You never stop hoping for temporal things and yet are frequently disappointed in your hopes. You are excited by them before they come, corrupted by them when they do come, tormented by them when they inevitably leave. Are not all temporal things the sort that glow brightly when coveted, grow dull when acquired, and fade away when lost? It is better by far to use the good things of this earth as we need them on our pilgrimage but avoid making them the center of our heart’s joy so that we not be buried in their ruins when they collapse. It is better by far to make use of this world as though we were not using it in order to reach the God who made it and remain in him for all eternity.

—Augustine, Sermon 157.5