John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, as translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD (ICS Publications: 1991), Book 1, Chapter 10, Section 2
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The appetites weaken a person's virtue because they are like shoots burgeoning about a tree, sapping its strength, and causing it to be fruitless.
— John of the Cross on Virtue
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The appetites weaken a person's virtue because they are like shoots burgeoning about a tree, sapping its strength, and causing it to be fruitless." in the context of "John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, as translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD (ICS Publications: 1991), Book 1, Chapter 10, Section 2" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Virtue" (J)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About John of the Cross
Saint John of the Cross, or San Juan de la Cruz (24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Carmelite mystic and poet.
About John of the Cross
Saint John of the Cross, or San Juan de la Cruz (24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Carmelite mystic and poet.
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