Only In The Light Of Their Effect Upon Myself Is To Live On The Doorstep Of Hell.

Thomas Merton Quotes (36) - To Consider Persons And Events And Si... - QuotesTo Consider Persons And Events And Situations Only In The Light Of Their Effect Upon Myself Is To Live On The Doorstep Of Hell.

Thomas Merton Quotes (36) - To Consider Persons And Events And Si... - Quotes

I Cannot Make The Universe Obey Me. I Cannot Make Other People Conform To My Own Whims And Fancies. I Cannot Make Even My Own Body Obey Me.

Thomas Merton Quotes (35) - I Cannot Make The Universe Obey Me. I... - QuotesI Cannot Make The Universe Obey Me. I Cannot Make Other People Conform To My Own Whims And Fancies. I Cannot Make Even My Own Body Obey Me.

Thomas Merton Quotes (35) - I Cannot Make The Universe Obey Me. I... - Quotes

The Tighter You Squeeze, The Less You Have.

Thomas Merton Quotes (37) - The Tighter You Squeeze, The Less You... - QuotesThe Tighter You Squeeze, The Less You Have.

Thomas Merton Quotes (37) - The Tighter You Squeeze, The Less You... - Quotes

Advertising Treats All Products With The Reverence And The Seriousness Due To Sacraments.

Thomas Merton Quotes (38) - Advertising Treats All Products With ... - QuotesAdvertising Treats All Products With The Reverence And The Seriousness Due To Sacraments.

Thomas Merton Quotes (38) - Advertising Treats All Products With ... - Quotes

Every Moment And Every Event Of Every Man's Life On Earth Plants Something In His Soul.

Thomas Merton Quotes (5) - Every Moment And Every Event Of Every ... - QuotesEvery Moment And Every Event Of Every Man's Life On Earth Plants Something In His Soul.

Thomas Merton Quotes (5) - Every Moment And Every Event Of Every ... - Quotes

The Beginning Of Love Is To Let Those We Love Be Perfectly Themselves, And Not To Twist Them To Fit Our Own Image. Otherwise We Love Only The Reflection Of Ourselves We Find In Them.

Thomas Merton Quotes (4) - The Beginning Of Love Is To Let Those ... - QuotesThe Beginning Of Love Is To Let Those We Love Be Perfectly Themselves, And Not To Twist Them To Fit Our Own Image. Otherwise We Love Only The Reflection Of Ourselves We Find In Them.

Thomas Merton Quotes (4) - The Beginning Of Love Is To Let Those ... - Quotes

We Are So Obsessed With Doing That We Have No Time And No Imagination Left For Being. As A Result, Men Are Valued Not For What They Are But For What They Do Or What They Have - For Their Usefulness.

Thomas Merton Quotes (6) - We Are So Obsessed With Doing That We ... - QuotesWe Are So Obsessed With Doing That We Have No Time And No Imagination Left For Being. As A Result, Men Are Valued Not For What They Are But For What They Do Or What They Have - For Their Usefulness.

Thomas Merton Quotes (6) - We Are So Obsessed With Doing That We ... - Quotes

What Can We Gain By Sailing To The Moon If We Are Not Able To Cross The Abyss That Separates Us From Ourselves? This Is The Most Important Of All Voyages Of Discovery, And Without It, All The Rest Are Not Only Useless, But Disastrous.

Thomas Merton Quotes (7) - What Can We Gain By Sailing To The Moo... - QuotesWhat Can We Gain By Sailing To The Moon If We Are Not Able To Cross The Abyss That Separates Us From Ourselves? This Is The Most Important Of All Voyages Of Discovery, And Without It, All The Rest Are Not Only Useless, But Disastrous.

Thomas Merton Quotes (7) - What Can We Gain By Sailing To The Moo... - Quotes

A Life Is Either All Spiritual Or Not Spiritual At All. No Man Can Serve Two Masters. Your Life Is Shaped By The End You Live For. You Are Made In The Image Of What You Desire.

Thomas Merton Quotes (8) - A Life Is Either All Spiritual Or Not ... - QuotesA Life Is Either All Spiritual Or Not Spiritual At All. No Man Can Serve Two Masters. Your Life Is Shaped By The End You Live For. You Are Made In The Image Of What You Desire.

Thomas Merton Quotes (8) - A Life Is Either All Spiritual Or Not ... - Quotes

The Very Contradictions In My Life Are In Some Ways Signs Of God's Mercy To Me.

Thomas Merton Quotes (9) - The Very Contradictions In My Life Are... - QuotesThe Very Contradictions In My Life Are In Some Ways Signs Of God's Mercy To Me.

Thomas Merton Quotes (9) - The Very Contradictions In My Life Are... - Quotes