Top 140 St. Vincent de Paul Quotes (2024 Update)

1. “Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

2. “If God is the center of your life, no words are necessary. Your mere presence will touch hearts.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

3. “There is no act of charity that is not accompanied by justice or that permits us to do more than we reasonably can.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

4. “Noise makes no good, good makes no noise.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

5. “Practice humility and patience.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

6. “So, our vocation is to go, not just to one parish, not just to one diocese, but all over the world; and do what? To set people’s hearts on fire, to do what the Son of God did. He came to set the world on fire in order to inflame it with His love.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

7. “I will always welcome joyfully any opportunity that comes my way to be of service to you.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

8. “Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

9. “Put your trust in Him and following His example, always act humbly, graciously, and in good faith.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

10. “We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

11. “Nature makes trees put down deep roots before having them bear fruit, and even this is done gradually.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

12. “Go to the poor: you will find God.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

13. “We should spend as much time in thanking God for his benefits as we do in asking him for them.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

14. “Fear not; calm will follow the storm, and perhaps soon.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

15. “One beautiful diamond is worth more than a mountain of stones, and one virtuous act of acquiescence and submission is better than an abundance of good works done for others.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

16. “Our Lord and the saints accomplished more by suffering than by acting.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

17. “People are made in such a way that even the holiest ones are liable to offend one another.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

18. “The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

19. “We should take as a maxim never to be surprised at current difficulties, no more than at a passing breeze, because with a little patience we shall see them disappear. Time changes everything.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

20. “The angels would become incarnate if they could, so that they might come to earth to imitate the example and virtues of the Son of God!”

— St. Vincent de Paul

21. “When we receive with an entire and perfect resignation the afflictions which God sends us they become for us favors and benefits; because conformity to the will of God is a gain far superior to all temporal advantages.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

22. “We must be firm but not rough in our guidance and avoid an insipid kind of meekness, which is ineffective.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

23. “When in Rome, you must do as the Romans do and accept the local customs, if they are not immoral.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

24. “All beginnings are somewhat strange; but we must have patience, and little by little, we shall find things, which at first were obscure, becoming clearer.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

25. “Let us do our duty well; let us go straight to God; let us work to become very humble, very patient, very mortified, and very charitable.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

26. “It is a ruse of the devil, by which he deceives good people, to induce them to do more than they are able, so that they end up not being able to do anything. The spirit of God urges one gently to do the good that can be done reasonably, so that it may be done perseveringly and for a long time.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

27. “Peace is worth more than all worldly possessions; in addition, God rewards it even in this life.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

28. “If after so much effort and prayer, the matter is not successful, it will be a clear sign that God does not will it.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

29. “There is a vast difference between an Apostolic life and the solitude of the Carthusians. The latter is truly very holy but is not suited to those whom God has called to the former, which is in itself more excellent.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

30. “If there is any danger in the present weather, in the name of God, Monsieur, wait until spring.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

31. “Divine Providence is never wanting in things undertaken at Its command. Even though the whole world should rise up and destroy us, nothing could happen but what is pleasing to God. The less there is of man in affairs, the more there is of God.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

32. “Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

33. “What you are saying is true of those who want everything to give way to them, nothing to oppose them, everything to go their way, people to obey them without comment or delay and, in a manner of speaking, to be adored.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

34. “You should not open your mouth except to express gratitude for benefits you have received, and never to mention your discontent.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

35. “Indeed, good is not good if one does not suffer in doing it.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

36. “God allows us to give rise to the practice of two beautiful virtues: perseverance, which leads us to attain the goal, and constancy, which helps us to overcome difficulties.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

37. “Your soul will be blessed, Sister, if you bear patiently the troubles of mind and body His Providence sends you, or which come to you from within and without.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

38. “Naturally, everyone loves his freedom, but we must beware of this as of a broad road that leads to perdition.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

39. “If, in order to succeed in an enterprise, I were obliged to choose between fifty deer commanded by a lion, and fifty lions commanded by a deer, I should consider myself more certain of success with the first group than with the second.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

40. “All of you desire to belong entirely to God, and God also wants all of you to belong to Him.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

41. “Providence must call us and we must follow it, if we are to go forward confidently.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

42. “God always gives a great blessing to humble beginnings than to those that start with the chiming of bells.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

43. “The kingdom of God is peace in the Holy Spirit; He will reign in you if your heart is at peace. So, be at peace, Mademoiselle, and you will honor in a sovereign way the God of peace and love.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

44. “To this end, we should help and support one another and strive for peace and union among ourselves. This is the wine that cheers and strengthens travelers along the narrow path of Jesus Christ.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

45. “If you grant asylum to so many refugees, your house may be sacked sooner by the soldiers; I see that clearly. The question is, however, whether, because of this danger, you should refuse to practice such a beautiful virtue as charity.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

46. “Peace is worth far more than anything they might take from you.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

47. “Let us be submissive to Providence, He will see to our affairs in His own time and in His own way.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

48. “Experience has shown us that virtue puts down only shallow roots in those who are there for just a short time.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

49. “In order to become soundly virtuous, it is advisable to make good practical resolutions concerning particular acts of the virtues and to be faithful in carrying the out afterwards. Without doing that, one is often virtuous only in one’s imagination.”

— St. Vincent de Paul

50. “Is it not better to fail after asking advice than to risk acting on our own?”

— St. Vincent de Paul