Beware, daughters, of that humility which plunges the soul into profound unease over the magnitude of your sins. (…) Sometimes the feeling of one's own wretchedness can be true humility, while at other times it is a very serious temptation. I have experienced it and know it well. No matter how pure humility may be, it never causes confusion, does not unsettle, nor disrupts, but rather fills the soul with peace, sweetness, and calm. Not only does it not unsettle or constrain the soul, but it expands it and gives it greater ability to serve God, while humility that comes from the devil causes confusion, disrupts order, turns everything upside down, and is very tormenting. If you find yourself in this state, strive in every way not to think of your own wretchedness, but rather diligently think of God's mercy, of the love with which the Lord enfolds us, and what He suffered for us.
(Teresa of Jesus, The Path to Perfection XL,1–3)
