The passion of acquiring
The passion of acquiring riches in order to support a vain expense corrupts the purest souls. Francois Fenelon
Francois Fenelon
It is this unquiet
It is this unquiet self-love that renders us so sensitive. The sick man, who sleeps ill, thinks the night long. We exaggerate, from cowardice, all the evils which we encounter; they are great, but our sensibility increases them. The true way to bear them is to yield ourselves up with confidence to God. Francois Fenelon
Violent excitement exhausts the
Violent excitement exhausts the mind and leaves it withered and sterile. Francois Fenelon
Sordid and infamous sensuality,
Sordid and infamous sensuality, the most dreadful evil that issued from the box of Pandora, corrupts every heart, and eradicates every virtue. Fly! wherefore dost thou linger? Fly, cast not one look behind thee; nor let even thy thought return to the accursed evil for a moment. Francois Fenelon
God felt, God tasted
God felt, God tasted and enjoyed is indeed God, but God with those gifts which flatter the soul, God in darkness, in privation, in forsakenness, in sensibility, is so much God, that he is so to speak God bare and alone. Shall we fear this death, which is to produce in us the true divine … Read more
Prayer is so necessary,
Prayer is so necessary, and the source of so many blessings, that he who has discovered the treasure cannot be prevented from having recourse to it, whenever he has an opportunity. Francois Fenelon
Do we accustom ourselves
Do we accustom ourselves to see all things in the light of faith? Do we correct all our judgments by it? Alas! The greater part of Christians think and act like mere heathens; if we judge (as we justly may) of their faith by their practice, we must conclude they have no faith at all. … Read more
Our piety must be
Our piety must be weak and imperfect if it do not conquer our fear of death. Francois Fenelon
It is often our
It is often our own imperfection which makes us reprove the imperfection of others; a sharp-sighted self-love of others Francois Fenelon
It is only by
It is only by fidelity in little things that the grace of true love to God can be sustained, and distinguished from a passing fervor of spirit. . . . No one can well believe that our piety is sincere, when our behavior is lax and irregular in its little details. What probability is there … Read more