Top 160 Saint Francis de Sales Quotes (2025 Update)
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101. “A dance is the devil’s procession, and he that entereth into a dance, entereth into his possession.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

102. “Those who pray from the heart do not think about the prayer they are saying, but about the God to whom they pray.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

103. “He prays well who is so absorbed with God that he does not know he is praying.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

104. “God desires from us more fidelity to the little things that he places in our power than ardor for great things that do not depend upon us.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

105. “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.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

106. “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

107. “The Devil doesn’t fear austerity but holy obedience.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

108. “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

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

— Saint Francis de Sales

110. “It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

111. “A good discourse is that from which nothing can be retrenched without cutting into the quick.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

112. “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

113. “During the night we must wait for the light.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

114. “All the science of the Saints is included in these two things: To do, and to suffer. And whoever had done these two things best, has made himself most saintly.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

115. “One single day of devotion is worth more than a thousand years of worldly life.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

116. “By giving yourself to God, You not only receive Himself in exchange, but eternal life as well.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

117. “Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

118. “Big fires flare up in a wind, but little ones are blown out unless they are carried in under cover.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

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

— Saint Francis de Sales

120. “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

121. “Nothing appeases an enraged elephant so much as the sight of a little lamb.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

122. “Charity and devotion differ no more, the one from the other, than the flame from the fire.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

123. “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

124. “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

125. “The truly patient man neither complains of his hard lot nor desires to be pitied by others. He speaks of his sufferings in a natural, true, and sincere way, without murmuring, complaining, or exaggerating them.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

126. “Learn to see God in the details of your life, for He is everywhere.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

127. “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

128. “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

129. “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 shield; my heart has trusted in Him and I am helped. He is not only with me, but in me and I in Him.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

130. “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

131. “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

132. “There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love – every man works his oar voluntarily!”

— Saint Francis de Sales

133. “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.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

134. “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

135. “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.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

136. “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.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

137. “Professions of humility are the very cream, the very essence of pride; the really humble person wishes to be, and not to appear so. Humility is timorous, and starts at her shadow; and so delicate that if she hears her name pronounced it endangers her existence.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

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

— Saint Francis de Sales

139. “Do not fret under such assistance as is needful; therein lies one great grace of poverty. It were overambitious to aim at being poor without suffering any inconvenience, in other words, to have the credit of poverty and the convenience of riches.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

140. “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

141. “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

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

— Saint Francis de Sales

143. “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

144. “To live according to the spirit is to love according to the spirit.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

145. “Every vocation becomes more agreeable when united with devotion.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

146. “Better make penitents by gentleness than hypocrites by severity.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

147. “The declared enemies of God and His Church, heretics and schismatics, must be criticized as much as possible, as long as truth is not denied. It is a work of charity to shout: ‘Here is the wolf!’ when it enters the flock or anywhere else.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

148. “Souls do not wish to be bullied, but gently brought back; such is the nature of man.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

149. “If after all your efforts you cannot succeed, you could not please our Lord more than by sacrificing to Him your will, and remaining in tranquility, humility, and devotion, entirely conformed and submissive to His divine will and good pleasure.”

— Saint Francis de Sales

150. “True humility scarcely ever utters words of humility.”

— Saint Francis de Sales