There are some quotes from the saints that just roll off our tongues like well-worn proverbs, like, “I am not afraid, I was born to do this!” (St. Joan of Arc) or “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” (St. Pio of Pietrelcina). But the saints said many things that are less well-known but deserve to be! Here are some to add to your repertoire.
“This is the way of perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.” -St. Augustine
“It is not hard to obey when we move the one whom we obey.” -St. Ignatius of Loyola
“You cannot be half a saint, you must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” -St. Therese of Lisieux
“The source of justice is not vengeance but charity.” -St. Bidget of Sweden
“I know well that the greater and more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that rage against it.” -St. Faustina
“Let your old age be childlike, and your childhood like old age; that is, so that neither may your wisdom be with pride, nor your humility without wisdom.” -St. Augustine
“We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear.” -St. Francis de Sales
“Be kind to all and severe to thyself.” -St. Teresa of Avila
“To convert somebody, go and take them by the hand and guide them.” -St. Thomas Aquinas
“Nothing appeases an enraged elephant so much as the sight of a little lamb.” -St. Francis de Sales
“Faith does not quench desire but inflames it.” -St. Thomas Aquinas
“A faint faith is better than a strong heresy.” -St. Thomas More
“It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards a man’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.” -St. Francis Xavier
“The dress of the body should not discredit the good of the soul.” -St. Cyprian
“He who is chaste in flesh should not be proud, for he should know that he owes the gift of continence to another.” -Pope St. Clement I
“The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common laborer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.” -St. Anthony of Padua
“Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven.” -Pope St. Pius X
“If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.” -St. John of the Cross
“We should not accept in silence the benefactions of God, but return thanks for them.” -St. Basil the Great
“The heart preparing to receive the Holy Eucharist should be like a crystal vase.” -St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
“I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I want to do God’s Holy Will, not my own!” -St. Gabriel Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows
“The Lord opened the understanding of my unbelieving heart, so that I should recall my sins.” -St. Patrick
“Bear the cross and do not make the cross bear you.” -St. Philip Neri
“Speak to them of the great mercy of God…Sometimes people are helped by your telling of your own lamentable past.” -St. Francis Xavier
Which of these is your favorite? Do you have a favorite lesser-known saint quote not on this list?
