Saint Francis de Sales
Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself.Collection: Patience
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.Collection: Family
Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections.Collection: Courage
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.Collection: Peace
There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust.Collection: Anger
A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship.Collection: Friendship
Those who love to be feared fear to be loved.Collection: Fear
Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.Collection: Strength
Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.
Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.
Make friends with the angels, who though invisible are always with you. Often invoke them, constantly praise them, and make good use of their help and assistance in all your temporal and spiritual affairs.
Be who you are and be that well.
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.
While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do greater things.
When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.
True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.
To live according to the spirit is to love according to the spirit.
We must never undervalue any person. The workman loves not that his work should be despised in his presence. Now God is present everywhere, and every person is His work.
There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love - every man works his oar voluntarily!
A good discourse is that from which nothing can be retrenched without cutting into the quick.
Reputation is rarely proportioned to virtue.
Friendships begun in this world will be taken up again, never to be broken off.
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.
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.
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.
Retire at various times into the solitude of your own heart, even while outwardly engaged in discussions or transactions with others, and talk to God.
Have patience with all things - but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that.Collection: Mistake
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually: 'The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in Him and I am helped. He is not only with me but in me and I in Him.'Collection: Father
What we need is a cup of understanding, a barrel of love, and an ocean of patience.Collection: Ocean
Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.Collection: Evil
Do everything calmly and peacefully. Do as much as you can as well as you can. Strive to see God in all things without exception, and consent to His will joyously. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to him in word and deed. Walk very simply with the Cross of the Lord and be at peace with yourself.Collection: Faith
Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily.Collection: Littles
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.Collection: Light
Don't get upset with your imperfections. It's a great mistake because it leads nowhere - to get angry because you are angry, upset at being upset, depressed at being depressed, disappointed because you are disappointed. So don't fool yourself. Simply surrender to the Power of God's Love, which is always greater than our weakness.Collection: Faith
Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He is your keeper. He has kept you hitherto. Do you but hold fast to his dear hand, and he will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, he will bear you in his arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or he will give you strength to bear it.Collection: Hope
I have made a pact with my tongue, not to speak when my heart is disturbed.Collection: Heart
Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. I mean, do not be disturbed because of your imperfections, and always rise up bravely from a fall. I am glad that you make a daily new beginning; there is no better means of progress in the spiritual life than to be continually beginning afresh, and never to think that we have done enough.Collection: Spiritual
Let the enemy rage at the gate; let him knock, pound, scream, howl; let him do his worst. We know for certain that he cannot enter our soul except by the door of our consent.Collection: Doors
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.Collection: Spiritual
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.Collection: Courage
Those who pray from the heart do not think about the prayer they are saying, but about the God to whom they pray.Collection: Prayer
Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself.Collection: Inspirational
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.Collection: Spiritual
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.Collection: Simple
Doing little things with a strong desire to please God makes them really great.Collection: Inspirational
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.Collection: Ungrateful
Friendship requires great communication.Collection: Friendship
In so far as divine love beautifies our souls. And makes us pleasing to His divine Majesty, it is called grace; in so far as it gives us strength to do good, it is called charity; but when it reaches such a degree of perfection, that it makes us not only do the good, but do so carefully, frequently and readily, then it is called devotion.Collection: Love Is
By giving yourself to God, You not only receive Himself in exchange, but eternal life as well.Collection: Giving
He who stays not in his littleness, loses his greatness.Collection: Christian