Bernard of Clairvaux Quotes
Bernard of Clairvaux was a French Cistercian abbot, mystical theologian, and one of the most influential figures of the twelfth century. As founder of the abbey of Clairvaux and father of more than sixty daughter houses, he reformed Western monasticism and contributed decisively to the spirituality of his age. The quotes below are attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, organized by topic.
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Bernard of Clairvaux on God
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“I have freed my soul.”
Liberavi animam meam. -
“Our King [ Jesus ] is accused of treachery; it is said of him [by the Muslims] that he is not God, but that he falsely pretended to be something he was not.”
As quoted in Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? : Understanding the Differences between Christianity and Islam (2002) by Timothy George, p. 49 -
“Alternate translation: God cannot suffer, but He can have compassion.”
Sermons on the Song of Songs(1135–1153) -
“God cannot suffer, but is not without compassion.”
Sermons on the Song of Songs(1135–1153)
Bernard of Clairvaux on Happiness
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“Among us on the earth there is His memory; but in the Kingdom of heaven His very Presence. That Presence is the joy of those who have already attained to beatitude ; the memory is the comfort of us who are still wayfarers, journeying towards the Fatherland .”
On Loving God(c. 1128–1129) | On Loving God , Ch. 3, Paul Halsall trans.
Bernard of Clairvaux on Knowledge
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Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux:
“Without knowledge of self, there is no knowledge of God.”
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“Experto crede: aliquid amplius invenies in silvis, quam in libris. Ligna et lapides docebunt te, quod a magistris audire non possis.”
Believe me, you will find more lessons in the woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you what you cannot learn from masters. | Epistola CVI, sect. 2; translation from Edward Churton The Early English Church ( 1841) p. 324 -
“Believe me, you will find more lessons in the woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you what you cannot learn from masters.”
Experto crede: aliquid amplius invenies in silvis, quam in libris. Ligna et lapides docebunt te, quod a magistris audire non possis. -
“Epistola CVI, sect. 2; translation from Edward Churton The Early English Church ( 1841) p. 324”
Experto crede: aliquid amplius invenies in silvis, quam in libris. Ligna et lapides docebunt te, quod a magistris audire non possis. -
“Liberavi animam meam.”
I have freed my soul. | Letter to Abbot Suger , Epistles no. 371 (c. 1147) -
“Bestia illa de Apocalypsi, cui datum est os loquens blasphemias, et bellum gerere cum sanctis (Apoc. XIII, 5-7), Petri cathedram occupat, tanquam leo paratus ad praedam.”
That beast of the Apocalypse, to whom is given a mouth speaking blasphemies, and to make war with the saints, is sitting on the throne of Peter, like a lion ready for his prey. | To Magister Geoffrey of Loretto (afterwards Archbishop of Bordeaux), Letter 37 ( c . 1131), in Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux (1904), Dr. Samuel John Eales, trans., John Hodges, London, p. 139. | That b -
“That beast" to which Bernard refers is antipope Peter Leonis .”
Bestia illa de Apocalypsi, cui datum est os loquens blasphemias, et bellum gerere cum sanctis (Apoc. XIII, 5-7), Petri cathedram occupat, tanquam leo paratus ad praedam. -
“Then you have some people who wish to know for the sake of knowing, and that is scandalous curiosity.”
Sermons on the Song of Songs(1135–1153) -
“To learn in order to know is scandalous curiosity.”
Sermons on the Song of Songs(1135–1153)
Bernard of Clairvaux on Love
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“The reason for loving God is God himself; the measure of love is to love without measure.”
On Loving God , Ch. 6, as translated in Leon Cristiani, St. Bernard of Clairvaux , trans. M. Angeline Bouchard (Boston: St. Paul Editions, 1983), p. 102 -
Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux:
“What we love we shall grow to resemble.”
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“On Loving God , Ch. 3, Paul Halsall trans.”
On Loving God(c. 1128–1129) -
“Prostrate, see Thy cross I grasp, And Thy pierced feet I clasp; Gracious Jesus , spurn me not; On me, with compassion fraught, Let Thy glances fall. From thy cross of agony, My Beloved, look on me; Turn me wholly unto Thee; "Be thou whole," say openly, "I forgive thee all."”
"Salve Mundi Salutare", trans. in Elizabeth Rundle Charles, Te Deum Laudamus (1858); 5th ed. (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1897), pp. 180–181 Although this poem first appeared in a collection of Bernard's works, it is
Bernard of Clairvaux on Politics
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“That beast of the Apocalypse, to whom is given a mouth speaking blasphemies, and to make war with the saints, is sitting on the throne of Peter, like a lion ready for his prey.”
Bestia illa de Apocalypsi, cui datum est os loquens blasphemias, et bellum gerere cum sanctis (Apoc. XIII, 5-7), Petri cathedram occupat, tanquam leo paratus ad praedam.
Bernard of Clairvaux on Time
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“What of the souls already released from their bodies? We believe that they are overwhelmed in that vast sea of eternal light and of luminous eternity”
On Loving God(c. 1128–1129) | On Loving God , Ch. 11, Paul Halsall trans.
Bernard of Clairvaux on Truth
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“One cannot now say, the priest is as the people, for the truth is that the people are not so bad as the priest.”
Wikiquote -
“I, for one, shall speak about those obstinate Greeks, who are with us and against us, united in faith and divided in peace, though in truth their faith may stray from the straight path.”
Wikiquote
Bernard of Clairvaux on Virtue
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Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux:
“There is something in humility which strangely exalts the heart.”
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Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux:
“Hell is full of good intentions or desires.”
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Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux:
“He who is faithful in little is faithful also in much.”