The Way To Greatness

Tollite iugum meum super vos, et discite a me:  non mundum fabricare, non cuncta visibilia et invisibilia creare, non in ipso mundo miracula facere, et mortuos suscitare; sed quoniam mitis sum et humilis corde. Magnus esse vis, a minimo incipe. Cogitas magnam fabricam construere celsitudinis, de fundamento prius cogita humilitatis. Et quantam quisque vult et disponit superimponere molem aedificii, quanto erit maius aedificium, tanto altius fodit fundamentum. Et fabrica quidem cum construitur, in superna consurgit: qui autem fodit fundamentum, ad ima deprimitur. Ergo et fabrica ante celsitudinem humiliatur, et fastigium post humiliationem erigitur. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermo LXIX,Caput I, De verbis Evangelii Matthaei, 'Venite ad me, omnes qui laboratis et onerati estis.' Source: Migne PL 38.441

'Take up my yoke upon you and learn from me.' 1 Not to make the world, not to create all things visible and visible, not to perform miracles in this world and raise the dead, but because, 'I am meek and humble in heart.' 1 You wish to be great? Begin from the least. You think to raise a great building to the heavens? For the foundation first turn your thoughts to humility. And as much as any man wishes and is disposed to lay down a foundation for his building, so much more will he raise a better building the more deeply he establishes his foundation. And the maker who when he constructs will rise into the heights, is who digs deep his foundation and into the depths drives it. Therefore the maker is humbled before heaven, and after humiliation he is raised up to the heights. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 69, Chapter 1, On The Words of the Gospel of Matthew, 'Come to me all you who labour and are burdened.' 1 Mt 11.29