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DEVOUT LIFE

 

He who aspires to heavenly love, must sedulously reserve for it his leisure, his spirit and his affections.  (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 12, Chapter 3)

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To train a young horse to his paces, and to make him steady under his saddle and bridle, takes whole years. (Letters to Persons in Religion, IV 19)

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Great fires are increased by the wind, but little ones are extinguished, if they be not well protected from it. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 34)

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Nothing is more bitter than fruit that is unripe, but when it is preserved, it is sweet and very tasty. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, II 13)

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The man who knows best how to con­trol his natural inclinations is more open to supernatural inspirations. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XV 8)

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A life of lower level may be gained in a year, but the perfection to which we aspire cannot come till after many years. (Letters to Persons in Religion, IV 16)

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Always be correcting yourself of something. (Letters to Persons in Religion, II 21)

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Do as the bees do: suck honey from all dowers and herbs. (Letters to Persons in Religion, I 3)

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The enemy is glad to make you lose time when he cannot make you lose eternity. (Letters to Persons in Religion, II 13)

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A person should never omit his spiritual exercises and the common rules of virtue unless he sees the will of God on the other side. (Letters to Persons in the World, III 11)

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We must not strive to practice many exercises at once, for the enemy often tries to make us undertake many designs, to the end that, overwhelmed with the multiplicity of business, we may accom­plish nothing. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 8, Chapter 11)

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There are all sorts of herbs in a garden, and although there may be one there more excellent than all the others, it does not mean that we are to put no other into the pot. (Spiritual Conferences, 10)

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The easiest ways do not always lead us the most directly nor the most safely. (Letters to Persons in Religion, II 37)

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We must be prepared to see weeds growing in our garden and also have the courage to pull them up. (Spiritual Conferences, 9)

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Observe God's ways and not your own! (Letters to Persons in Religion, V 4)

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True love scarcely goes by method. (Letters to Persons in Religion, IV 9)

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Devotion has no wish to drag others in its train, but simply, humbly and calmly pursues its own road. (Spiritual Conferences, 1)

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Would you walk in earnest toward devotion? Seek some good man who will guide you; this is the greatest of all words of advice. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part I, Chapter 4)

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Good advice ought to be well received whether steeped in gall or preserved in honey. (Letters to Persons in Religion, I 1)

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Choose some particular saints, whose lives you can best appreciate and imitate, and in whose intercession you may have a particular confidence. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 16)

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The beginning of good things is good, the progress better, the end the best.( Treatise on the Love of God, Book 2, Chapter 19)

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Mount Calvary is the academy of love. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 12, Chapter 13)

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