Let nothing upset you; Let nothing frighten you. Everything is changing; God alone is changeless.
Saint Teresa of Avila
Let Nothing Frighten You.
Topic: Courage, Integrity, & Purpose
Let nothing upset you;
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything is changing;
God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the goal.
Who has God lacks nothing;
God alone fills every need.
Teresa of Avila, born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada on March 28, 1515, in either Ávila or Gotarrendura, Spain, was a Carmelite nun, mystic, and religious reformer. Raised in a devout Catholic household, she was drawn to the lives of the saints and developed an early sense of spiritual longing. After her mother died when she was fourteen, she deepened her devotion, eventually entering the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation at age twenty. There, amid periods of illness and inner conflict, she began to experience contemplative prayer and moments of religious ecstasy, shaped by her reading and desire for deeper union with God.
As Teresa’s interior life matured, she became concerned with the state of her religious community. She sought to renew the Carmelite Order by encouraging a return to simplicity, silence, and devotion. Together with Saint John of the Cross, she helped found the Discalced Carmelites, emphasizing a more focused, prayer-centered life. Though her reforms faced resistance, they gradually gained support and papal recognition. Despite poor health, Teresa traveled across Spain to establish new convents, grounding each one in her vision of contemplative discipline and spiritual integrity.
Teresa of Avila is also known for her writings, which explore the life of prayer and the soul’s movement toward God. In The Life of Teresa of Jesus, The Way of Perfection, and The Interior Castle, she shared her experiences with clarity and depth, offering practical guidance for those drawn to contemplative practice. Her language is direct, shaped by personal insight rather than theory. She died on October 4, 1582, in Alba de Tormes. Canonized in 1622 and named a Doctor of the Church in 1970, Teresa’s influence continues through her writings, her reform work, and the spiritual communities she helped form.
Easwaran, Eknath. "God Makes The Rivers to Flow." Wehlage, James, translator. ["Let Nothing Upset You," Saint Teresa of Avila] Pp. 206, 319. This little poem "Let Nothing Upset You" was written without thought of publication and was found in her breviary after her death.
Saint Teresa of Avila
Theme: Moral Courage
About This Saint Teresa of Avila Quote [Brief Commentary]
Saint Teresa of Avila’s instruction—“Let nothing upset you; Let nothing frighten you. Everything is changing; God alone is changeless”—offers steady guidance for facing a world in constant motion. Her words do not deny the presence of difficulty or fear, but place them in perspective. If everything is changing, then fear and disturbance arise from misplaced reliance on what cannot hold. Teresa directs our attention to the one stable ground: “God alone is changeless.” Her invitation is to a deeper trust that does not depend on external conditions. Moral courage, in this sense, begins by standing firm in what endures.
The following lines—“Patience attains the goal. Who has God lacks nothing; God alone fills every need”—complete the picture. Teresa of Avila presents patience as an active spiritual strength, not passive endurance. The one who trusts in God is not without struggle, but lacks nothing essential. Her focus is not on self-sufficiency, but on the sufficiency of God. Faith in this changeless presence makes it possible to wait, to withstand, and to continue without fear. This is a courage formed not in conflict but in quiet, unwavering confidence.
Teresa of Avila lived what she taught. Her path included illness, opposition, and the hard work of reform, yet she stayed grounded in the reality she names: “God alone fills every need.” Her clarity came from experience, and her writings reflect the spiritual depth of someone who knew both struggle and consolation. Her voice remains warm and direct, guiding others to trust in what does not change—and from that trust, to live with courage and peace.
Eknath Easwaran’s Commentary About Saint Teresa of Avila
Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, later to become loved around the world as St. Teresa of Jesus, grew up as a beautiful, high-spirited girl from one of the most distinguished families in the sixteenth-century Spanish town of Avila. With charm, intelligence, keen artistic sensibilities, and a saving dose of common sense, she seemed to have the world at her feet. Yet while still in her teens, this passionate young woman had already begun to find the attractions of worldly life too small to satisfy her. She felt their pull – would be torn in two by it, in fact, for more than twenty years. But nothing could silence a much deeper appeal, a call to a far higher destiny.
Some dim awareness of an infinite promise deep within her must have prompted her to turn inward. In her writings, Teresa describes candidly what was taking place inside. “All the things of God gave me great pleasure,” she recalls, “but I was held captive by the things of this world.” Yet the inward pull would not let her go:
Young Teresa had seen what life offers on the surface, and it was not enough. She longed for much greater challenges, deeper awareness, something more lasting than this world of change. “There is no joy in the finite,” the Upanishads say. “There is joy only in the Infinite.” Teresa’s soul yearned for the Infinite, and nothing less would satisfy her.
Teresa of Avila is so appealing a figure, so human and yet so inspiring, that we naturally want to know her secret. What enabled her to turn herself inward, heart and soul? Is it something that we can follow?
As it happens, Teresa did leave us her “secret.” In her autobiography, she stresses over and over the one quality she found vital: determinación, determination, decision, will.
Determination? Is that all? Surely, we think, some loftier, finer qualities must come before this mundane one. But then we reflect on our own experience. In any walk of life—arts, sciences, sports, entertainment—wherever excellence is achieved, there is one quality we almost always find: the sheer will to overreach oneself, to keep going whatever the odds until the goal is attained. St. Teresa is simply reminding us that we need this same quality to reach an infinite goal. The same determination with which we pursue passing, personal satisfactions can be used for spiritual growth.
If we find that we are not making the kind of progress we would like on the spiritual path, Teresa is suggesting, the reason may be simply that we are not trying our hardest. We may have all kinds of other reasons, but often the problem is simple lack of determination.
—Eknath Easwaran [Blue Mountain Blog, Deepening Determination, Advice From Saint Teresa (November 18, 2014)].
Dr. Jennifer Hornyak Wojciechowski’s Commentary About Saint Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila wrote a beautiful poem during her lifetime that has been used as a prayer throughout the centuries. It is simple in its format, which is why many turn to it in times of distress. If you are feeling afraid or anxious right now, consider praying this prayer, opening your heart to God and adding your own words, invoking God’s help in your hour of need.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
Teresa wrote her first book, her autobiography, or her Vita, known today as The Life of Teresa of Jesus, because various clerical authorities wanted to examine her prayer life, her theology, and her mystical experiences. Despite suspicion, the Catholic Church deemed her theology orthodox, and her mystical experiences legitimate. Concerned about what others would do with her writings though, the Inquisition tried to keep the autobiography from the public. Eventually the book was widely read and has since become a Catholic classic. She also wrote The Way of Perfection and Interior Castle, both of which are important contributions to Spanish Renaissance literature.
Teresa was canonized in 1622 and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970, an honor to which only four women have been granted. However, it is not just her impressive credentials that have made a lasting impression in Christian history. In fact, her autobiography is one of the most enjoyable pieces of mystical literature available. She comes across as funny, smart, and warm. The book feels intimate—like you are getting prayer advice from a friend who just happens to be a canonized saint. She has long been a favorite in Catholic circles, but she is a figure that is approachable to all Christians. Her context may be different, and her mysticism may seem strange to the modern reader, but her honest recounting of struggles with prayer, authority, and her relationship with God is profoundly relatable.
—Adapted from Dr. Jennifer Hornyak Wojciechowski, Women and the Christian Story: A Global History (Fortress, 2022). If you’re interested in learning more about women in Church History from Dr. Wojciechowski, check out our Faith+Lead Academy course, Faithfully Gifted!
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