Bernard of Clairvaux Quotes on Love
Bernard of Clairvaux was a French Cistercian abbot, mystical theologian, and one of the most influential figures of the twelfth century. This page collects quotes attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux on the topic of love, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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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