Top 160 Saint Francis de Sales Quotes (2025 Update)
Page 2 of 4

51. “Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. I mean do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

52. “Humility makes our lives acceptable to God, meekness makes us acceptable to men.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

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

— Saint Francis de Sales

54. “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

55. “Pride dies 20 minutes after death.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

56. “The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

57. “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

58. “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

59. “Those who love to be feared fear to be loved.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

60. “He who complains, sins.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

61. “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

62. “Consider all the past as nothing, and say, like David: Now I begin to love my God.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

63. “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

64. “He who can preserve gentleness amid pains, and peace amid worry multitude of affairs, is almost perfect.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

65. “It is wonderful how attractive a gentle, pleasant manner is, and how much it wins hearts.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

66. “A judicious silence is always better than truth spoken without charity.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

67. “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.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

68. “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

69. “Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a determination to cling simply to God.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

70. “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

71. “The whole world is not worth one soul.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

72. “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

73. “Hell is full of good intentions and wills.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

74. “There is no artifice as good and desirable as simplicity.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

75. “A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

76. “Humor is the foundation of reconciliation.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

77. “Faith fills a man with love for the beauty of its truth, with faith in the truth of its beauty.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

78. “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

79. “Have Jesus always for your patron, His Cross for a mast on which you must spread your resolutions as a sail. Your anchor shall be a profound confidence in Him, and you shall sail prosperously.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

80. “Nothing is more like a wise man than a fool who holds his tongue.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

81. “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.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

82. “The spirit cannot endure the body when overfed, but, if underfed, the body cannot endure the spirit.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

83. “A heart-memory is better than a mere head-memory. Better to carry away a little of the love of Christ in our souls, than if we were able to repeat every word of every sermon we ever heard.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

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

— Saint Francis de Sales

85. “One rarely does well what one rarely does.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

86. “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

87. “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

88. “Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

89. “Friendships begun in this world will be taken up again, never to be broken off.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

90. “Flowers often grow more beautifully on dung-hills than in gardens that look beautifully kept.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

91. “One single act done with aridity of spirit is worth more than many done with feelings of devotion.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

92. “It is a great imperfection to complain unceasingly of little things.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

93. “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

94. “Provided that God be glorified, we must not care by whom.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

95. “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

96. “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

97. “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

98. “Cook the truth in charity until it tastes sweet.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

99. “I recommend to you holy simplicity.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

100. “Fear is a greater evil than evil itself.”

— Saint Francis de Sales