Vincent de Paul Quotes

132 Sourced Quotes

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.

Vincent de Paul
Do not be surprised by your trials, since the Son of God has chosen them for our salvation.

Vincent de Paul
With God's help, you will continue to succeed in your leadership and in your duties, because Our Lord's work is accomplished not so much by the multitude of workers as by the fidelity of the small number whom He calls.

Vincent de Paul
Do not be afraid of undertaking too much of what you can do without coming and going; but fear only the thought of doing more than you are doing and more than God is giving you the means to do.

Vincent de Paul
A man who behaves poorly in a Community will not do well in a parish.

Vincent de Paul
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.

Vincent de Paul
I hope that this man can be won over by your bearing charitably with him, advising him prudently, and praying for him. This is what I do for your family in general and for you in particular.

Vincent de Paul
Let each of us accept the truth of the following statement and try to make it our most fundamental principle: Christ's teaching will never let us down, while worldly wisdom always will. Christ Himself said that this sort of wisdom was like a house with nothing but sand as its foundation, while His own was like a building with solid rock as its foundation.

Vincent de Paul
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.

Vincent de Paul
You should not open your mouth except to express gratitude for benefits you have received, and never to mention your discontent.

Vincent de Paul
When in Rome, you must do as the Romans do and accept the local customs, if they are not immoral.

Vincent de Paul
In a word, we are like the servants of the centurion in the Gospel with regard to the bishops, insofar as when they say to us: go, we are obliged to go; if they say: come, we are obliged to come; do that, and we are obliged to do it.

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

Vincent de Paul
Since I am a great sinner, I cannot reject those who have been, provided they have good will.

Vincent de Paul
Man's condition is never the same; he is humbled, then exalted; sometimes at peace, sometimes persecuted; enlightened today and plunged into darkness tomorrow. What is to be done? As I said, let us be prepared for whatever may happen.

Vincent de Paul
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.

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

Vincent de Paul
So, do not dwell any longer on what you are, but consider Our Lord close by you and within you, ready to put His hand to the work as soon as you call upon Him for help, and you will see that all will go well.

Vincent de Paul
May God be pleased to make it known to you, and fill you increasingly with His Spirit, so that through you it may be poured into the souls you guide, and your own soul may be more greatly sanctified!

Vincent de Paul
It is not easy to find perfect men in whom there is nothing to criticize.

Vincent de Paul
We must endeavor to have God reign sovereignly in us, and then in others. The trouble with me is that I take more care to have Him reign in others than in myself.

Vincent de Paul
(1) Be convinced that exactness in rising is one of the most important practices in the Company and that as the day begins so the rest of the day continues; (2) give yourselves sincerely to God on going to bed in the evening, asking Him for the strength to overcome yourselves in the morning and to obey His voice without delay.

Vincent de Paul
Experience teaches that what is feasible at the beginning is sometimes harmful as things go on, or subject to troublesome inconveniences

Vincent de Paul
If you think something should be done, take the trouble to write to me about it, and together we will decide the time and manner of doing it.

Vincent de Paul
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!

Vincent de Paul
Seek counsel of very pious, disinterested persons, and follow the call of O[ur] L[ord] and the advice of those persons.

Vincent de Paul
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.

Vincent de Paul
Peace is never so complete that we may not have something to suffer.... Since it is impossible to please all of [those you serve], they offer you the occasion for practices which increase your merit in the measure that you make them meritorious by your patience.

Vincent de Paul
Nature makes trees put down deep roots before having them bear fruit, and even this is done gradually.

Vincent de Paul
It will be most pleasing to O[ur] L[ord] if you husband your strength in order to serve Him better.

Vincent de Paul