ash wednesday
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and the 40 days of fasting associated with it. This photo was taken at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, Feb. 10, 2016. Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images

Wednesday marks the first day of the Lenten season and is best known as Ash Wednesday, or the “Day of Ashes.” People in the Christian religion mark this day by giving up something for 40 days and 40 nights. The sacrifice ends on Easter, which is the holiest day in the religion.

To celebrate the beginning of penance, we've gathered 20 quotes about fasting, spiritual growth and the power of prayer, courtesy of Brainy Quote:

1. "Are you capable of risking your life for someone? Do it for Christ." — Pope John Paul II

2. “The confessional is not a torture chamber, but the place in which the Lord's mercy motivates us to do better.” — Pope Francis

3. "Some people think that having ash on your forehead is ridiculous. But I am neither ashamed nor afraid because the ashes remind me that I have to someday pass away and reunite with my creator." — Walter Buns

4. "The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist." — Pope St. Gregory the Great

5. “I believe in God - not in a Catholic God; there is no Catholic God. There is God, and I believe in Jesus Christ, his incarnation. Jesus is my teacher and my pastor, but God, the Father, Abba, is the light and the Creator. This is my Being.” — Pope Francis

6. "Lent stimulates us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and in this way to know the fundamental truth: who we are, where we come from, where we must go, what path we must take in life..." — Pope Benedict XVI

7. "Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God's sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God." — Thomas a Kempis

8. "Prayer does not change the purpose of God. But prayer does change the action of God." — Chuck Smith

9. "Lent is like a long 'retreat' during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in order to defeat the temptations of the Evil One. It is a period of spiritual 'combat' which we must experience alongside Jesus, not with pride and presumption, but using the arms of faith: prayer, listening to the word of God and penance. In this way we will be able to celebrate Easter in truth, ready to renew the promises of our Baptism." — Pope Benedict XVI

10. “Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your etition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself.” — St. Peter Chrysologus

11. "All throughout my life I have been living recklessly. I have sinned a lot and done things that I know I should not have done. Now I will return back to God and change myself." — Genevieve Shaw

12. “The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.” — St. John of the Cross

13. "Lenten practices of giving up pleasures are good reminders that the purpose of life is not pleasure. The purpose of life is to attain to perfect life, all truth and undying ecstatic love – which is the definition of God. In pursuing that goal we find happiness. Pleasure is not the purpose of anything; pleasure is a by-product resulting from doing something that is good. One of the best ways to get happiness and pleasure out of life is to ask ourselves, 'How can I please God?' and, 'Why am I not better?' It is the pleasure-seeker who is bored, for all pleasures diminish with repetition." — Fulton J. Sheen

14. "You cannot be proud and expect to be transformed away from your sins. You need to humble yourself and have a spirit of repentance within you. Then you will see real change." — Mable Vine

15. “The confessional is not a torture chamber, but the place in which the Lord's mercy motivates us to do better.” — Pope Francis

16. "We all suffer for each other, and gain by each other's suffering; for man never stands alone here, though he will stand alone hereafter; but here is he is a social being, and goes forward to his long home as one of a large company." — Cardinal John Henry Newman

17. "Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces." — S.D. Gordon

18. "Even Jesus who is the Lord of Lords and the king of kings fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. How much more we need to do the same with all our sinfulness and baggage's." — Tamara Lane

19. "Remember that lent and ash Wednesday is not just about putting away the bad things. It is about creating good things and helping the poor and the needy, being kind to people and much more." — Jacob Winters

20. During these 40 days, let me put away all my pride. Let me change my heart and give up all that is not good within me. Let me love God with all that I am and all that I have." — Genesis Grain

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