Aphorisms, quotations and phrases of Saint Bernard of Chiaravalle, French monk and theologian of the Cistercian order, as well as abbot of the abbey of Clairvaux, which he founded, and other famous monasteries.

Aphorisms of Saint Bernard of Chiaravalle

- It is a good thing for me, O Lord, rather to cling to you in tribulation, to have you with me in the furnace, than to be without you was also in heaven.

- Feeling the presence of an Angel is like feeling the wind all around you. You can't actually see the wind, but you feel it, and you know it's there. A soul is never without the escort of angels, these enlightened spirits know very well that our soul has more value than the whole world.

- Di Maria will never be said enough.

- When all the infidels have been cast out, he will take possession of his house and his inheritance, the one who cried out in anger about it in the Gospel: Behold, our home will be left deserted.

- There are those who praise the Lord because he is powerful, there are those who praise him because he is good with him, and finally there are those who praise him because they are simply good. The former is a servant and fears for himself; the second is a mercenary, and craves for himself; the third is a son and relies on his father.

- O holy and chaste love! O sweet and sweet affection, all the more sweet and sweet, because the feeling you feel is all divine. To experience it is to deify.

- At the beginning therefore man loves himself for himself. He is flesh and is unable to understand anything outside himself. When he sees that with his own strength he cannot exist, by means of faith he begins to seek and love God, as necessary for him. Therefore in a second moment he loves God, but in view of himself, not in view of him.

- Where there is love, there is no effort, but taste.

- When, under the pressure of his own necessity, man begins to honor the Lord and to frequent him with meditation, reading, prayer, obedience, then, as a consequence of this familiarity, God gradually insensibly he reveals himself and communicates his sweetness to him. Then, after tasting how sweet the Lord is, man passes to the third degree, that is, he loves God not in view of himself, but in view of him. Mostly one remains at this degree, and I do not know if it is possible to fully realize the fourth degree in this life, where man loves himself only in view of God.

- The Eucharist is love that surpasses all loves in heaven and on earth.

Recommended readings

• Phrases of St. Dominic of Guzman: biography
• Phrases of Santa Gemma Galgani: quotes and aphorisms
• Phrases of Saint Anthony of Padua: quotes, aphorisms
• Phrases of San Filippo Neri: famous aphorisms from the writings
• Phrases of San Camillo de Lellis: quotes and thoughts

- The reason to love God is God himself; the measure, love it without measure.

Quotes San Bernardo di Chiaravalle

- Only one patient can understand and have compassion for another patient. Starting from their sufferings, Christians learn to sympathize with those of others.

- Maria was a rose, white for her virginity, vermilion for charity.

- All the time you don't think about God, you have to consider it as lost time.

- In order for you to have a heart that is saddened by the miseries of others, you must first recognize your misery in order to find that of your neighbor in your soul, and learn from your heart how to help him, following the example of the Savior, who he wanted to suffer in order to sympathize.

- The more good you are, the more bad you are, if you attribute to yourself what you are good for.

- If you mind what comes out of your mouth, nostrils, every meatus, you will have to agree that there is no other more repellent dung heap than the human body.

- Man's likeness to God is the indispensable condition for us to know God, and this likeness is the work of charity.

- Our progress does not consist in assuming that we have arrived but in striving continually for the goal.

- Fasting and prayer are like two brothers, each of whom brings help and comfort to the other.

- Oh, blissful solitude, only bliss!

- Charity creates charity; the substantial one creates the accidental one. This (God) is the eternal law, which creates and governs the universe ... Nothing is left without law, since it is itself law.

Phrases Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

- Recommended and not forced.

- The cause of God's love is God himself, and his measure is to love without measure.

- You'll find more in the woods than in books. Trees and rocks will teach you things that no master will tell you.

- Impunity causes recklessness and this opens the way to any excess.

- God wanted nothing to be received, that does not first pass through the hands of Mary.

- You have the One you are looking for outside of you.

- Only Jesus is "honey in the mouth, song in the ear, jubilation in the heart".

- What is avarice? Living in poverty for fear of poverty.

- If you mind what comes out of your mouth, nostrils, every meatus, you will have to agree that there is no other more repellent dung heap than the human body.

- Saint Bernard's prayer for the name of Mary: Whoever you are, who in the flow of this time you realize that, rather than walking on the earth, you are swaying between storms and storms, do not take your eyes off the splendor of this star, if you don't want to be overwhelmed by the storm! If you are shaken by the waves of pride, ambition, slander, jealousy, look at the star, invoke Mary. If anger or avarice, or the enticements of the flesh have shaken the spacecraft of your soul, look at Maria. If troubled by the enormity of sins, if confused by the unworthiness of conscience, you begin to be swallowed up by the abyss of sadness and the abyss of despair, think of Mary. Don't go away from your mouth and your heart, and to get the help of his prayer, don't forget the example of his life. By following her you cannot get lost, by praying she you cannot despair. If she supports you, you do not fall, if she protects you, you do not give in to fear, if she is propitious to you, you reach the goal.

- Humility is the only one that beatifies and eternal virtues, which strengthens the kingdom of heaven, which humiliated the Lord of Majesty until death, the death of the cross. Humility was the first to invite the Word of God to descend among us, established in the highest heaven.

Thoughts on San Bernardo di Chiaravalle

French abbot and theologian made a saint, who lived between 1090 and 1153, as well as the Father of the Cistercian order, Saint Bernard of Chiaravalle was frequently pushed to leave the tranquility of the monastery to deal with the religious political controversies of the time.

His commentary sermons on the bible constitute a magnificent document of theology, which testifies to his experience of the mystery concerning faith in God, a source of spiritual inspiration for generations, thanks to the devoted affection that they are able to inspire towards humanity of Christ and the Virgin Mary.