Quotes about Soul

The second-century Letter to Diognetus put it beautifully: "As the soul is in the body, so Christians are in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world…. The invisible soul is guarded by the visible body, and Christians are known indeed to be in the world, but their godliness remains invisible.

But forasmuch as the Passage was wonderful narrow ... it showed me that none could enter into Life, but those that were in downright earnest, and unless also they left this wicked World behind them; for here was only room for Body and Soul, but not for Body and Soul, and Sin.

Prayer opens the heart to God, and it is the means by which the soul, though empty, is filled by God.

Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.

It is profitable for Christians to be often calling to mind the very beginnings of grace with their souls.

When power is the only coin, they said, you have nothing left to sell but your soul.

For true doctrine is not a matter of the tongue, but of life; neither is Christian doctrine grasped only by the intellect and memory, as truth is grasped in other fields of study. Rather, doctrine is rightly received when it takes possession of the entire soul and finds a dwelling place and shelter in the most intimate affections of the heart.

Since the life of the soul is bound to God, those who are by sin alienated from him are to be regarded as dead.

For he has this comfort, which provides greater security to him than the highest peak of wealth or power— he knows that his affairs are ordered by the Lord and, as such, promote his salvation. We see this sentiment in David, who, while following God and entrusting himself to God's rule, declared: "I do not occupy myself with things too great and marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother" (Ps. 131:1—2).

It was in olden times truly observed by Cato, that there is great concern about the appearance of the body but great carelessness about virtue. There is also an old proverb, that they who pay much attention to the body generally neglect the soul.

They who restrict this appellation to   the inferior part of the soul are greatly deceived. For since the soul   of man is vitiated in every part, and the reason of man is not less   blind than his affections are perverse, the whole is properly called   carnal.

By the word letter Paul means preaching which is external and does not reach the heart; by Spirit he means teaching which is alive, which works mightily in the souls of men by the grace of the Spirit. Letter