Jeremy Stephens > Jeremy's Quotes

“You control your passions by cultivating that humility which recognizes the good in your passions and utilizes it, the bad in your passions and suppresses it, the express will of God for your passions and follows it, the goal of victory over your unruly passions (which is heaven) and wins it.”
― Catholic Way Publishing, The Catholic Collection: 734 Catholic Essays and Novels on Authentic Catholic Teaching

“If you asked twenty good men to-day what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old he would have replied, Love - You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance.

The negative ideal of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

“Sin, for instance, is an effort to gain something against the will of God; but the will of God is all that holds us in existence;”
― F.J. Sheed, Theology for Beginners

“The Power of the Sign of the Cross The Cross has great power against the enemy for two reasons: the one is that it represents the death of the Savior, who abased and subjugated him, which this proud being hates and fears in the extreme; the other is that the Cross is a brief and powerful invocation of the Redeemer that can be employed on every occasion suitable for prayer.”
― Francis de Sales, The Sign of the Cross

“Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.”
― Louis L'Amour, Matagorda/The First Fast Draw: Two Novels in One Volume

“We become the books we read.”
― Matthew Kelly

“If we want to raise children who will remain faithful to Christ and His Church, they need to see fathers on their knees in prayer.”
― Randy Hain, Journey to Heaven: A Road Map for Catholic Men

“My brothers, we have a special and distinct role as Christian men, fathers, husbands, and leaders in the family, in the Church, and in society at large. If we don’t step up, we run the risk of seeing our families overrun and absorbed by the surrounding culture. This is not acceptable. Start with prayer. Be faithful, be consistent, have courage, show humility, and remember . . . we are made for a heavenly home and not this world.”
― Randy Hain, Journey to Heaven: A Road Map for Catholic Men

“The smart employer looks not for perfection but for an explanation of how the consequences of a dishonorable act affected the candidate and others.”
― Bruce Weinstein

“A strong work ethic is a form of accountability, because it involves keeping a promise to one's employer. It is not the same thing as workaholism.”
― Bruce Weinstein

“Practicing gratitude in the moment of frustration can really be a game changer.”
― Bruce Weinstein

“We must own our own thoughts. Many people have not taken ownership of their own thinking processes. They are mechanically thinking the thoughts of others without ever examining them. They swallow others’ opinions and reasonings, never questioning and “thinking about their thinking.” Certainly we should listen to the thoughts of others and weigh them; but we should never “give our minds” over to anyone. We are to weigh things for ourselves in the context of relationship, “sharpening” each other as iron, but remaining separate thinkers.”
― Henry Cloud, Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How to Say No

“Our days are few (cf. Job 14:1), and consequently our labor cannot be overlong. By means of a little patience, we will get through it with honor and contentment, for we have no greater consolation at the end of the day than to have worked hard and shouldered its pains.”
― Francis de Sales, Roses Among Thorns: Simple Advice for Renewing Your Spiritual Journey

“My good friend Danny Abramowicz loves to tell men at men’s conferences: “Men, your kids will always love their mother, but they want to become just like you!” If we are not holy ourselves, then our families will not be holy. It is that simple. God is going to speak to men, women, and children, but He is speaking especially to men to help us be His very image.
You are the sacrament of Fatherhood to your children just like St. Joseph was the sacrament of Fatherhood to Jesus. Just as God used St. Joseph to form Jesus Christ in His humanity, so too does He want to use you to form your children. So I would encourage you before you read any further to stop and ask St. Joseph for his intercession for you so you can grow in holiness.”
― Larry Richards, Be a Man!: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be

“As iron sharpens iron, we need confrontation and truth from others to grow. No one likes to hear negative things about him or herself. But in the long run it may be good for us. The Bible says that if we are wise, we will learn from it. Admonition from a friend, while it can hurt, can also help.”
― Henry Cloud, Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How to Say No

“Distance never seperates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad cuz I miss you I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.”
― Henri Nouwen

“Dear God,
I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?
Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands
and to discover that I am not what I own,
but what you want to give me.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life

“Lord Jesus, I believe that through your cross you drew all people to yourself. Help me to forgive, rather than condemn; to love, rather than criticize; to care beyond what I think is expected of me. In this way, I will grow in my love for you and for my neighbor.”
― Leo Zanchettin, Matthew: A Devotional Commentary

“Simply changing one three-letter word can often spell the difference between failure and success in changing people without giving offense or arousing resentment. Many people begin their criticism with sincere praise followed by the word “but” and ending with a critical statement. For example, in trying to change a child’s careless attitude toward studies, we might say, “We’re really proud of you, Johnnie, for raising your grades this term. But if you had worked harder on your algebra, the results would have been better.” In this case, Johnnie might feel encouraged until he heard the word “but.” He might then question the sincerity of the original praise. To him, the praise seemed only to be a contrived lead-in to a critical inference of failure. Credibility would be strained, and we probably would not achieve our objectives of changing Johnnie’s attitude toward his studies. This could be easily overcome by changing the word “but” to “and.” “We’re really proud of you, Johnnie, for raising your grades this term, and by continuing the same conscientious efforts next term, your algebra grade can be up with all the others.”
― Dale Carnegie, How To Win Friends and Influence People

“The way we consume information leads us to think less and less about more and more. We spend much of our time fixated on secondary questions (usually related to controversial and sensational issues) and very little time exploring the primary questions about our brief stay here on earth.”
― Matthew Kelly, Rediscover Catholicism

“When our children know more about teen pop idols than they do about Jesus Christ, isn’t it time for us to reassess the place and priority our faith has in our lives?”
― Matthew Kelly, Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion & Purpose

“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
― Matthew Kelly, Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion & Purpose

“The most dominant quality among Dynamic Catholics is a daily routine of prayer. • A daily routine refers to a specific time and place set aside for prayer. Dynamic Catholics make this time a priority each day.”
― Matthew Kelly, The Four Signs of A Dynamic Catholic: How Engaging 1% of Catholics Could Change the World

“Catholicism is not merely a religion, or a sect, or a set of rules. When small minds and smaller spirits try to capture the essence of Catholicism, this is often what they tend to conclude. But Catholicism is more than a religion. It is more than just another movement. The essence of Catholicism is not sin, punishment, duty, or obligation, and it is more than a set of lifeless rules and regulations. Catholicism is more. It is more than most people think and more than most Catholics ever experience…The essence of Catholicism is dynamic transformation. You cannot become more like Jesus Christ and at the same time stay as you are.”
― Matthew Kelly

“The Gospels did not start the Church; the Church started the Gospels. The Church did not come out of the Gospels; the Gospels came out of the Church.”
― Fulton J. Sheen, The World's First Love: Mary, Mother of God

“if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy

“Myself,” said the Voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook: and again “Myself,” loud and clear and gay: and then the third time “Myself,” whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy

“The beautiful and the good are never forgotten, they live always in story or in song.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

“So next time somebody is upsetting you, frustrating you, annoying you, or ignoring you, take a deep breath and remember that she is fighting her own hard battle. Allow the greatness of your humanity to rise up within you, and act with gentle compassion.”
― Matthew Kelly, Life is Messy