Quotes & Sayings About Spiritual Growth

Never allow your ego to diminish your ability to listen. — Gary Hopkins

We cannot dim another person's light without first extinguishing our own. — Alaric Hutchinson

Feelings harden into beliefs when we allow emotions to become bearers of truth. — Ginger Harrington

Carry your wounds with pride,
Believe in yourself;
amongst greatest of catastrophe'
You grew into the being you are
And I think that in itself,
is certainly enough. — Nikki Rowe

For students who have not been required to confess that it is easier to learn theology then live it, it is tempting to think maturity is more a matter of knowing in a matter of living — Paul David Tripp

Positive, truthful and helping people always get rewards. Oneness, love, compassion and enlightenment can be attained by following the spiritual laws of the universe. -Hina Hashmi — Hina Hashmi

A hand held tightly, never to really let go.
Fills up life around you, for the comforts within our soul. — Patty Smith

How ironic it is then, to realize how many of we humans are masochists! That even when we are placed in paradise, the majority of us would, by choice, focus on everything outside the present moment and make ourselves suffer by thinking about Dis-Ease! Too many of us would dwell on a past that no longer exists while everything in the present moment is wonderful. What great paradoxes we as humans are capable of! — Alaric Hutchinson

The problem that we have with a victim mentality is that we forget to see the blessings of the day. Because of this, our spirit is poisoned instead of nourished. — Steve Maraboli

The widespread assumption that ethical behavior takes the fun out of life is false. In actuality, living ethically ensures that relationships in our lives, including encounters with strangers, nurture our spiritual growth. — Bell Hooks

Just as electricity is unseen, but by the flip of the switch, lights turn on, so also by the words spoken in prayer, miracles manifest. — Tiffany Domena

The very way that you think is a crucial component to your overall health and well being. Living towards the negative will only foster conflict and a sense of lack, while living towards the positive will create more opportunity for you to experience harmony and abundance. — Gary Hopkins

Imagining a virtual mentor evokes a genuine feeling of being supported and loved. — Deborah Sandella

Your health, your experiences, and your life do not have to be at the mercy of your negative emotions. When you consciously choose to focus on a thought or belief that is positive, comforting, or hopeful, you're clearing out that emotional clutter that's weighing you down. You're energetically shifting yourself to a better place. — Susan Barbara Apollon

Pastors are starting to get wily. When people tell my friend, 'I'm not being fed,' he replies, 'I'm prefectly happy to spoon feed my one-year-old. But if I'm still spoon-feeding him when he's five, we've got a problem. Here's a fork. Feed yourself. — Jon Acuff

Master Teachers who genuinely embody an enlightened state of being never stop "doing the work". The ego is what assumes it knows enough, causing cessation of these daily practices, and therefore, Masters without attachment to ego are forever students of the Universe. The Masters attain an illuminated state of "Being" as the outcome, yet it is the consistent "doing" that promotes and maintains their enlightenment. — Alaric Hutchinson

Why, with all this good intention, does it still feel so muddy when we talk about culture, what it is, and how to make it better? It's because we're trying to bring personal growth and spiritual ideas into the workplace without first changing the underlying agreement that governs it. The — Jonathan Raymond

Strengthen yourself in the word of God. — Lailah Gifty Akita

We make boundaries so that we can feel separate and move coherently through the world: it's part of our necessary natural growth to do that. In doing it, we forget the secret, which is that we are not separate ... Respect your limits. Love your limits; they protect you from an abundance so immense it can be intolerable. If, however, you stretch your limits also, you will move in the direction of receiving and becoming unconditional love. — Julie Henderson

You can't rest on yesterday's growth. You must be dedicated to growing today ... and every day. — Jim George

Give yourself permission to stop existing and start growing. We all need more than work for self-actualization. Remember that interests and hobbies aren't frivolous; they're necessary for fulfillment and health. — Susan Barbara Apollon

Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character ... Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring us with diabolical feelings to himself. It is he who wins when his own methods are used against himself ... A continual denunciation of evil and its agents merely encourages its growth in the world a truth sufficiently revealed in the Gospels, but to which we are persistently blind. — Nikolai Berdyaev

A wise man lights a candle while fools are busy cursing the darkness — Seth Czerepak

Spiritual growth involves giving up the stories of your past so the universe can write a new one. — Marianne Williamson

In the new conditions created by the global economy, the information revolution and the growth of smart technologies, it is more necessary than ever for all companies to be guided by their rich spiritual inheritance, as spiritual enterprises. — Ted Malloch

With spiritual growth comes new creative potential, leading to the realization that you are pure potential, able to fill any creative impulse. — Deepak Chopra

The goal of climbing big, dangerous mountains should be to attain some sort of spiritual and personal growth, but this won't happen if you compromise away the entire process. — Yvon Chouinard

Work can provide the opportunity for spiritual and personal, as well as financial, growth. If it doesn't, we're wasting far too much of our lives on it. — James Autry

Many conflicts in a marriage result from living to please self instead of living to please the Lord. These conflicts can be resolved and are actually opportunities for spiritual growth when dealt with in a biblical manner. — John C. Broger

The question is: do you want suffering or do you want peace? It's that simple. — Donna Goddard

Our life consists not in the pursuit of material success but in the quest for worthy spiritual growth. Our entire earthly existence is but a transitional stage in the movement toward something higher, and we must not stumble and fall, nor must we linger fruitlessly on one rung of the ladder. Material laws alone do not explain our life or give it direction. The laws of physics and physiology will never reveal the indisputable manner in which the Creator constantly, day in and day out, participates in the life of each of us, unfailingly granting us the energy of existence; when this assistance leaves us, we die. And in the life of our entire planet, the Divine Spirit surely moves with no less force: this we must grasp in our dark and terrible hour. — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

In the Reintegration System, a problem or unwanted state of mind is viewed as a distinct part of the personality and reintegrated as such into the unity of one's being.
Every seemingly challenging part of our personality was initially part of the highest intention for our being. It is over time that it degraded and became a lower state of delusion. Our aim is to target such parts and work them back into the wholeness of our being. — Nebo D. Lukovich

False religion may prevail, iniquity may abound, the love of many may wax cold, the cross of Calvary may be lost sight of, and darkness, like the pall of death, may spread over the world; the whole force of the popular current may be formed to overthrow the people of God; but in the hour of greatest peril the God of Elijah will raise up human instrumentalities to bear a message that will not be silenced. — Ellen G. White

I experienced a lot of spiritual growth when I started traveling to Europe and playing basketball. I saw that just because I was away from home didn't mean Jesus wasn't with me. He is everywhere and you can see signs of Him in the most remote places in the world through people who don't even speak your language. Jesus is universal. — DeLisha Milton-Jones

[Spiritual] Practices are not for know-it-alls. Practices are for those who feel the need for change, growth, development, learning. Practices are for disciples. — Brian D. McLaren

When we understand the illusory nature of life and the profound power of eternal love, which enables us to create miracles and experience the presence of our deceased loved ones, we find ourselves living with joy, hope and peace. — Susan Barbara Apollon

The reality is, it takes daily cultivation of a spiritual path, preferably with spiritual kin in proximity, to sustain not the feeling of elation, but the focused, mindful path of steady growth. — S. Kelley Harrell

Motive lies behind action. It is the root of behaviour and attitude, the fuel we need to progress from desire to achievement. In our humanity we are driven to survive, and to be loved makes the living worthwhile. — Sarah Tun

The journey we take is not meant to be taken alone we're to take it together. — Shellie Palmer

Summer rushes in on the heels of spring, eager to take her turn; and then she dances with wild abandon. But the time soon comes when she gratefully falls, exhausted and sated, into the auburn arms of autumn. — Cristen Rodgers

The path of least resistance never gets us where we want to go. Shortcuts always end up being cul-de-sacs. The key to spiritual growth is the willingness to go out of your way for God. You will find God in uncomfortable places at inconvenient times. But if you go out of your way for God, God will go out of His way for you. Crash the party! — Mark Batterson

The more difficult it is to forgive someone the greater the opportunity for spiritual growth. — Gabrielle Bernstein

It helps to think of a self as being like a drop of water that goes into the ocean and becomes one with the ocean.Each drop still exists but is now part of a much larger entity; yet it still does its small part as an element of the ocean.As significant as a single drop may appear,if it were not for all the drops,there would be no ocean. — David V. Gaggin

The best gift you can give your children is to keep yourself emotionally, physically, spiritually and intellectually healthy. — Iben Dissing Sandahl

After coming to God and being revived spiritually, every person should grow spiritually — Sunday Adelaja

Never allow dogmatic interpretations of Karma to keep you from defending what is right or just. You must accept the reality that on occasion, you may very well be the proper instrument of this cosmic force. — Gary Hopkins

The most tried and true way to put God first is to read His Word, the Bible, and obey it. There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth. — Jim George

People that criticize the harshest usually are the ones who would trade places the fastest — Gary Hopkins

When you refuse to entertain the possibility of a solution because you "know" it will not work, then you have successfully strengthened the problem at hand — Gary Hopkins

If a child connects being hurt with being bad, weak, unable to cope, or constantly surrounded by threat, there is no room left for inner spiritual growth. For without a sense of safety, spirit remains out of reach; one is forever trying simply to feel secure in this world, yet that security cannot be achieved without overcoming the imprints of early childhood. — Deepak Chopra

The desert takes our dreams away from us, and they don't always return ... Those who don't return become a part of the clouds, a part of the animals that hide in the ravines and of the water that comes from the earth. They become part of everything ... They become the Soul of the World. — Paul Coelho

Angry obsessive thoughts about another weaken your state of mind and well being. If you must have revenge, then take it by choosing to be happy and let them go forever. — Gary Hopkins

The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth — Charles Stanley

Many become popular because they speak and write with a reductionist style that brings the complex and disturbing down into canned formulas of what spiritual growth is supposedly all about. Dozens of such New Age authors could bring their works together into one large volume entitled, "How To Become Aware of the Depths of Your Being Without Disturbing the Routine of Your Comfortable Lifestyle. — Lew Paz

Illusion (maya) cannot enter where there is 'light' (enlightenment, awareness). Once darkness falls, illusion will enter there. The Gnani Purush can arrange for your illusion to go away permanently. — Dada Bhagwan

Surrender means accepting this moment, this body, and this life with open arms. Surrender involves getting out of your own way and living in accord with a higher will, expressed as the wisdom of the heart. Far more than passive acceptance, surrender uses every challenge as a means of spiritual growth and expanded awareness. — Dan Millman

See it, learn it, do it ALL. — Jamie McCall

When you have done the spiritual growing up you realize that every human being is of equal importance, has work to do in this world, and has equal potential. We are in many varied stages of growth; this is true because we have free will. You have free will as to whether you will finish the mental and emotional growing up. Many choose not to. — Peace Pilgrim

Cease distracting your mind of things with little substance. — Nikki Rowe

To be in Jesus' easy yoke is an easy way of doing hard things." (p. 202) — Bill Gaultiere

Dare to be vulnerable, walk outside without your armor on and say YES to your heart. — Alaric Hutchinson

Adversity or time of trouble is an opportunity to either fall or stand, fail or pass, faint or be strong. The choice is yours. — Ikechukwu Joseph

What an inspiring book. Thank heaven Lee Thornton decided to share her remarkable life story with us. Lee's book is a blessing as well as a terrific read. — Caroline Myss

The Zen meditative approach has a simple, unstated premise: moods and attitudes shape - determine - what we think and perceive. If we feel happy, we tend to develop certain trains of thought. If we feel sad or angry, still others. But suppose, with training, we become nonattached to distractions and learn to dampen these wild, emotional swings on either side of equanimity. Then we can enter that serene awareness which is the natural soil for positive, spontaneous personal growth, often called spiritual growth. — James H. Austin

It's all about the spirit. Every man, woman and child should be seen as a spirit first, before anything else. We are all spirits in the first instance. — Andrew Agbonlahor

When we focus on winning the battle for material gains,we end up losing spiritual war.If we had a better self of ethics we would be better prepared to deal with the complicated world in which we find ourselves. — David V. Gaggin

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain. — A.W. Tozer

The rise of the buffered identity has been accompanied by an interiorization; that is, not only the Inner/Outer distinction, that between Mind and World as separate loci, which is central to the buffer itself; and not only the development of this Inner/Outer distinction in a whole range of epistemological theories of a mediational type from Descartes to Rorty;' but also the growth of a rich vocabulary of interiority, an inner realm of thought and feeling to be explored. This frontier of self-exploration has grown, through various spiritual disciplines of self-examination, through Montaigne, the development of the modern novel, the rise of Romanticism, the ethic of authenticity, to the point where we now conceive of ourselves as
having inner depths. — Charles Taylor

She made struggle look beautiful; so much, even darkness feared her light — Nikki Rowe

The slow pace of our perfection has to be borne with patience, provided that on our part we always do whatever we can to continue advancing. — St. Francis De Sales

You are never left out from having the experience of love. You can always give and receive love right from where you are at. It's always up to you. — Renae A. Sauter

Preaching is the primary means of growth for the local church. There is a great deal of debate about this in our day, but it is the preaching of the Word that God most uses to build up a church, not only numerically but above all (and far more importantly) in spiritual depth and understanding of the people who make up the congregation. — James Montgomery Boice

Filling ourselves and living with the energy of love feels wonderful. And because this energy resonates at a high vibrational level, it also attracts into our lives other high, vibrational experiences, many of which feel quite miraculous. — Susan Barbara Apollon

The Bible does not deny that we were various things - addicts, homosexuals, hateful, prideful, pornographic masturbators - but that is what we were (past tense) (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Titus 3:3-5). The emphasis in Scripture is on what we are and what we are called to be. The Christian does not say, Hello, my name is _ and I am an X Y or Z." The Christian says I was dead, but now I am alive. The Christian says I am a struggling sinner, yet I am a saint. The Christians says I am a new creation; I am transformed. — Paul O'Brien

Keep your opinion to yourself unless it's asked for. — Alaric Hutchinson

First Proverbs quote in "C, You Can Do It!" -
'What dainty morsels rumors are--but they sink deep into one's heart.'
Proverbs 26:22 — Lynn Frances

Mastering our thoughts can only be achieved after we truly understand what reality is. Thus, it is time to shatter your pre-conceived concept of reality. First, the majority of what you perceive as reality exists only in your mind, and, chances are, you spend most hours of your life in this illusion. — Alaric Hutchinson

Love can never really be a great base for marriage because love is fun and play. If you marry someone for love you will be frustrated, because soon the fun is gone, the newness is gone, and boredom sets in. Marriage is for deep friendship, deep intimacy. Love is implied in it, but it is not alone. So marriage is spiritual. It is spiritual. There are many things which you can never develop alone. Even your own growth needs someone to respond, someone so intimate that you can open yourself totally to him or her. — Rajneesh

Christ is to the souls of men what the sun is to the world. He is the center and source of all spiritual light, warmth, life, health, growth, beauty, and fertility. Like the sun, He shines for the common benefit of all mankind
for high and for low, for rich and for poor, for Jew and for Greek. Like the sun, He is free to all. All may look at Him, and drink health out of His light. If millions of mankind were mad enough to dwell in caves underground, or to bandage their eyes, their darkness would be their own fault, and not the fault of the sun. So, likewise, if millions of men and women love spiritual "darkness rather than light," the blame must be laid on their blind hearts, and not on Christ. "Their foolish hearts are darkened." (John 3:19; Romans 1:21.) But whether men will see or not, Christ is the true sun, and the light of the world. There is no light for sinners except in the Lord Jesus. — J.C. Ryle

When you find yourself in need of spiritual nourishment, it is in the opportunities to serve others that you will find the abundance you seek. — Steve Maraboli

You don't have to strive to be right, because you of faith are made right. — Deborah Brodie

The most outstanding manifestation of negative growth in the spiritual, mental and physical health of the human race through eons of evolution is the pride of place that has been given to Guilt. — Zeina

When you choose a Guru you become a follower. When your Guru chooses you, you become a disciple — Guruji Naushir

A spiritual partnership is a partnership between equals for the purpose of spiritual growth. Spiritual partners use their delightful experiences together as well as their power struggles to learn about themselves and change themselves. — Gary Zukav

["Manning Up"'s] essays definitely nuance the idea of transitioning into a "shared manhood" (much like feminists of color have complicated the idea of "shared womanhood"). Trans men don't all transition to just become "men," which was one of the projects' cornerstone concepts. They become black men, white men, queer men, straight men, working class men, affluent men, fatherly men, single men, spiritual men, etc. etc. All of these mean different things when filtered through social and intimate, familial lenses.

One major boon of the growth in transgender literature ... is that we get to tease out these complexities in lives that will be popularly portrayed as monolithic unless we provide counter-scripts."

- from a National Book Critics Circle interview with writer Rigoberto Gonzalez — Mitch Kellaway

As we begin to transform, illness and pain can also be seen as a "messenger" for spiritual growth. What does this illness mean? What can I learn from this? Why is the occurring in my life — Teresa DeCicco

In my heart is rooted in lovelessness and thanklessness ... By contrast, every truly holy act, including even the inner desire to be holy, springs out of the love and worship that He has placed in my heart. — Elyse M. Fitzpatrick

In order to grasp the principles of spiritual growth, you need to be filled with understanding and the wisdom of God. — Sunday Adelaja

Spiritual growth increases our sense of what's possible. And as we sense new possibility, we can step into that possibility. With every word, every thought, every action, we choose what we wish to call forth in life. — Marianne Williamson

The singing Sun the signing moon the singing stars and the singing galaxies are the direct expression of the divine word AUM. — Amit Ray

You think the shadow is the substance. — Rumi

Be aware of the type of humor you use in your daily life. Just because people are laughing doesn't mean it is creating positive vibes. — Alaric Hutchinson

A human being too, is many things. Whatever makes up the air,the earth, the herbs, the stones is also part of our bodies. We must learn to be different, to feel and taste the manifold things that are us. — Lame Deer

Life is a gift, and should be cherished, lived and experienced. Though experience often reveals itself as pain in this world, it is still purposeful, it still has its place in the evolution of our spirit. — Michael Poeltl

Be YOU. There is nothing sexier than someone who is confident enough to be themselves, quirks and all. It is often your unique nature that separates you from the crowd in the best way possible for your romantic match to notice you. — Alaric Hutchinson

The one who has developed a habit of taking a lot of respect from others [relish pride], will get cheated. — Dada Bhagwan

Be open to the possibility that there are other paths available to you in relating to yourself and to another. — Sharon Salzberg

Spiritual grace adds to a life and it is crucial ingredient in any person's quest to attain self-realization. — Kilroy J. Oldster

He loved to smile. He avoided anger. He was never haunted by "Why am I here?" He knew why he was here, he said: to give to others, to celebrate God, and to enjoy and honour the world he was put in. His morning prayers began with "Thank you, Lord, for returning my soul to me."

When you start that way, the rest of the day is a bonus. — Mitch Albom

Freedom from stress, freedom from anxiety, freedom from depression; freedom is autonomy from all that stagnates growth in this ever complex and noisy world. By the fear of being in the unknown, we often overlook and forget the serene view of being on the raft: the glowing virgin stars, the gentle ways that the waves moves, and the endless possibilities that exist under the sun. The fundamental principle of freedom is to be lost and our state of mind never differs too far from this analogy of being stranded in the middle of the ocean. — Forrest Curran