“We are certainly in a common class with the beasts; every action of animal life …” — Saint Augustine

If I am given a formula, and I am ignorant of its meaning, it cannot teach me anything, but if I already know it what does the formula teach me?

Who can map out the various forces at play in one soul? Man is a great depth, O Lord. The hairs of his head are easier by far to count than his feeling, the movements of his heart.

Custom is second nature.

Blessedness consists in the accomplishment of our desires, and in our having only regular desires.