Quotes from John Bunyan

Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised.

The life blood streaming thro' my heart, Or my more dear immortal part, Is not more fondly dear.

A castle called Doubting Castle, the owner whereof was Giant Despair.

He that is down needs fear no fall.

Sleep is sweet to the labouring man.

He that is down need fear no fall.

I fought till my sword did cleave to my hand; and then they were joined together as if a sword grew out of my arm; and when the blood ran through my fingers, then I fought with most courage.

And so I penned It down, until at last it came to be, For length and breadth, the bigness which you see.

Shame, depart, thou art an enemy to my salvation!

Temptations, when we meet them at first, are as the lion that roared upon Samson; but if we overcome them, the next time we see them we shall find a nest of honey within them.

Saint abroad, and a devil at home.

Oh the remembrance of my great sins, of my great temptations, and of my great fear of perishing forever! They bring afresh into my mind the remembrance of my great help, my great supports from Heaven, and the great grace that God extended to such a wretch as I.

What God says is best, indeed is best, though all the men in the world are against it.

When a man's cause is good, it will sufficiently plead for itself, yea, and for its master too.

Now, I was, as they said, become godly; now I was become a right honest man. But, oh! when I understood that these were their words and opinions of me, it pleased me mighty well. For though, as yet, I was nothing but a poor painted Hypocrite, yet I loved to be talked of as one that was truly godly. I was proud of my Godliness, and, indeed, I did all I did, ether to be seen of, or to be well spoken of, by Man.

Some things are of that nature as to make One's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache.

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.

But at last I began to consider that that which is highly esteemed among men is had in abomination with God. And I thought again, this Shame tells me what men are; but it tells me nothing what God, or the word of God is. And I thought, moreover, that at the day of doom we shall not be doomed to death or life according to the hectoring spirits of the world, but according to the wisdom and law of the Highest.

These troubles and distresses that you go through in these waters are not sign that God hath forsaken you, but are sent to try you, whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have received of his goodness, and live upon him in your distresses.

I am one whose name is Valiant-for-truth. I am a pilgrim, and am going to the Celestial City.

Neither will it out of my mind but that that man that takes up religion for the world will throw away religion for the world; for so surely as Judas designed the world in becoming religious, so surely did he also sell religion and his Master for the same.

To talk of things that are good, to me is very acceptable, with you or with any other; and I am glad that I have met with those that incline to so good a work; for, to speak the truth, there are but few who care thus to spend their time as they are in their travels, but choose much rather to be speaking of things to no profit; and this hath been a trouble to me.

What thing is so pleasant, and what so profitable, as to talk of the things of God?

The captain of all these men of death that came against him to take him away, was the Consumption, for it was that that brought him down to the grave.