"Blessed are the hearts that can bend: they shall never be broken."
"You can catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a barrel of vinegar."
"Do all by love and nothing by force; love obedience rather than fear disobedience."
"Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself."
"You can only give God what you have."
"Nothing appeases an enraged elephant so much as the sight of a little lamb."
"We must be prepared to see weeds growing in our garden and also have the courage to pull them out."
"Ask for nothing and refuse nothing."
"Bearing with the imperfections of our neighbors is one of the chief characteristics of our love for them."
"One ounce of patient suffering is worth far more than a pound of action."
"Love virtue rather than fear sin."
"One kind word wins more willing service than a hundred harsh orders or stern reproofs."
"We must fight back with affection and not with reason."
"The well-being of a household depends on parents' words, but far more on their behavior."
"We must, if possible, avoid making our devotion troublesome to others."
"Never forget that souls are poisoned through the ear as much as bodies through the mouth."
"A straightforward excuse has far greater weight than any falsehood."
"Those who do not mean to entertain guests should take down their signboard."
"Sell as you would buy, and buy as you would sell, and your buying and selling will alike be honest."
"Correction given in anger, however tempered by reason, never has so much effect as that which is given altogether without anger..."
"Do not desire crosses, unless you have borne those already laid upon you as well..."
"Physicians judge to a great extent as to health or disease by the state of the tongue, and our words are a true test of the state of our soul."
"The measure of our love is to love without measure."
"To prepare the salad well you need more oil than vinegar."
"No one is esteemed before God for having lived long, but for having lived well."
"The bed of the sick is an altar of sacrifice."
"During this mortal life we must choose eternal love or eternal death."
"There is a great difference between being occupied with God who gives us the contentment, and being busied with the contentment which God gives us."
"Nothing so much wounds a loving heart as to perceive another wounded with the love of it."
"Bees never wound without being themselves wounded to death."
"Always be neat, do not ever permit any disorder or untidiness about you."
"And so ought we always to judge our neighbor as charitably as may be; and if his actions are many-sided, we should accept the best."
"If your affections are warm and tender, your judgment will not be harsh; if they are loving, your judgment will be the same."
"Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily."
"We are eager to deal out strict justice to others, but to obtain indulgence for ourselves. "
"We find fault with our neighbor very readily for a small matter, while we pass over great things in ourselves."
"Reason is the special characteristic of man, and yet it is a rare thing to find really reasonable men,"
"We have two scales, one wherein to measure our own goods to the best advantage, and the other to weigh our neighbors' to the worst."
"Always put yourself in your neighbor's place, and put him into yours, and then you will judge fairly."
"Do not desire crosses, unless you have borne those already laid upon you well--it is an abuse to long after martyrdom while unable to bear an insult patiently."
2) Amid your shortcomings and limitations - SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE.
3) When others are curt with you - SHOW GOOD HUMOR.
4) At the tiresome tempers of others - STAY CHEERFULLY EXCUSING.
5) When someone turns you down - PUT ON A GOOD FACE.
6) If someone helps, when you'd rather do it yourself - BE APPRECIATIVE.
7) When answering others - SPEAK GENTLY AND SHOW COURTESY.
grant me the grace
to practice these seven little virtues
in my everday living. Amen.
(Note: the above "Seven Salesian Virtues To Make The Ordinary Extraordinary" and prayer were taken from a holy card by Fr. Richard R. De Lillio, OSFS who gave permission for its use on this website.)
An Internet Direction of Intention: My God, I give you this time in Cyberspace. I offer to you all of the good that will result from the use of this computer ... and I promise to accept, for love of you, all of the challenges I shall meet. Help me to conduct myself during this visit to Cyberspace in a manner pleasing to you.
If you want to find more about the popular Salesian book, the "Introduction to a Devout Life" by St.Francis de Sales and other Salesian books, then click on the book cover below. To return to this site, click on the back button of your browser.
Peace of Mind: Spiritual Counsel from Francis de Sales , by John Graden, David Phillips. Listen to parts of the CD by going to by clicking on the above graphic.
Go to the Salesian Resource Center by clicking on the graphic below. Two exceptional seventeenth century figures and their 21st century legacy are the focus of this unique center, located on the US/Canadian border ten miles north of Niagara Falls, NY. A combination of library, bookstore, speakers bureau, organizer of annual national conferences and biannual international seminars, all designed to facilitate in-depth study and widespread dissemination of the spirituality stemming from Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal, especially as it corresponds to present-day needs and challenges.
More information about Salesian spirituality can also be found at the following websites.
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, TD Province
International Commission on Salesian Studies (ICSS)
Other Oblate and Salesian Links
Now you can read or download your own free copy of "The Introduction To A Devout Life" by St. Francis de Sales. This edition is over 100 years old and is copyright-free. Click on the title below.
You can also read a copy of "The Treatise On The Love Of God" by St. Francis de Sales (Rev. Henry Benedict Mackey, O.S.B. translation) online. Click on the title below.
Listen to the prayers of the Rosary at THE ROSARY WEBSITE.
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