In The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture, Jean Leclercq argues that the animating principle of medieval monastic life was the integration of academic pursuit and spiritual devotion, both driven by the desire to know and love God (quaerere deum). The book explores how this unique monastic theology, distinct from later scholastic methods, informed all aspects of a monk's life, including their approach to Scripture, work, and worship.