On Poverty

The person who is not stripped and poor and naked within their own soul will unconsciously tend to do the works they do for their own sake rather than for the glory of God. They will be virtuous not because they love God, but because they want to be admired for their virtuousness. But every moment of the day will bring them some level of frustration that will make them bitter and impatient. And it is in their impatience that they will be discovered.

- Thomas Merton (alt.)