Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
This selection is taken from Kempis' book The Imitation of Christ. A proud and greedy man never rests, whereas he who is poor and humble of heart lives in a world of peace. Yet if he satisfies his desires, remorse of conscience overwhelms him because he followed his passions and they did not lead to the peace he sought. True peace of heart, then, is found in resisting passions, not in satisfying them. There is no peace in the carnal man, in the man given to vain attractions, but there is peace in the fervent and spiritual man. . . .