Ralph Cole

“There is another reason also why the soul has traveled safely in this obscurity; it has suffered: for the way of suffering is safer, and also more profitable, than that of rejoicing and of action. In suffering God gives strength, but in action and in joy the soul does but show its own weakness and imperfections. And in suffering, the soul practices and acquires virtue, and becomes pure, wiser, and more cautious.”
― Saint John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul

“The universe and the law of attraction speak a language that knows no words, only discerning your intent through sacrifice and what you are willing to give up.”
― Forrest Curran, Purple Buddha Project: Purple Book of Self-Love

“In my experience, when a woman's cruelty is combined with love and devotion, it is almost always without exception an act performed not out of treachery, but as a painful self-sacrifice for the good of her beloved, to obtain for him a future bounty where he would not know how to obtain it for himself, or have the courage, patience, or foresight to obtain it. Womankind always seems to be able to see a dozen steps into the future, far ahead of what men are able to see. And they have strength where we do not.”
― Roman Payne, The Wanderess

“One thing is certain, whatever choices we make: we will not miss out on some critical purgation by seeking treatment for depression or any other form of physical suffering. If we are ripe for what the dark night brings, God will find a way to bring the process to fruition no matter how hard we try to avoid it.”
― Tim Farrington, A Hell of Mercy: A Meditation on Depression and the Dark Night of the Soul