Refinement Quotes

“Creative thinking and groundbreaking ideas are the answers to yawning dullness and threadbare lifestyles. Lateral thinking and new insight allow us to choose alternative paths and unstructured pursuits, wiping out obstacles to the furtherance and refinement of our identity. (“An egg every day”)”
― Erik Pevernagie

“truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.”
― Leo Tolstoy

“Love loves unto purity. Love has ever in view the absolute loveliness of that which it beholds. Therefore all that is not beautiful in the beloved, all that comes between and is not of love's kind, must be destroyed. And our God is a consuming fire.”
― George MacDonald

“In Europe the rich are refined enough to act as if they're not wealthy. That is how civilized people behave. If you ask me, being cultured and civilized is not about everyone being free and equal; it's about everyone being refined enough to act as if they were. Then no one has to feel guilty.”
― Orhan Pamuk, The Museum of Innocence

“The process of discovering your fearless self is of refinement, not adding. The best way to reconnect with your freedom is to look at the rules you have that govern your freedom.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

“Ah, I believe Schacht. Only too willingly; that’s to say, I think what he says is absolutely true, for the world is incomprehensibly crass, tyrannical, moody, and cruel to sickly and sensitive people. Well, Schacht will stay here for the time being. We laughed at him a bit, when he arrived, that can’t be helped either, Schacht is young and after all can’t be allowed to think there are special degrees, advantages, methods, and considerations for him. He has now had his first disappointment, and I’m convinced that he’ll have twenty disappointments, one after the other. Life with its savage laws is in any case for certain people a succession of discouragements and terrifying bad impressions. People like Schacht are born to feel and suffer a continuous sense of aversion. He would like to admit and welcome things, but he just can’t. Hardness and lack of compassion strike him with tenfold force, he just feels them more acutely. Poor Schacht. He’s a child and he should be able to revel in melodies and bed himself in kind, soft, carefree things. For him there should be secret splashings and birdsong. Pale and delicate evening clouds should waft him away in the kingdom of Ah, What’s Happening to Me? His hands are made for light gestures, not for work. Before him breezes should blow, and behind him sweet, friendly voices should be whispering. His eyes should be allowed to remain blissfully closed, and Schacht should be allowed to go quietly to sleep again, after being wakened in the morning in the warm, sensuous cushions. For him there is, at root, no proper activity, for every activity is for him, the way he is, improper, unnatural, and unsuitable. Compared with Schacht I’m the trueblue rawboned laborer. Ah, he’ll be crushed, and one day he’ll die in a hospital. or he’ll perish, ruined in body and soul, inside one of our modern prisons.”
― Robert Walser, Jakob von Gunten

“The Sieves of time, filter out the fakes from the real.
Don't look back for them, they were filtered out for
your refinement.”
― Wordions

“There we were, filled with pure animal need, as he pinned me to the wooden table, and cruelly whipped my naked bottom; the two of us sweaty and panting, me screaming, him grunting, our primal sexual natures overprinting the tea room’s pretence at gentility, and refinement.”
― Fiona Thrust, Naked and Sexual

“What does it mean to be cultured? Who is the cultured person? The cultured individual is not defined nor determined by status in society nor by wealth; but the cultured individual is determined and defined by his or her sense for the art of life. And what is the art of life? The art of life is the reflection of the mind and the soul upon the world, upon other people, upon the respect and understanding of other people and upon the things that are in this world and beyond. There is a joy that is always sought in beautiful things. Being cultured is being conscious, reflective, understanding, feeling, aware. Knowing how to feel, to listen, to understand. A desire to find or to create joy in many things— that is the art of life. And these things define a cultured person.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“There is hardly a limit to the knowledge and sympathy a man may have in respect of the finest things, and yet be a fool. Sympathy is not harmony. A man may be a poet even, and speak with the tongue of an angel, and yet be a very bad fool.”
― George MacDonald, Mary Marston

“Trials come. Tribulation comes. Fires of refinement come. The purpose of refinement is to bring to light the things hidden in darkness and then remove them”
― Robin Bertram, No Regrets: How Loving Deeply and Living Passionately Can Impact Your Legacy Forever

“The fires of refinement will shine the light of Christ into the dark places of our hearts, burn off the chaff, and restore us to a state of greater purity.”
― Robin Bertram, No Regrets: How Loving Deeply and Living Passionately Can Impact Your Legacy Forever

“The war has changed you, too, Caroline. Your faith is stronger, your compassion deeper, your love more intense than ever before. It's as if all the qualities I saw in you and fell in love with have been refined and purified.”
― Lynn Austin, Candle in the Darkness

“Don´t let your work define you. But let you define what works for you to defy and refine you even more.”
― Ana Claudia Antunes, A-Z of Happiness: Tips for Living and Breaking Through the Chain that Separates You from Getting That Dream Job

“The fires of refinement come with a cost, but also with a promise. His grace has been extended forth to you for restoration, confirmation, strengthening, and being established in Him.”
― Robin Bertram, No Regrets: How Loving Deeply and Living Passionately Can Impact Your Legacy Forever

“When people meet you, I guarantee they're not thinking, There goes a divorced woman. They may see a tired woman, a hurt woman. But divorce isn't a banner or a badge you carry. It's not who you are; it's just a piece of your story. And it's not where the story ends... This is not your defining. It is your refining.”
― Denise Hildreth Jones, Secrets over Sweet Tea

“He is refining us. He is teaching us to trust him. He is drawing us away from our strength to his. He knows exactly how much heat to allow in our lives. He will never scorch us, but if we jump out of one cauldron because it's too hot, he has others waiting. The dross must be removed.

Do you know how the ancient refiner knew when he was finished, and the heat could finally be turned down? It was when he looked into the cauldron and saw his own reflection in the shining silver. As long as the image was muddy and rippled with flecks of slag, he knew he had to keep working. When his face finally showed clearly, the silver had been purified.

This is exactly how it is with our spiritual refining process. God's eternal plan is for us 'to be conformed to the likeness of his Son' (Romans 8:29). Jesus Christ continues today as the Refiner and Purifier of his people. As he carefully works on our lives, he keeps looking into us to see his own blessed reflection.

Shall we not trust Christ and surrender to this process, rather than fighting it? Remember that it is a process of love to bring beauty and growth and enlargement in our lives. It is God's way of sanctifying us. And we must never forget that the holier the life, the more true happiness we experience within. It is the spiritual impurities that rob us of God's best.”
― Jim Cymbala, Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People

“Out of the fires of refinement, come the praise of His magnificence, the brilliance of His glory, and the honor of His precious Son, Jesus Christ.”
― Robin Bertram, No Regrets: How Loving Deeply and Living Passionately Can Impact Your Legacy Forever

“God sees Himself in the eyes of the refined soul.”
― Robin Bertram, No Regrets: How Loving Deeply and Living Passionately Can Impact Your Legacy Forever

“Discipline is the result of an action, while refinement is a preparation of your calling.”
― Robin Bertram, No Regrets: How Loving Deeply and Living Passionately Can Impact Your Legacy Forever

“A sensual lifestyle flourished more where there is refinement, creative thought and/or peace of mind.”
― Lebo Grand, Sensual Lifestyle

“A sensual lifestyle flourishes more where there is refinement, creative thought and/or peace of mind.”
― Lebo Grand, Sensual Lifestyle

“Eliza had long understood her cousin to be beyond the reach of editorial intervention.”
― Zadie Smith, The Fraud

“Men jeg drister mig, uden Vanitet, at sige, at vore Nordiske Tilskuere, helst af Middelstand, ere langt beqvem-mere Dommere herudi, end de Parisiske: Thi hvis de første ikke have saa fiin Smag som de sidste, saa have de den dog ikke saa selsom og fordærved.”
― Ludvig Holberg, Epistler

“Only you are responsible for the development of your gift and for its brilliant after the process of its refinement”
― Sunday Adelaja

“Enlightenment is gained through ignorance. Ignorance proceeds sorrow, pain and suffering.
Refinement through pain come wisdom and knowledge which in turn becomes enlightenment and to know better is to do better.”
― Jose R. Coronado, The Land Flowing With Milk And Honey

“Sin easily hides where there is no heat of trials and afflictions.”
― John Bevere, The Bait Of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense

“Always take time out for rejuvenation and redirection.
Inquire as you move along the path.
There is no one best way. Different paths—different solutions.
Refinement is a constant process of growth for better results!”
― Joseph S. Spence Sr.

“The pursuit of personal development is a tapestry woven with threads of motivation, happiness, and self-improvement. Staying motivated is an art, requiring the cultivation of a mindset that finds inspiration in every challenge. True happiness springs from aligning your pursuits with your passions, and self-improvement is the compass guiding you towards the best version of yourself. To be better and stronger involves a commitment to continuous refinement, learning from experiences, and embracing resilience in the face of adversity. A crucial aspect of this journey is the discernment to distance yourself from toxic people and political ideologies that threaten your well-being, ensuring a path of positive growth and fulfillment.”
― James William Steven Parker

“Your divine detour is meant to build your character. To refine you. To prompt you to get back into the driver’s seat of your life. To understand that you are never too old, and it is never too late to start afresh.”
― Dana Arcuri, Intuitive Guide: How to Trust Your Gut, Embrace Divine Signs, & Connect with Heavenly Messengers