Contemplation, which is an act of the intellect, is not what chiefly constitutes perfection… Perfection lies in union with God through charity. The loving contemplation of God is, so to speak, a means conjoined to this end; it disposes us immediately to union with God. The end toward which we must tend is not contemplation, but God himself to be loved above all.
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange OP (1877–1964)