Top 100 Saint Francis De Sales Quotes
#2. When you have received Him, stir up your heart to do Him homage; speak to Him about your spiritual life, gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present for your happiness; welcome Him as warmly as possible, and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of His Presence.
Saint Francis De Sales
#3. Let us think only of spending the present day well. Then when tomorrow shall have come, it will be called today, and then we will think about it.
Saint Francis De Sales
#4. What we need is a cup of understanding, a barrel of love, and an ocean of patience.
Saint Francis De Sales
#6. Work hard every day at increasing your purity of heart, which consists in appraising things and weighing them in the balance of God's will.
Saint Francis De Sales
#7. So many have come to me that I might serve them, leaving me no time to think of myself. However, I assure you that I do feel deep down within me, God be praised.
Saint Francis De Sales
#8. Obedience is a virtue of so excellent a nature, that Our Lord was pleased to mark its observance upon the whole course of His life; thus He often says, He did not come to do His Own will, but that of His Heavenly Father.
Saint Francis De Sales
#9. All of us can attain to Christian virtue and holiness, no matter in what condition of life we live and no matter what our life work may be.
Saint Francis De Sales
#11. It is better to remain silent than to speak the truth ill-humoredly, and spoil an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce.
Saint Francis De Sales
#12. What son would not bring his mother back to life and would not bring her into paradise after her death if he could?
Saint Francis De Sales
#16. Is it not a great temptation to be so valiant in imagination and so cowardly in execution?
Saint Francis De Sales
#18. Let us be what God likes, so long as we are His, and let us not be what we want to be, if it is against his intention.
Saint Francis De Sales
#19. The thoughts of those moved by natural human love are almost completely fastened on the beloved, their hearts are filled with passion for it, and their mouths full of its praises.
Saint Francis De Sales
#20. While extremely sensitive as to the slightest approach to slander, you must also guard against an extreme into which some people fall, who, in their desire to speak evil of no one, actually uphold and speak well of vice.
Saint Francis De Sales
#23. Examine from time to time what are the dominant passions of your soul, and having ascertained this, mold your life, so that in thought, word, and deed you may as far as possible counteract them.
Saint Francis De Sales
#24. There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love - every man works his oar voluntarily!
Saint Francis De Sales
#25. Naturally we all have an inclination to command, and a great aversion to obey; and yet it is certain that it is more for our good to obey than to command; hence perfect souls have always had a great affection for obedience, and have found all their joy and comfort in it.
Saint Francis De Sales
#26. We can never attain to perfection while we have an affection for any imperfection.
Saint Francis De Sales
#27. Be not miserable about what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father, who cares for you today, will care for you tomorrow.
Saint Francis De Sales
#28. The highest degree of meekness consists in seeing, serving, honoring, and treating amiably, on occasion, those who are not to our taste, and who show themselves unfriendly, ungrateful, and troublesome to us.
Saint Francis De Sales
#29. We are sometimes so busy being good angels that we neglect to be good men and women.
Saint Francis De Sales
#30. It is not those who commit the least faults who are the most holy, but those who have the greatest courage, the greatest generosity, the greatest love, who make the boldest efforts to overcome themselves, and are not immediately apprehensive about tripping.
Saint Francis De Sales
#31. Strive to see God in all things without exception. Do not smother yourself ... If you start smothering yourself with a host of cares and longings and wishes ... you will be disabling yourself from serving God with all your heart.
Saint Francis De Sales
#32. One great remedy against all manner of temptation, great or small, is to open the heart and lay bare its suggestion, likings, and dislikings before some spiritual adviser; for, ... the first condition which the Evil One makes with a soul, when he wants to entrap it, is silence.
Saint Francis De Sales
#34. The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying, not "What a lovely sermon!" but "I will do something."
Saint Francis De Sales
#35. Go in all simplicity; do not be anxious to win a quiet mind, and it will be all the quieter. Do not examine so closely into the progress of your soul. Do not crave too much to be perfect, but let your spiritual life beformed by your duties, and by the actions which are called forth by circumstances.
Saint Francis De Sales
#37. For every great temptation there will be many small ones. Wolves and bears are more dangerous than flies, but we are bothered most by flies.
Saint Francis De Sales
#39. God requires a faithful fulfillment of the merest trifle given us to do, rather than the most ardent aspiration to things to which we are not called.
Saint Francis De Sales
#40. A good discourse is that from which nothing can be retrenched without cutting into the quick.
Saint Francis De Sales
#41. I have the same opinion of dances that physicians have of mushrooms: the best of them are good for nothing.
Saint Francis De Sales
#42. Faith fills a man with love for the beauty of its truth, with faith in the truth of its beauty
Saint Francis De Sales
#43. One of the most evil dispositions possible is that which satirizes and turns everything to ridicule. God abhors this vice, and has sometimes punished it in a marked manner
Saint Francis De Sales
#44. The highest point of humility consists in not merely acknowledging one's abjection, but in taking pleasure therein, not from any want of breadth or courage, but to give the more glory to God's Divine Majesty, and to esteem one's neighbour more highly than one's self.
Saint Francis De Sales
#46. Flowers often grow more beautifully on dung-hills than in gardens that look beautifully kept.
Saint Francis De Sales
#47. It is right that you should begin again every day. There is no better way to complete the spiritual life than to be ever beginning it over again.
Saint Francis De Sales
#48. We may be excused for not always being bright, but we are not excused for not being gracious, yielding and considerate.
Saint Francis De Sales
#51. By turning your eyes on God in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with God. Begin all your prayers in the presence of God.
Saint Francis De Sales
#53. True virtue has no limits, but goes on and on, and especially holy charity, which is the virtue of virtues, and which having a definite object, would become infinite if it could meet with a heart capable of infinity.
Saint Francis De Sales
#56. It matters little how one begins, provided that he be resolved to go on well, and to end well.
Saint Francis De Sales
#57. In no other action can our Savior be considered more tender or more loving than in this, in which He, as it were, annihilates Himself and reduces Himself to food, that He may penetrate our souls and unite Himself to the hearts of His faithful.
Saint Francis De Sales
#58. When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.
Saint Francis De Sales
#59. If I want only pure water, what does it matter to me whether it be brought in a vase of gold or of glass? What is it to me whether the will of God be presented to me in tribulation or consolation, since I desire and seek only the Divine will? ...
Saint Francis De Sales
#60. Through devotion, your family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes more sincere, the service we owe to the prince more faithful, and our work, no matter what it is, becomes more pleasant and agreeable.
Saint Francis De Sales
#61. There is no better means of attainment to the spiritual life Than by continually beginning again ...
Saint Francis De Sales
#65. The merit of the cross does not consist in its heaviness, but in the manner in which we carry it. I would even say that it is sometimes more virtuous to carry a cross of straw than a heavy cross because we have to be more attentive for fear of losing it.
Saint Francis De Sales
#66. The Prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save martyrdom!
Saint Francis De Sales
#67. Do not desire crosses, unless you have borne well those laid on you; it is an abuse to long after martyrdom while unable to bear an insult patiently.
Saint Francis De Sales
#68. Faith is like a bright ray of sun light. It enables us to see God in all things as well as all things in God.
Saint Francis De Sales
#69. Charity and devotion differ no more, the one from the other, than the flame from the fire.
Saint Francis De Sales
#70. Souls do not wish to be bullied, but gently brought back; such is the nature of man.
Saint Francis De Sales
#71. Many who confess their venial sins out of custom and concern for order but without thought of amendment remain burdened with them for their whole life and thus lose many spiritual benefits and advantages.
Saint Francis De Sales
#72. By giving yourself to God, You not only receive Himself in exchange, but eternal life as well.
Saint Francis De Sales
#73. Do not complain then of your poverty, my daughter, - we only complain of that which is unwelcome, and if poverty is unwelcome to you, you are no longer poor in spirit.
Saint Francis De Sales
#74. Obedience is a consecration of the heart, chastity of the body, and poverty of all worldly goods to the Love and Service of God. Blessed indeed are the obedient, for God will never permit them to go astray.
Saint Francis De Sales
#75. Though perseverance does not come from our power, yet it comes from within our power.
Saint Francis De Sales
#76. Every moment comes to us pregnant with a command from God, only to pass on and plunge into eternity, there to remain forever what we have made of it.
Saint Francis De Sales
#78. Since God often sends us inspirations by means of His angels, we should frequently return our aspirations to him by means of the same messengers.
Saint Francis De Sales
#80. One single act done with aridity of spirit is worth more than many done with feelings of devotion.
Saint Francis De Sales
#81. The state of marriage is one that requires more virtue and constancy than any other; it is a perpetual exercise in mortification.
Saint Francis De Sales
#82. If you would fall into any extreme, let it be on the side of gentleness. The human mind is so constructed that it resists rigor, and yields to softness.
Saint Francis De Sales
#84. If we say a little it is easy to add, but having said too much it is hard to withdraw and never can it be done so quickly as to hinder the harm of our success.
Saint Francis De Sales
#85. To lose ourselves in God is simply to give up our own will to Him. When a soul can truly say Lord I have no other will than Thine it is truly lost in God and united to Him.
Saint Francis De Sales
#86. Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.
Saint Francis De Sales
#88. The bee collects honey from flowers in such a way as to do the least damage or destruction to them, and he leaves them whole, undamaged and fresh, just as he found them.
Saint Francis De Sales
#89. Big fires flare up in a wind, but little ones are blown out unless they are carried in under cover.
Saint Francis De Sales
#91. Every Christian needs a half-hour of prayer each day, except when he is busy, then he needs an hour.
Saint Francis De Sales
#92. Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.
Saint Francis De Sales
#93. We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God. If at times we are somewhat stunned by the tempest, never fear. Let us take breath, and go on afresh.
Saint Francis De Sales
#94. God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Saint Francis De Sales
#98. We have freedom to do good or evil; yet to make choice of evil, is not to use, but to abuse our freedom.
Saint Francis De Sales
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