--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We know when we are following our…" description: "\"We know when we are following our vocation when our soul is set free from preoccupation with itself and is able to seek God and even to find Him, even ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/thomas-merton-231_able_we-know-when-we-are-following-our-vocati_2809467.jpg" --- # We know when we are following our vocation when our soul… ![“We know when we are following our vocation when our soul is set free from preoccupation with itself and is able to seek God and even to find Him, even though it may not appear to find Him. Gratitude and confidence and freedom from ourselves: these are signs that we have found our vocation and are…” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/thomas-merton-231_able_we-know-when-we-are-following-our-vocati_2809467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/thomas-merton-231_able_we-know-when-we-are-following-our-vocati_2809467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/thomas-merton-231_able_we-know-when-we-are-following-our-vocati_2809467.jpg) > “We know when we are following our vocation when our soul is set free from preoccupation with itself and is able to seek God and even to find Him, even though it may not appear to find Him. Gratitude and confidence and freedom from ourselves: these are signs that we have found our vocation and are living up to it even though everything else may seem to have gone wrong. They give us peace in any suffering. They teach us to laugh at despair. And we may have to.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vocation is recognized when self‑obsession fades, gratitude, confidence, and freedom arise, bringing peace amid suffering. **In simple terms:** Finding purpose frees us from selfishness. Key Takeaway Seek work that brings inner peace. Themes vocation gratitude freedom peace Mood contemplative encouraging Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - career decisions - spiritual practice - mental health - overcoming adversity Key Concepts spirituality psychology purpose Questions to Reflect On - What signs show you’re aligned with your vocation? - How can gratitude transform hardship? A Different Perspective Not all find vocation easily; may idealize suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Following](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following/) [Following Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-vocation-3509487/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Preoccupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preoccupation/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Set free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/set-free/) [Signs Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signs-vocation-1438105/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation/) [Vocation Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation-living-3509488/) [Vocation Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation-soul-3509486/) ## Related quotes > [In all the arts abundance seems to be one of the surest signs of vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/in-all-the-arts-abundance-seems-to-be-one-of-the-surest-signs-of/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/our-vocation-is-not-simply-to-be-but-to-work-together-with-god-in-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Difference between a vocation and a category. Those who fulfill their vocation to sanctity--or who are fulfilling it--are by that very fact unaccountable. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/difference-between-a-vocation-and-a-category-those-who-fulfill-their/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“There is something in the depths of our being that hungers for wholeness and finality. Because we are made for eternal life, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/there-is-something-in-the-depths-of-our-being-that-hungers-for/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Who is willing to be satisfied with a job that expresses all his limitations? He will accept such work only as a 'means of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/who-is-willing-to-be-satisfied-with-a-job-that-expresses-all-his/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Each one of us has some kind of vocation. We are all called by God to share in His life and in His Kingdom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/each-one-of-us-has-some-kind-of-vocation-we-are-all-called-by-god-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess. Vocation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/discovering-vocation-does-not-mean-scrambling-toward-some-prize-just/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [This constant, unproductive preoccupation with all the things we have to do is the single largest consumer of time and energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-gleeson/this-constant-unproductive-preoccupation-with-all-the-things-we-have/) [Kerry Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-gleeson/) > [There's a preoccupation with memory and the operation of memory and a rather rapacious interest in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/there-s-a-preoccupation-with-memory-and-the-operation-of-memory-and-a/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [My major preoccupation is the question, 'What is reality?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/my-major-preoccupation-is-the-question-what-is-reality/) [Philip K. 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The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I'm simply saying that our deepest thoughts, desires and preoccupations manifest themselves in art, whether we intend them to or not. That's what art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/i-m-simply-saying-that-our-deepest-thoughts-desires-and/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) ## More by Thomas Merton > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We are not perfectly free until we live in pure hope. For when our hope is pure, it no longer trusts exclusively in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-are-not-perfectly-free-until-we-live-in-pure-hope-for-when-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-enter-into-the-realm-of-contemplation-one-must-in-a-certain-sense/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Peace cannot be built on exclusivism, absolutism, and intolerance. But neither can it be built on vague liberal slogans and pious programs gestated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/peace-cannot-be-built-on-exclusivism-absolutism-and-intolerance-but/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Things that are good are good, and if one is responding to that goodness one is in contact with a truth from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/things-that-are-good-are-good-and-if-one-is-responding-to-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Love winter when the plant says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-winter-when-the-plant-says-nothing/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“The wisdom of the flesh is a judgement that the ordinary ends of our natural appetites are the goods to which the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-wisdom-of-the-flesh-is-a-judgement-that-the-ordinary-ends-of-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I will no longer wound myself with the thoughts and questions that have surrounded me like thorns: that is a penance You do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-will-no-longer-wound-myself-with-the-thoughts-and-questions-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men--you may make some money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-you-write-for-god-you-will-reach-many-men-and-bring-them-joy-if/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Contemplation means rest, suspension of activity, withdrawal into the mysterious interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the immense and fruitful silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/contemplation-means-rest-suspension-of-activity-withdrawal-into-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) [Explore all 851 Thomas Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. 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