Saint Teresa of Ávila

Nada te turbe — Let nothing disturb you

The poem she kept in her breviary (c. 1570s)

SpanishEnglish

Nada te turbe,
nada te espante;
todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda;
la paciencia
todo lo alcanza;
quien a Dios tiene
nada le falta:
sólo Dios basta.

Let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you;
all things pass,
God does not change;
patience
obtains all things;
whoever has God
lacks nothing:
God alone is enough.

SourceSaint Teresa of Ávila · The poem she kept in her breviary (c. 1570s)

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The history of this prayer

Saint Teresa of Jesus (1515-1582), the reformer of Carmel and the first woman declared a Doctor of the Church (1970), wrote these nine short lines, according to Carmelite tradition, on a leaf she kept inside her breviary. That is why the poem is also called “Teresa’s bookmark” (in Spanish, a *letrilla*). It was found after her death, in October 1582, on the very night the Gregorian calendar suppressed ten days.

It is not a prayer addressed to God but a word spoken to one’s own soul, like the psalms that talk to themselves (“Why art thou sad, O my soul?”, Ps 42:6). In nine lines it sums up the teaching of her great books: everything that frightens passes; God does not change; patience, which is perseverance in love, obtains everything; and whoever has God lacks nothing.

The text is sung today all over the world and prayed by those going through anxiety, illness or grief. The English on this page is our own literal translation, made to be prayed.

Frequently asked questions

What does “Nada te turbe” mean?

“Turbar” is to trouble, to shake. Saint Teresa tells her soul not to let itself be shaken or frightened by anything, because everything that frightens passes and God remains. It is a call to trust, not to indifference.

When should I pray the Nada te turbe?

In moments of anxiety, fear or grief, and before sleep. Because it is short, it can be repeated slowly, like an aspiration, until the soul grows quiet. Many people keep it, as Teresa did, inside their prayer book.

Did Saint Teresa really write this poem?

Carmelite tradition has attributed it to her since the sixteenth century and tells that it was found in her breviary. It is printed among her Poesías and is quoted by the Pope and by Carmelites the world over as her own words.

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