Facts Quotes by Thomas Merton

I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

— Thomas Merton

Man was made for the highest activity, which is, in fact, his rest.

— Thomas Merton

Reason is in fact the path to faith, and faith takes over when reason can say no more.

— Thomas Merton

Those who think they 'know' from the beginning will never in fact come to know anything.

— Thomas Merton

Love, in fact, is the spiritual life; and without it, all other exercises of the spirit are emptied of content.

— Thomas Merton

Before we can become who we really are, we must become conscious of the fact that the person who we think we…

— Thomas Merton

This is the greatest stumbling block in our spiritual discipline, which, in actuality, consists not in getting rid of the self but…

— Thomas Merton

The whole world has risen in Christ... If God is 'all in all,' then everything is in fact paradise, because it is…

— Thomas Merton

The peculiar grace of a Shaker chair is due to the fact that it was made by someone capable of believing that…

— Thomas Merton

We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else…

— Thomas Merton

Love in fact is the spiritual life, and without it all the other exercises of the spirit, however lofty, are emptied of…

— Thomas Merton

The fact remains that we are invited to forget ourselves on purpose, cast our awful solemnity to the wind, and join in…

— Thomas Merton

We do not want to be beginners [at prayer]. but let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be…

— Thomas Merton

Day after day I read Freud, thinking myself to be very enlightened and scientific when, as a matter of fact, I was…

— Thomas Merton

To enter into the realm of contemplation, one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance…

— Thomas Merton

Our Christian destiny is, in fact, a great one: but we cannot achieve greatness unless we lose all interest in being great.…

— Thomas Merton

Paradoxically, I have found peace because I have always been dissatisfied. My moments of depression and despair turn out to be renewals,…

— Thomas Merton

It is true to say that for me sanctity consists in being myself and for you sanctity consists of being yourself and…

— Thomas Merton

God has left sin in the world in order that there may be forgiveness: not only the secret forgiveness by which He…

— Thomas Merton

It's a risky thing to pray and the danger is that our very prayers get between God and us. The great thing…

— Thomas Merton

Contemplation is life itself, fully awake, fully active, and fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous…

— Thomas Merton

You must realize that it is the ordinary way of God's dealings with us that our ideas do not work out speedily…

— Thomas Merton

The basic problem is not political, it is apolitical and human. One of the most important things to do is to keep…

— Thomas Merton

Do not depend on the hope of results. You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless…

— Thomas Merton

A humble man is not afraid of failure. In fact, he is not afraid of anything, even himself, since perfect humility implies…

— Thomas Merton

For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem…

— Thomas Merton

Before we can realize who we really are, we must become conscious of the fact that the person we think we are,…

— Thomas Merton

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and,…

— Thomas Merton

The reality that is present to us and in us: call it being...Silence. And the simple fact that by being attentive, by…

— Thomas Merton

Memory is corrupted and ruined by a crowd of memories. If I am going to have a true memory, there are a…

— Thomas Merton

To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance…

— Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot…

— Thomas Merton

The question of love is one that cannot be evaded. Whether or not you claim to be interested in it from the…

— Thomas Merton