St. Alphonsus Liguori from 'The True Spouse of Jesus Christ'

"St. Augustine says, that the love of God increases in proportion as self-love is diminished; and that the destruction of the latter is the perfection of the former. 'The diminution of cupidity,' says the holy doctor, 'is the nutriment of charity; but its total absence is the perfection of charity.' Charity is estimated, not by its tenderness, but by its strength. Ardent charity smooths every asperity and surmounts every obstacle. 'There is nothing,' says St. Augustine, 'so difficult, which the fire of love does not conquer.' In another place he ways 'In what we love there is no labor; or if there be, we love the very labor itself.' In a soul that loves God, torments endured for his sake excite no pain; or if they do, these pains are to her a source of happiness and delight.'"
The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, St. Alphonsus Liguori (Christianity: Catholic) Redemptorist Fathers, 1929

Rev. G. Vale Owen

"It is a mistake to think that Angels, even of such estate as those two who went and rescued that poor woman, are unable to suffer. They do suffer, and that frequently. And it is possible for the malicious ones to hurt them when they venture into their regions. Theretically I cannot see why the evil ones should not now and then prevail so as to get them into their power. So well, however, are the powers of light and good organized, and so watchful, that I have not heard that this catastrophe has ever been known to actually happen. But their fight is a real fight, and fatiguing also. That is the second point. Even these high Angels can become fatigued. But neither their suffering nor their fatigue do they mind. It may sound a paradox, but it is nevertheless true, that it is a joy to them to suffer when some poor struggling soul is to be helped."

Life Beyond the Veil, Lowlands of Heaven, Vol. 1 Rev. G. Vale Owen, The Greater World Association, UK, 1922

Osho on Chuang Tzu

"Chaung Tzu was one of the most natural men the world has seen. He has not given any discipline, he has not given any doctrine, he has not given any catechism. He has simply explained one thing: that if you can be natural and ordinary, just like the birds and trees, you will blossom, you will have your wings open in the vast sky."

The Spiritual Path, Buddha, Zen, Tao, Tantra, Osho, Tao Part III (Buddhism: Taoism, Words of Osho)

Heaven and Hell of Emanuel Swedenborg

"In the other life, a person never suffers punishment because of inherited evil, because it does not belong to him. That is, he is not at fault for being what he is in this respect. Rather, he suffers punishment because of the realized evil that does belong to him - that is, the amount of inherited evil that he has made his own by his life activities."
Heaven & Hell, Chapter 37, No. 342, Paragraph 3, Page 258, (Christianity, Swedenborgianism, Author: Emanuel Swedenborg)

Sri Ramakrishna, The Tablets of Baha'u'llah, The Talmud

"You may say that there are many errors and superstitions in another religion. I should reply: Suppose there are, every religion has errors. Everyone thinks that his watch alone gives the correct time. It is enough to have yearning for God."
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Chapter 4, Page 112, Paragraph 1, (Hinduism, Words of Sri Ramakrishna)

"The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God's holy will is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world; make it not the cause of dissension and strife."
The Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Chapter 8, Ishra'q'at, The ninth Ishra'q, Paragraph 1, (Baha'i, Author: Baha'u'llah)
"Run not after rule."
The Talmudic Anthology, No. 146, Page 194, Stanza 6, Pesikta Rabbati, 22, (Judaism)

The Path of Purification of the Buddha

"Ignorance is an outstanding cause of kamma that leads to unhappy destinies . . . But craving for becoming is an outstanding cause of kamma that leads to happy destinies."
The Path of Purification, Chapter XVII, No. 39-40, (Buddhism, Theravadan)

The Zohar

"If one runs after that which is not his, it flies from him, and what is more, he loses his own as well."
The Zohar (Kaballah), Volume V, Korah (Numbers), Page 238, Paragraph 2, (Judaism)

Mother Teresa

"Many times a deep and fervent gaze upon Christ is the best prayer. I look upon Him, He looks upon me, is the most perfect prayer."
The Love of Christ, Part I, Page 6-7, Bottom and Top, (Christianity, Catholic, Words of Mother Teresa)
"A soul of prayer can make progress without recourse to words, by learning to listen, to be present to Christ, and to look toward Him."
The Love of Christ, Part I, Page 6, Paragraph 3, (Christianity, Catholic, Words of Mother Teresa)

The Talmud

"Everything is foreknown, but man is free."

The Talmudic Anthology, No. 97, Page 135, Stanza 4, (Judaism)

King James and New American Bible

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him . . . To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."
King James Bible, New Testament, Revelations 3:20-21, (Christianity, Words of Christ)
"If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there."
New American Bible, Old Testament, Psalm 139:8 (Words of David)

Sahih Muslim of Muhammad

"Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) visited the grave of his mother and he wept, and moved others around him to tears, and said: I sought permission from my Lord to beg forgiveness for her but it was not granted to me, and I sought permission to visit her grave and it was granted to me. So visit the graves, for that makes you mindful of death."
Sahih Muslim (The Hadith), Volume II, Chapter CCCLIII, No. 2130, Page 463, Paragraph 2, (Islam)

The Talmud

"Silence is equivalent to confession."
The Talmudic Anthology, No. 189, Paragraph 1, Ketubot, 11, (Judaism)

Thich Naht Hahn

"To encounter a true master is said to be worth a century of studying his or her teaching, because in such a person we witness a living example of enlightenment. How can we encounter Jesus or the Buddha? It depends on us. Many who looked directly into the eyes of the Buddha or Jesus were not capable of seeing them . . . When a sage is present and you sit near him or her, you feel peace and light."
Living Buddha, Living Christ, Chapter 4, Page 52, Paragraph 1, Page 53, Top, (Buddhism, Mahayana, Words of Thich Naht Hahn)

Thich Naht Hahn

"To encounter a true master is said to be worth a century of studying his or her teaching, because in such a person we witness a living example of enlightenment. How can we encounter Jesus or the Buddha? It depends on us. Many who looked directly into the eyes of the Buddha or Jesus were not capable of seeing them . . . When a sage is present and you sit near him or her, you feel peace and light."
Living Buddha, Living Christ, Chapter 4, Page 52, Paragraph 1, Page 53, Top, (Buddhism, Mahayana, Words of Thich Naht Hahn)

Sri Ramakrishna

"God dwells in all beings. But you may be intimate only with good people; you must keep away from the evil-minded. God is even in the tiger; but you cannot embrace the tiger on that account."
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Chapter 1, Page 84, Paragraph 5, (Hinduism, Words of Sri Ramakrishna)

The First Dalai Lama

"The founder of our spiritual legacy, the mighty Buddha Shakyamuni, first gave birth to the altruistic aspiration to achieve highest enlightenment in order to be of maximum benefit to all living beings . . . All of his teachings can be subsumed under two categories: those of the Hinayana, or Smaller Vehicle; and those of the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle . . . In the first of these vehicles he revealed the means of achieving nirvana, or liberation from cyclic existence, which is accomplished through transcending the belief in a truly existent self . . . In the second category of teachings . . . the Buddha mainly emphasized the methods for eliminating the self-cherishing attitude and replacing it with universal love and compassion."
Training the Mind in the Great Way, Point One, Page 45-46, Bottom & Top, (Buddhism, Tibetan, Author: Gyalwa Gendun Druppa, The First Dalai Lama)

Heaven and Hell of Emanuel Swedenborg

"The evil within a person is hell within him . . ."
Heaven & Hell, Chapter 57, No. 547, Page 453, (Christianity, Swedenborgianism, Author: Emanuel Swedenborg)
"The worst people of all are the ones who have been involved in evil pursuits as a result of self-love, with an accompanying inward behavior stemming from deceit. This is because the deceit penetrates their thoughts and purposes too thoroughly and fills them with poison, destroying their whole spiritual life."
Heaven & Hell, Chapter 60, No. 578, Paragraph 1, Page 483, (Christianity, Swedenborgianism, Author: Emanuel Swedenborg)
"The only means of controlling and restraining these elements and keeping the hellish mob under restraint is the fear of punishment - no other means exists. For if it were not for the fear of punishment and torment, what is evil would plunge into rages and the whole place would fall apart, as happens to earthly kingdoms where there is no law or punishment."
Heaven & Hell, Chapter 60, No. 581, Page 485, (Christianity, Swedenborgianism, Author: Emanuel Swedenborg)
"We can determine the nature of hellish spirits' malice by looking at their unspeakable arts . . . These skills are virtually unknown in the world. One kind has to be with the misuse of correspondence; another with the misuse of the lowest elements of the Divine design; a third with the communication and inflow of thoughts and affections, using transformations, investigations, other spirits beyond themselves, and emissaries. A fourth kind involves working with hallucinations, a fifth, projection beyond themselves so that they seem to be present where their bodies are not. A sixth kind involves impersonation, persuasion and lies. An evil spirit comes by its very nature into the use of these skills when it has been released from its body. They are intrinsic to the nature of his evil . . . Hellish spirits torment each other with these skills in the hells."
Heaven & Hell, Chapter 60, No. 580, Page 484, (Christianity, Swedenborgianism, Author: Emanuel Swedenborg)

The Book of Enoch

"Wisdom is poured forth like water, and glory fails not before him for ever and ever; for potent is he in all the secrets of righteousness. But iniquity passes away like a shadow, and possesses not a fixed station."
The Book of Enoch, Chapter XLVIII, No.1, Page 55, (Judaism, Christianity)

New American Bible

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
New American Bible, New Testament, Matthew 5:3-12, (Christianity, Catholic, Words of Christ)

New American Bible

"For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God."
New American Bible, New Testament, John 3:19-21, (Christianity, Catholic, Words of Christ)