Best 179 quotes of Saint Francis De Sales on MyQuotes

Those who love to be feared fear to be loved, and they themselves are more afraid than anyone, for whereas other men fear only them, they fear everyone.

Though perseverance does not come from our power, yet it comes within our power.

To be pleased at correction and reproofs shows that one loves the virtues which are contrary to those faults for which he is corrected and reproved. And, therefore, it is a great sign of advancement in perfection.

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.

Trouble that is easily recognized is half-cured.

True humility scarcely ever utters words of humility.

True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.

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.

We are sometimes so busy being good angels that we neglect to be good men and women.

We can never attain to perfection while we have an affection for any imperfection.

We do not very often come across opportunities for exercising strength, magnanimity, or magnificence; but gentleness, temperance, modesty, and humility, are graces which ought to colour everything we do. There may be virtues of a more exalted mould, but... these are the most continually called for in daily life.

We have freedom to do good or evil; yet to make choice of evil, is not to use, but to abuse our freedom.

We may be excused for not always being bright, but we are not excused for not being gracious, yielding and considerate.

We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear.

We must visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament a hundred thousand times a day.

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.

What son would not bring his mother back to life and would not bring her into paradise after her death if he could?

What we need is a cup of understanding, a barrel of love, and an ocean of patience.

When charity requires it we must freely and mildly communicate to our neighbor not only what is his instruction, but also what is profitable for his consolation.

When the bee has gathered the dew of heaven and the earth's sweetest nectar from the flowers, it turns it into honey, then hastens to its hive. In the same way, the priest, having taken from the altar the Son of God (who is as the dew from heaven, and true son of Mary, flower of our humanity), gives him to you as delicious food.

When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.

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.

Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.

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.

While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do greater things.

Without a doubt, one of the things which keeps us from attaining perfection is our tongue. When one has reached the point of no longer committing faults in speech, he has surely reached perfection, as was said by the Holy Spirit. The worst defect in talking is talking too much. Hence, in speech be brief and virtuous, brief and gentle, brief and simple, brief and charitable, brief and amiable.

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.

You can attract more bees with a spoonful of sugar than a cupful of vinegar.

You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves.