Quotes from Matthew Kelly

It is perhaps the result of a culture that prefers us to be passive. The passive me says: "Feed me"; "Entertain me"; "Hold me"; "Love me"; "Listen to me"; "Tell me I matter"; "Make me a priority"; "Don't make me think too much or work too hard"; and so

People don't do anything until they are inspired, but once they are inspired there is almost nothing they won't do.

The world has written us off. Lots of our own Christian brothers and sisters have given up on us. But I have not given up. Not even close. And not only have I not given up, I can see the path back.

Are we willing to change? I hope so. Almost every person I speak to about the future of Catholicism says, "The Church really needs to change," or something to that effect. What we perhaps forget in making this statement is that we are the Church, and so the real question becomes: Are you willing to change? Am I willing to change?

When you are discouraged or caught up in procrastination, simply do the tiniest thing to move whatever you are working on forward.

be kind because everyone you'll ever meet is fighting a hard battle." Wow. What a fabulous insight.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

sacraments. I pray to gather density to survive and

The fear of being alone is the father of many relationships that never should have been. When we choose to be with someone because we are afraid of being alone, we dishonor ourselves and the other person.

I continue to believe that we can learn more in an hour of silence than we can in a year from books.

There are some questions that we all ask ourselves in different ways: Who am I? Who is God? What am I here for? What matters most? What matters least? What are my unique talents and abilities? What will my contribution be? What happens when we die?

Quite simply, if our life of prayer is inconsistent, our ability to do or know God's will throughout the day will have the same inconsistency.

So much of modern culture promotes a numbing unconsciousness rather than the vibrant consciousness that God wants us to live in each moment.

Every time you become a-better-version-of-yourself, the con-sequences of your transformation echo throughout your family, friends, business, school, neighborhood, church, marriage, nation, and beyond to people and places in the future. It is God who does the transforming, but only to the extent that we cooperate. God's grace is constant, never lacking. So our cooperation with God's desire to transform us is essential; it is the variable. Are you willing to let God transform you?

Love is the wanting, and the having, and the choosing, and the becoming. Love is a desire to see the person we love be and become all he or she is capable of being and becoming. Love is a willingness to lay down our own personal plans, desires, and agenda for the good of the relationship. Love is delayed gratification, pleasure, and pain. Love is being able to live and thrive apart, but choosing to be together.

Discipline is the faithful friend who will introduce you to your true self. Discipline is the worthy protector who will defend you from your lesser self. And discipline is the extraordinary mentor who will challenge you to become the-best-version-of-yourself and all God created you to be.

The reason is that for so many years he has been developing a deep reserve of internal calm, so deep that the external unrest cannot disturb it. Interior calm gives birth to calm action.

Because the actions of your life are determined by your most dominant thought.

The purpose of education and extracurricular activities is to provide opportunities for our children to develop discipline. Once discipline is learned, it can be applied to any area of life. Those who develop this discipline go off in search of excellence and live richer, more abundant lives. Those who do not find this grounding in discipline

It is time to stop searching for worldly solutions to spiritual problems.

Acceptance is the key to the third level of intimacy. If two people can develop the acceptance necessary to respect each other's opinions, enjoy each other's company despite differences of opinion, and remain dedicated to a common search for truth, then something wonderful happens: the gates of intimacy swing wide open.

The purpose of education and extracurricular activities is to provide opportunities for our children to develop discipline. Once discipline is learned, it can be applied to any area of life. Those who develop this discipline go off in search of excellence and live richer, more abundant lives. Those who do not find this grounding in discipline may do many things, but none well.

And so it will be with your life. There will be tough times—there are for everyone. There will be times of fear and trembling. There will be times of discouragement and disillusionment. Have courage, smile, keep your chin up, laugh often, be kind to yourself, stay focused, be gracious and appreciative, think happy thoughts, and carry on regardless.

What is resistance? It's that sluggish feeling of not wanting to do something that you know is good for you, it's the inclination to do something that you unabashedly know is not good for you, and it's everything in between. It's the desire and tendency to delay something you should be doing right now.