"Sometimes one comes across a person with whom living is a fine art; then one realizes what a much more beautiful creation it is than books or pictures. It is a kind of sweet and solemn music. Such a man or woman has time to read, to talk, to write letters, to pay calls, to walk about the farm, to go and sit with tiresome people, to spend long hours with children, to sit in the open air, to keep poultry, to go to church, to remember what his and her relations are doing, to enjoy garden parties, to like to see young people enjoying business, to be a welcome presence everywhere, and to leave a fragrant memory, watered with tears. That is to live. And such lives, one is tempted to think, were more possible, more numerous, a hundred years ago. But now one expects too much, and depends too much on exciting pleasures, whether work or play. Arthur Benson.

"Lean not on one mind constantly, 
  Lest where one stood before, two fall; 
Something hath God to say to thee
  Worth hearing from the lips of all." Owen Meredith.

  "The real interest of literature is the apprehending of other points of view. One wants to know what other people are thinking and feeling about it all. What a refreshment it is to meet with a perfectly sincere person, who makes you feel that you are in real contact with a human being." Arthur Benson.

  "The only thing, it seems to me that one may do, is to love people, if one can. The only way, after all, to make other people good, if that is the end in view, is to be good oneself in such a way that other people want to be good too. The thing which really differentiates people from each other, and which sets a few fine souls ahead of the crowd, is a certain clearness of vision." Arthur Benson

  "Beginners in the spiritual life are apt to become very diligent in their exercises, (prayers, Bible reading, memorization, church service etc.)

The great danger for them will be to become satisfied with their religious works and with themselves. It is easy for them to develop a kind of secret pride, which is the first of the seven "Capital" sins.

  Such persons become too spiritual. They like to speak of "spiritual things" all the time.

They become content with their growth.

They would prefer to teach rather than to be taught.

They condemn others who are not as spiritual as they are. They are like the Pharisee who boasted in himself and despised the publican who was not as spiritual as he.

 

  The devil will often inflame their fervor so that their pride will grow even greater.

The devil knows that all of their works and virtues will become valueless and if unchecked, will become vices. For they begin to do these spiritual exercises to be esteemed by others. They want others to realize how spiritual they are.

They will also begin to fear confession to another for it would ruin their image. So they soften their sins when they make confession in order to make them appear less imperfect.

  They will beg God to take away their imperfections, but they do this only because they want to find inner peace and not for God's sake. They do not realize that if God were to take away their imperfections from them, they would probably become prouder and more presumptuous still.

  But those who are at this time moving in God's way will counter this pride with humility.

They will learn to think very little of themselves and their religious works.

Instead, they will focus on how great and how deserving God is and how little it is that they can do for Him. The Spirit of God dwells in such persons, urging them to keep their treasures secretly within themselves."

John of the cross. The Dark Night of the Soul.

  "When each of us comes to that place where we fear to quench God's Spirit, He will not allow our time to be a dreary and  unconsecrated thing. Swept by the very borders of His garment, we shall not look far for His glorifying presence.

The poorest outward condition will do nothing to obliterate the seriousness and dignity from life. No, of nothing may we be more sure of than this; that if we cannot sanctify our present state and lot in life, we can sanctify no other.

Our heaven and our almighty Father are here or nowhere.

The obstructions of that lot are given for us to heave away by the concurrent touch of a holy spirit, and labor of strenuous will; its gloom, is for us to tint with some celestial light; its mysteries are for our worship; its sorrows for our trust; its perils for our courage; its temptations for our faith. Brothers and sisters, fellow soldiers of the cross, it is not for us, but for our Leader and our Lord, to choose the field; it is ours, taking the station which He assigns, to make it the field of truth and honor, though it be the field of death." James Martineau.