"Every one should find some suitable time, day or night, to sink into his depths, each according to his own fashion. Not every one is able to engage in contemplative prayer"
About this Quote
Tauler is quietly radical here: he democratizes the inner life while refusing to romanticize it. The line opens with an almost pastoral practicality - find a time, day or night - but the real provocation is in the verb “sink.” This isn’t self-improvement or spiritual “uplift.” It’s descent: going down into the murky, unflattering zones we avoid when we stay busy, social, or piously performative.
The subtext is a critique of spiritual elitism. In Tauler’s 14th-century world of monastic ideals and clerical authority, “contemplative prayer” could read like the gold standard of holiness, a specialized discipline for the trained and the temperamentally suited. Tauler concedes the obvious - not everyone can do that - and then pivots to a more inclusive demand: everyone can, and should, cultivate inwardness “according to his own fashion.” It’s spiritual direction without a one-size-fits-all program.
Context matters: Tauler, a Dominican mystic shaped by the Rhineland tradition and preaching amid plague, instability, and institutional Church strain, is writing for ordinary Christians trying to live faithfully without monastery walls. His genius is rhetorical compression: he lowers the bar without lowering the stakes. You may not be built for long, rarefied contemplative prayer, but you are still accountable for facing yourself. The quote works because it offers permission and pressure at once - a humane concession that doubles as a spiritual imperative.
The subtext is a critique of spiritual elitism. In Tauler’s 14th-century world of monastic ideals and clerical authority, “contemplative prayer” could read like the gold standard of holiness, a specialized discipline for the trained and the temperamentally suited. Tauler concedes the obvious - not everyone can do that - and then pivots to a more inclusive demand: everyone can, and should, cultivate inwardness “according to his own fashion.” It’s spiritual direction without a one-size-fits-all program.
Context matters: Tauler, a Dominican mystic shaped by the Rhineland tradition and preaching amid plague, instability, and institutional Church strain, is writing for ordinary Christians trying to live faithfully without monastery walls. His genius is rhetorical compression: he lowers the bar without lowering the stakes. You may not be built for long, rarefied contemplative prayer, but you are still accountable for facing yourself. The quote works because it offers permission and pressure at once - a humane concession that doubles as a spiritual imperative.
Quote Details
| Topic | Prayer |
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