"What, then, am I to hope in, what am I to put my trust in, but in the great mercy of God alone, in nothing but the hope of heavenly grace? I may have at my side good men, devout brethren, loyal friends; I may have holy books or beautifully-written treatises, sweet-sounding chants and hymns; but it's little help they can give me, little spiritual zest, when grace has left me and I am alone with my poverty."
[from The Imitation of Christ]
