40 Best Thomas Merton Quotes For Your Spiritual Journey

Check out the best Thomas Merton quotes that reflect his deep wisdom on love, faith, solitude, peace, and the human spirit.

Thomas Merton was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, and social activist whose deep spiritual insights continue to guide and inspire people worldwide.

Born in 1915, Merton became one of the most influential Catholic thinkers of the 20th century, known for bridging Christian contemplation with global interfaith dialogue.

As a prolific writer, Merton has authored more than 50 books over 27 years, mostly on spirituality, social justice, and pacifism.

His best-selling autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, has encouraged millions to look beyond material success and embrace a life rooted in faith, reflection, and purpose.

Merton was also a passionate advocate for peace, racial equality, and interreligious understanding. He built deep connections with global spiritual leaders, including the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh.

His writings explore the path to inner peace, compassion, and truth, making him a timeless guide for anyone seeking clarity in today’s chaotic world.

Here are the most famous Thomas Merton quotes to inspire your spiritual journey and deepen your connection with yourself and others.

Top 10 Thomas Merton Quotes

1. “When ambition ends, happiness begins.” — Thomas Merton

   

2. “Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.” — Thomas Merton

   

3. “The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.” — Thomas Merton

   

4. “In Silence God ceases to be an object and becomes an experience.” — Thomas Merton

   

5. “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” — Thomas Merton

   

6. “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” — Thomas Merton

   

7. “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.” — Thomas Merton

   

8. “We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.” — Thomas Merton

   

9. “Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.” — Thomas Merton

   

10. “To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything he has given us – and he has given us everything.” — Thomas Merton

Famous Thomas Merton Quotes About Love & Life

1. “Our real journey in life is interior.” — Thomas Merton
2. “A faith that is afraid of other people is no faith at all.” — Thomas Merton
3. “The purpose of our lives is to find the purpose of our lives.” — Thomas Merton
4. “Love is not just something that happens to you: it is a certain special way of being alive.” — Thomas Merton
5. “Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.” — Thomas Merton
6. “Let us come alive to the splendor that is all around us and see the beauty in ordinary things.” — Thomas Merton
7. “We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time.” — Thomas Merton
8. “The greatest need of our time is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish that clutters our minds.” — Thomas Merton
9. “A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.” — Thomas Merton
10. “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” — Thomas Merton

Inspirational Quotes By Thomas Merton

1. “Hurry ruins saints as well as artists.” — Thomas Merton
2. “When you see God in everyone, then they see God in you.” — Thomas Merton
3. “Our idea of God tells us more about ourselves than about Him.” — Thomas Merton
4. “Be human in this most inhuman of ages; guard the image of man for it is the image of God.” — Thomas Merton
5. “Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present.” — Thomas Merton
6. “In a world of noise, confusion and conflict it is necessary that there be places of silence, inner discipline and peace. In such places love can blossom.” — Thomas Merton
7. “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” — Thomas Merton
8. “Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved. It leaves all the other secondary effects to take care of themselves. Love, therefore, is its own reward.” — Thomas Merton
9. “Prayer does not blind us to the world, but it transforms our vision of the world, and makes us see it, all men, and all the history of mankind, in the light of God.” — Thomas Merton
10. “If we want to be spiritual, then, let us first of all live our lives. Let us not fear the responsibilities and the inevitable distractions of the work appointed for us by the will of God.” — Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton Quotes And Sayings

1. “Perhaps I am stronger than I think.” — Thomas Merton
2. “The least of learning is done in the schools.” — Thomas Merton
3. “If you find God with ease, perhaps it is not God you have found.” — Thomas Merton
4. “We have what we seek, it is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.” — Thomas Merton
5. “Nothing has ever been said about God that hasn’t already been said better by the wind in the pine trees.” — Thomas Merton
6. “What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?” — Thomas Merton
7. “Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience.” — Thomas Merton
8. “Do not look for rest in any pleasure, because you were not created for pleasure: you were created for joy. And if you do not know the difference between pleasure and joy you have not yet begun to live.” — Thomas Merton
9. “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” —  Thomas Merton
10. “Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep inexpressible certitude of the contemplative experience awakens a tragic anguish and opens many questions in the depths of the heart like wounds that cannot stop bleeding.” — Thomas Merton

Conclusion

What are your favorite Thomas Merton quotes and sayings (with images) listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed then let us know in the comments section below.

Feel free to share with friends and family on Facebook, Tumblr, X, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, and more to spread positive vibes.