Pastoral Resources

On the earth the broken arcs; in the heaven a perfect round.

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's a heaven for?

Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes.

The little windflower, whose just opened eye is blue as the spring heaven it gazes at.

Thine eyes are springs in whose serene And silent waters heaven is seen. Their lashes are the herbs that look On their young figures in the brook.

The bitterest creature under heaven is the wife who discovers that her husband's bravery is only bravado, that his strength is only a uniform, that his power is but a gun in the hands of a fool.

We send missionaries to China so the Chinese can get to heaven, but we won't let them into our country.

Like Confucius of old, I am so absorbed in the wonder of the earth and the life upon it, that I cannot think of heaven and the angels.

I feel no need for any other faith than my faith in the kindness of human beings. I am so absorbed in the wonder of earth and the life upon it that I cannot think of heaven and angels.

I believe in a packed Heaven and an empty Hell.

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

The Kingdom of Heaven is not a place, but a state of mind.

Religion kept some of my relatives alive, because it was all they had. If they hadn't had some hope of heaven, some companionship in Jesus, they probably would have committed suicide, their lives were so hellish.

Marriage is distinctly and repeatedly excluded from heaven. Is this because it is thought likely to mar the general felicity?

Yes, love indeed is light from heaven; A spark of that immortal fire with angels shared, by Allah given to lift from earth our low desire.

Since, therefore, no man is born without faults, and he is esteemed the best whose errors are the least, let the wise man consider everything human as connected with himself; for in worldly affairs there is no perfect happiness under heaven.

Almost everyone thinks they are a good person, but the question you should be asking is, am I good enough to go to Heaven? How would you know?

But of all plagues, good Heaven, thy wrath can send, Save me, oh, save me, from the candid friend!

I've watched my duty, straight an' true, an' tried to do it well; Part of the time kept heaven in view, An' part steered clear of hell.

To appreciate heaven well, it's good for a person to have some fifteen minutes of hell.