Man

Man is a mixture of grandeur and of misery, of science and of ignorance. He is, on Earth, the true representative of God, for his vast intelligence encompasses the Universe; he has been able to discover a part of the secrets of Nature; he knows how to make use of the elements; he traverses immense distances by means of steam; he can converse with his fellow man from one antipode to the other, by electricity, which he knows how to direct; his genius is immense; when he lays all this at the feet of the Divinity and renders it homage, he will be almost equal to God! But how small and miserable he is, when pride takes possession of his being! He does not see his misery; he sees only his existence, this life, which he cannot understand, being snatched from him sometimes instantaneously, by the mere will of that Divinity which he does not know, for he cannot defend himself against it; his lot must be fulfilled! He, who has studied everything, analyzed everything; he, who knows so well the march of the stars, does he know the creative force that makes the grain of wheat germinate which he cast into the earth? Can he create a flower, even the simplest and most modest one? No; there his power stops. He should recognize, then, a power far superior to his own; humility should take possession of his heart and, admiring the works of God, he would perform an act of adoration. Saint Teresa. n [1]

[cf. Saint Teresa.]