Saint John of the Cross: Wisdom Sayings To the men and women he was guiding along a spiritual path Saint John of the Cross occasionally gave apophthegmata (wisdom sayings) for them to ponder prayerfully and make their own. They are designed to catch the reader's attention, and to provoke thought. They take various forms, including plain statement, exclamation, admonition and prayer, and they are usually arresting, sometimes disturbing,...