Spiritual Maxims

These quotes are selected from the little book … "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Nicholas Herman; a seventeenth century Carmelite monk from French Lorraine, known as Brother Lawrence.


"In the beginning I resolved myself to live in a continual sense of God’s presence, and accustom myself to a continual conversation with Him.

I spent hours in thinking of God, so as to convince my mind of, and to impress deeply upon my heart, the knowledge and love of God, resolving to live in a continual sense of His presence, and if possible never to forget Him more.

I sought nothing but how to become wholly God’s, and I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world.

I worshiped Him the oftenest that I could, keeping my mind in His Holy presence, and recalling it as often as I found it wandered from Him.

At times a crowd of wandering thoughts would invade my mind and take possession of the place of God; when such happened, I proceeded straightway to expel them and return to my commune with God.

To accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him, we need only to recognize God intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment; that we beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us.

I know for the right practice of the presence of God, the heart must be empty of all other things, because God will possess the heart alone; and as He cannot possess it alone without emptying it of all, so neither can He act there, and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant to Him.

We should seek to learn the sins that do most easily beset us and the times and occasions, when we do most often fall. In the time of struggle we ought to have recourse to God with perfect confidence, abiding steadfast in the presence of His Divine Majesty; in lowly adoration we should tell out before Him our griefs and our failures, asking Him lovingly for His grace; and in our weakness we shall find in Him our strength.

Let us begin to be devoted to Him … let us cast everything out of our hearts … He would possess them alone … let us seek Him often by faith. He is within us; seek Him not elsewhere.

He requires no great matters of us … a little remembrance of Him, a little adoration, some prayer for His grace and to return thanks. You need not cry very loud; He is nearer to us than we are aware of.

We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.

We ought, once for all, put our whole trust in God, and make a total surrender of ourselves to Him, receiving the abundance of His grace, without which we can do nothing but sin. One does not become holy all at once.

In truth we can render to God no greater proof of our trust and faithfulness, then by thus turning from things created to the creator; to be with Him we must leave behind the creature.

Yet, think not that I counsel you to disregard completely and forever the outward things that are around us. That is impossible.

The world, the flesh, and the devil join forces and assault the soul so straitly and so untiringly that, without humble reliance on the ever-present aid of God, they drag the soul down in spite of all resistance.

The presence of God is thus the life and nourishment of the soul. The practice, which is the most needful, is the practice of the presence of God.

Above all other things; set heartily about the practice of the presence of God; it is better late than never. Believe me; count as lost each day you have not used in loving God.

The greatest glory we can give to God is to distrust our own strength utterly, and to commit ourselves wholly to His safekeeping.

God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. God often permits that we should suffer a little to purify our souls and oblige us to continue with Him. I know not how God will dispose of me.

I abandon myself in His hands that He may do with me what He pleases."