Inner Solitude Sets Us Free

"We can cultivate an inner solitude and
silence that sets us free from loneliness and fear.
Loneliness is inner emptiness.
Solitude is inner fulfillment.
Solitude is not first a place but
a state of mind and heart.
There is a solitude of heart
that can be maintained at all times.
Crowds or the lack of them have little to do
with this inward attentiveness.
It is quite possible to be a desert hermit
and never experience solitude.
But if we possess inward solitude
we will not fear being alone,
for we know that we are not alone.
Neither do we fear being with others,
for they do not control us.
In the midst of noise and confusion
we are settled into a deep inner silence."

~ Teresa of Avila