Mental prayer and thinking of God in activity is an intimate bonding.

"In books we seek God; in prayer we find him."

"It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop…while buying or selling…or even while cooking."

"When prayer becomes contemplative, we may no longer say any words; we listen to the messages that come to us from God. Receiving is a greater act than giving."

"To the extent that prayer is a colloquy, discussion, or conversation of the soul with God, then by prayer, we speak to God and God in turn speaks  to us. We aspire to God and breathe in God; God reciprocally inspires  us and breathes upon us."

"Patience, prayer and silence–these are what give strength to the soul."

"Sometimes, in prayer, God communicates to the soul, all at once, His treasures of lights and heavenly graces. Imagine that you have in your hand a golden dish, that you pour into it the extract of the rarest and  most exquisite perfumes, and that you steep into it a fine cambric  handkerchief; this handkerchief will yield a delicious and inexplicable  odor, composed of all the perfumes. It is thus my soul feels when I  receive those intimate and hidden communications."

"With me prayer is a lifting up of the heart, a look towards Heaven, a  cry of gratitude and love uttered equally in sorrow and in joy; in a  word, something noble, supernatural, which enlarges my soul and unites  it to God."

"Prayer is a pasturage, a field, wherein all the virtues find their nourishment, growth, and strength."

"Prayer is a pure elevation of our minds to God, believing that he is more in us than we are in ourselves."

"Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings  to God with the utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its  mother, it craves the milk that God provides. It seeks the satisfaction  of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole world of  nature. Prayer stands before God as an honored ambassador. It gives joy  to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is  the longing for God, love too deep for words, a gift not given by man  but by God’s grace."

"What is prayer if not a long love dialogue in which the soul lays bare to God all its needs, its delights, its love, and its gratitude."

"Prayer opens the understanding to the brightness of Divine Light, and the will to the warmth of Heavenly Love – nothing can so effectually  purify the mind from its many ignorances, or the will from its perverse  affections. It is as a healing water which causes the roots of our good  desires to send forth fresh shoots, which washes away the soul’s  imperfections, and allays the thirst of passion."

"Prayer begins by talking to God, but it ends by listening to Him."

"Without prayer, we become deaf to the voice of divine love and become  confused by the many competing voices asking for our attention. When we try to become very still, we often find ourselves so overwhelmed by our  noisy inner voices that we can hardly wait to get busy and distracted  again. Our inner life often looks like a banana tree full of jumping  monkeys! But when we decide not to run away and stay focused, the  monkeys may gradually go away because of lack of attention, and the soft  gentle voice calling us may gradually make itself heard."

"Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself."

"When your mind, inflamed by longing for God, little by little divests itself of flesh, as it were, and turns away from all thoughts engendered by sensory impressions, or from memory, being at the same time full of  adoration and rejoicing, then you may conclude that it has approached  the boundaries of prayer."

"Prayer is the oxygen of the soul."

"Do not forget prayer– it is the life of the soul."

"Prayer ought to be short and pure, unless it be prolonged by the inspiration of divine grace."

"Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty,  persevere in it for this very reason: God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction."

"Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty,  persevere in it for this very reason: God often desires to see what   love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction."

"God wills that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive what He is prepared to give."

"Contemplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."