Alternative to the world

"What benefits and divine exaltation the silence and solitude of the desert hold in store for those who love it, only those who have experienced it can know.

"For here men of strong will can enter into themselves and remain there as much as they like, diligently cultivating the seeds of virtue and eating the fruits of paradise with joy.

"Here they can acquire the visage that wounds (Christ) the Bridegroom with love, by the limpidity of its gaze, and whose purity allows them to see God himself.

"Here they can observe a busy leisure and rest in quiet activity.

"Here also God crowns his athletes for their stern struggle with the hoped-for reward: a peace unknown to the world and joy in the Holy Spirit. "

From a letter by St. Bruno