“If your contemplation is a complete blank or a mere spiritual chaos, without any love or desire of God, then be persuaded that you are not a contemplative. But, on the other hand, remember that in the beginning of contemplation as well as in times of great trial, the desire and awareness of God are something so deep, so mute, and so tenuous that it is hard to realize their presence at all. However, a glance is sufficient to tell you that they are there.”

Merton, Thomas. The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation. Edited and with an Introduction by William H. Shannon. (NY: HarperOne, 2003), page 102. [originally written in 1959]