Till you can sing and rejoice and delight in God, as misers do in gold, and kings in sceptres, you never enjoy the world. Thomas Traherne More Quotes by Thomas Traherne More Quotes From Thomas Traherne And every stone and every star a tongue, And every gale of wind a curious song. The Heavens were an oracle, and spoke Divinity: the Earth did undertake The office of a priest; and I being dumb (Nothing besides was dumb) all things did come With voices and instructions. Thomas Traherne stars song wind You are as prone to love, as the sun is to shine. Thomas Traherne shining sun love You never enjoy the world aright, till the sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens and crowned with the stars. Thomas Traherne ocean stars happiness Sure Man was born to meditate on things, And to contemplate the eternal springs Of God and Nature, glory, bliss and pleasure: That life and love might be his eternal treasure. Thomas Traherne life-and-love spring men Souls are God's jewels. Thomas Traherne soul jewels The world is a mirror of infinite beauty, yet no man sees it. Thomas Traherne infinite-beauty mirrors men This moment exhibits infinite space, but there is a space also wherein all moments are infinitely exhibited, and the everlasting duration of infinite space is another region and room of joys. Thomas Traherne duration space joy The world is a mirror of infinite beauty, yet no man sees it. It is a Temple of Majesty, yet no man regards it. It is a region of Light and Peace, did not men disquiet it. It is the Paradise of God. Thomas Traherne mirrors fear men A stranger here Strange things doth meet, strange glories see; Strange treasures lodged in this fair world appear, Strange all, and new to me. But that they mine should be, who nothing was, That strangest is of all, yet brought to pass. Thomas Traherne gardening world religion To love one person with a private love is poor and miserable: to love all is glorious. Thomas Traherne miserable poor love I will not by the noise of bloody wars and the dethroning of kings advance you to glory: but by the gentle ways of peace and love. Thomas Traherne kings love war Is it not easy to conceive the World in your Mind? To think the Heavens fair? The Sun Glorious? The Earth fruitful? The Air Pleasant? The Sea Profitable? And the Giver bountiful? Yet these are the things which it is difficult to retain. For could we always be sensible of their use and value, we should be always delighted with their wealth and glory. Thomas Traherne air sea thinking A little grit in the eye destroyeth the sight of the very heavens, and a little malice or envy a world of joys. One wry principle in the mind is of infinite consequence. Thomas Traherne perspective eye sight The Soul is shriveled up and buried in a grave that does not love. Thomas Traherne graves soul doe As nothing is more easy than to think, so nothing is more difficult than to think well. Thomas Traherne wisdom wise clever To think the world therefore a general Bedlam, or place of madmen, and oneself a physician, is the most necessary point of present wisdom: an important imagination, and the way to happiness. Thomas Traherne imagination happiness thinking This visible world is wonderfully to be delighted in, and highly to be esteemed, because it is the theatre of God's righteous Kingdom. Thomas Traherne theatre kingdoms world To walk abroad is, not with eyes, But thoughts, the fields to see and prize; Else may the silent feet, Like logs of wood, Move up and down, and see no good, Nor Jor nor glory meet. Thomas Traherne eye journey moving We do not ignore maturity. Maturity consists in not losing the past while fully living in the present with a prudent awareness of the possibilities of the future. Thomas Traherne prudent maturity past To think well is to serve God in the interior court. Thomas Traherne serving-god court thinking
