Vincent De Paul Quotes

Charity is the cement which binds Communities to God and persons to one another . . .

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

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.

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

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.

We must love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and as an object of His love.

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

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.

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.

Let us allow God to act; He brings things to completion when we least expect it.

Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

A doctor who keeps a person from becoming ill deserves more merit than one who cures him.

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

Oh! how happy the man of means who uses his wealth and his life for the greater glory of God, from whom he has received them!

All comes at the proper time to him who knows how to wait.

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

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

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.

Noise makes no good, good makes no noise.

Be acted upon rather than active. In this way, God will do through you alone what all men put together could not do without Him.

. . . [I]n the kingdom of charity, one prefers to suffer some inconvenience rather than inconvenience the neighbor.

[Do not] overburden yourself with rules of devotion, but persist in doing well those you have, your daily actions, your work; in a word, let everything revolve around doing well what you are doing.

It is a good sign when He burdens us with [crosses] and we carry them well, but woe to the person who runs away from them, for he will find such heavy ones that they will overwhelm him.

Rarely is any good done without difficulty; the devil is too subtle and the world too corrupt not to attempt to nip such a good work in the bud

[E]ven if the whole world should rise up to destroy us, nothing will happen except that God, in whom we have put our hope, will allow.

There are good, God-fearing persons who still fall into certain faults, and it is better to bear with them than to be hard on them.

Always be quite simple and sincere and ask God to grant me those two virtues.

Practice humility and patience.

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

Naturally, everyone is disheartened by sharp reprimands, and by the most amiable corrections as well, if they are frequent, immoderate, or given inappropriately.

Since God is satisfied with our good will and honest efforts, let us also be satisfied with the outcome He gives to them, and our actions will never be without good results

do not be surprised by your trials, since the Son of God has chosen them for our salvation.

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

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

[L]ove is inventive to infinity.

I have made to God the offering you made to me of your heart and have asked him to unite mine with yours in that of Our Lord.

The works of God are not accomplished when we wish them, but whenever it pleases Him.

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

Who will excuse us before God for the loss of such a great number of people, who could be saved by the slight assistance we could give them?

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

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

Things arrange themselves with time. Only God can have everything to His liking; His servants should act as Our Lord did.

Remember, Monsieur, that the downfall of most Communities comes from the cowardice of Superiors in not holding firm and in not purging them of the troublesome and incorrigible.

. . . [R]estlessness usually stems from pride and from being discontented with one's lot in life.

And what are we doing if we are not doing God's Will?