John of Kronstadt > Quotes

“Every man on earth is sick with the fever of sin, with the blindness of sin and is overcome with its fury. As sins consist mostly of malice and pride, it is necessary to treat everyone who suffers from the malady of sin with kindness and love. This is an important truth, which we often forget. Very often we act in the opposite manner: we add malice to malice by our anger, we oppose pride with pride. Thus, evil grows within us and does not decrease; it is not cured – rather it spreads”
― St. John of Kronstadt

“The Christian has no reason to have in his heart any ill-feeling whatever against anyone--such ill-feeling, like every other evil, is the work of the Devil; the Christian must only have love in his heart; and as love cannot think of evil, he cannot have any ill-feeling against others.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Hearty faith is indispensable for man, because the light of our intellect is very limited, and cannot contain much mental light, while the Lord our God is Infinite Light, and the world is an abyss of His omnipotence and wisdom, whilst in us there is only, so to say, a drop of His power and wisdom, because only so much, and not more, can be contained of them in our perishable flesh.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“For you cannot conquer evil with evil, just as you cannot put out fire by fire, but only by water.”
― John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“What is a pure heart? It is meek, humble, guileless, simple, trusting, true, unsuspicious, gentle, good, not covetous, not envious, not adulterous. My soul! remember thy heavenly dignity and do not be disturbed by corruptible, worthless things. Honour also in other people their heavenly dignity, and do not dare offend or hate them for any perishable cause; love with all thy might that which is spiritual and heavenly, and despise that which is material, earthly.”
― John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, or Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God

“Do not be irritated either with those who sin or those who offend; do not have a passion for noticing every sin in your neighbour, and for judging him, as we are in the habit of doing. Everyone shall give an answer to God for himself. Everyone has a conscience; everyone hears God's Word, and knows God's Will either from books or from conversation with other people. Especially do not look with evil intention upon the sins of your elders, which do not regard you; "to his own master he standeth or falleth." Correct your own sins, amend your own life.”
― St. John of Kronstadt

“Our self-love and pride manifest themselves especially in impatience”
― John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“If God does not leave a blade of grass, a flower, or a small leaf of a tree without His good providence, will He leave us?”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“People offend you, irritate you, breathe contempt and malice against you; do not repay them in the same way, but be gentle, meek, and kind, respectful and loving towards those very persons who behave unworthily to you.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Dislike, enmity, or hatred should be unknown amongst Christians even by name. How can dislike exist amongst Christians? Everywhere you see love, everywhere you breathe the fragrance of love. Our God is the God of love. His kingdom is the kingdom of love.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Very often it happens that prayer is on the lips, but in the heart cunning, incredulity or unbelief, so that by the lips the man seems near to God, whilst in his heart he is far from Him.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Watch whether your heart agrees with, everything that your tongue pronounces.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Every lying thought bears in itself a proof of its falsehood. This proof is its deadly effect upon the heart;”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Likewise every true thought contains in itself a proof of its truth. This proof is its vivifying effect upon the heart;”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“The earth is hard and inert, though it revolves very fast round the sun; water is liquid and rapid, therefore people say a current is rapid; air is still more liquid, more rare- fied and more rapid, and therefore it moves very quickly, as, for instance, in the case of winds; light is still more ethereal, more rapid, and in one second it travels over incredibly great distances. If light is so ethereal and traverses immense spaces in the shortest possible time, then what must the created spirit be, and how ethereal and rapid must it be! Finally, what must the uncreated Spirit be--the Lord Himself! How immeasurable must He be! If light in one second moves with such awful rapidity, then how rapidly must the uncreated Light--the Source of all Light and of everything created--move in intelligent created spirits! Finally, how must the Light which created everything embrace all His creatures, all the multitudes of worlds! Glory to Thee, the Light immaterial and uncreated, "which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." [112]”
― John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, or Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God

“Remember, that animals are called to life by God's mercy that they may enjoy their existence as much as they can during their short life. "The Lord is good to all." [247] Do not beat them, if they are unreasonable, or if they play tricks, or if any of your property is damaged by them. "Blessed is the man who is merciful to his beast.”
― John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, or Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God

“Indeed, we often so live as though we had no spirit in us, and the highest degree of human depravity is manifested by the fact that the spirit is completely stifled and the man becomes as though he were flesh alone.”
― John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, or Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God

“Forgive those who trespass against you, so that God may forgive your trespasses, incomparably greater than the trespasses of others against you.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“we must by every means implant in the field of our heart the seeds of the virtues, faith, hope in God, and love for God and our neighbour,”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Love every man in spite of his falling into sin. Never mind the sins, but remember that the foundation of the man is the same--the image of God.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“How often it happens in life that a man has one thing in his heart and another upon his lips, and wears two faces at one and the same time!”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“As you are aware, man, in his words, does not die; he is immortal in them, and they will speak after his death.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Who can be more loathsome to me than myself? Truly nobody; in comparison to me all are righteous. I”
― John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, or Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God

“Every sin comes from the love of self.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“In order not to be subjected to the continual harassments of the evil spirit, we must constantly have in our hearts this prayer to Jesus Christ: "Jesus, Son of God, have mercy upon me!”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“many rich men and high dignitaries would willingly exchange their palaces for the poor man's cottage if they could only acquire his peace of heart.”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Do not neglect to uproot from the hearts of children the tares of sins,”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

“Do not fear the conflict, do not flee it. Where there is no struggle, there is no virtue; where faith and love are not tempted, it is not possible to be sure whether they are really present. They are proved and revealed in adversity, that is, in difficult and grievous circumstances, both outward and inward - during sickness, sorrow, or privations”
― St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ: Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God: Extracts from the Diary of St. John of Kronstadt

“The only requirements of our soul are righteousness, holiness, truth, love, mercy, meekness, kindness, peace, spiritual freedom, or the grace of God in the heart. These treasures give life to our whole being, and are eternal.”
― John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ