25 St John of the Cross Quotes From the Influential Catholic Priest

Check out these St John of the Cross quotes to learn more about the famous Catholic priest who influenced the Counter-Reformation in Spain.

St John of the Cross was born as Juan de Yepes y Alvarez in Fontiveros, Spanish monarchy, in 1542 and died in Ubeda, Spanish monarchy, in 1591 at the age of 49.

He grew up in poverty, and at the age of five, after the death of his father and older brother, his mother moved with him and his other brother to a town where she could find work.

There, he went to a Christian school, which led him to become ordained as a priest in 1567.

He studied under the Carmelite nun Teresa of Avila and eventually founded his own monastery.

The reform that Teresa of Avila and St John were pushing was not well received by many Carmelites.

He was imprisoned, where he wrote many of his famous poems.

Take a look at these St John of the Cross quotes to learn more about the influential priest. 

The Best St. John of the Cross Quotes 

St. John of the Cross had many quotes, and here are some of the best. 

1. “Who teaches the soul if not God?” — St. John of the Cross 

2. “Let all find compassion in you.” — St. John of the Cross 

3. “The eternal tide flows hid in Living Bread.” — St. John of the Cross 

4. “My spirit has become dry because it forgets to feed on You.” — St. John of the Cross 

5. “In the dark night of the soul, bright flows the river of God.” — St. John of the Cross 

6. “Where there is no love, pour love in, and you will draw love out.” — St. John of the Cross 

7. “Not to follow the advice of our confessor is pride and a want of faith.” — St. John of the Cross 

8. “Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world disturb it.” — St. John of the Cross 

9. “Beloved, all that is harsh and difficult I want for myself, and all that is gentle and sweet for thee.” — St. John of the Cross 

10. “Love consists not in feeling great things but in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.” — St. John of the Cross 

Inspirational St. John of the Cross Quotes 

Check out these inspirational St. John of the Cross quotes. 

11. “The fly that lands on honey makes its flight impossible.” — St. John of the Cross 

12. “Deny your desires, and you will find what your heart longs for.” — St. John of the Cross 

13. “Speak little and do not meddle in matters about which you are not asked.” — St. John of the Cross 

14. “Whoever does not seek the cross of Christ doesn’t seek the glory of Christ.” — St. John of the Cross 

15. “More is gained in one hour from God’s good things than in a whole lifetime from our own.” — St. John of the Cross 

16. “Strive always to confess your sins with a deep knowledge of your own wretchedness and with clarity and purity.” — St. John of the Cross 

17. “He who loves is not ashamed before men of what he does for God, neither does he hide it through shame though the whole world should condemn it.” — St. John of the Cross 

More St. John of the Cross Quotes 

Here are more St. John of the Cross quotes. 

18. “If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection.” — St. John of the Cross 

19. “The purest suffering bears and carries in its train the purest understanding.” — St. John of the Cross 

20. “The window of the soul cleansed perfectly and made completely transparent by the divine light.” — St. John of the Cross 

21. “The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane.” — St. John of the Cross 

22. “Never relax, for you will not attain the possession of true spiritual delights if first you do not learn to deny your every desire.” — St. John of the Cross 

23. “Abide in peace, banish cares, take no account of all that happens, and you will serve God according to his good pleasure and rest in him.” — St. John of the Cross 

24. “Never listen to accounts of the frailty of others; and if anyone should complain to you of another, humbly ask him not to speak about him at all.” — St. John of the Cross 

25. “Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which, if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love.” — St. John of the Cross 

What is St John of the Cross Known For?

St John is well known for his writings, which are considered to be among the greatest works in all of Spanish literature.

He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726, and as a mystic, he was known as the “mystical doctor.”

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