The 74 best quotes of St. Francis of Assisi

This compilation brings us closer to the religious thought of the creator of the Franciscan Order.

Saint Francis of Assisi (officially and in Italian, Francesco d'Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro Bernardone) was a saint of Italian origin, deacon, and founder of the Franciscan Order.

Born in 1181, he is considered one of the essential figures in the Christian spirituality of the Middle Ages.

Great phrases and thoughts of St. Francis of Assisi.

In today's article we are going to delve into the philosophy of this Christian icon through the best phrases of St. Francis of Assisi..

If you think we've missed any of his famous quotes, feel free to jot them down in the comments section and we'll add them to the post soon.

1. It is by dying that one is raised to eternal life.

A phrase that summarizes his vision of the afterlife.

2. Nothing else are we to do but to be solicitous to follow the will of God and to please him in all things.

According to St. Francis of Assisi, we humans must listen to and reproduce the divine commands.

3. When spiritual joy fills hearts, the serpent pours out its deadly venom in vain.

There is nothing better to relieve hatred than a dose of happiness and companionship.

4. Whatever good we do must be done for the love of God, and whatever evil we avoid must be avoided for the love of God.

A philosophy based on approaching goodness.

5. What you do may be the only sermon some people hear today.

Actions are worth more than words, according to this phrase of St. Francis of Assisi.

6. While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

On the need to avoid hypocrisy.

7. Without prayer no one can progress in divine service.

A ritual that makes the difference between believers and practicing believers.

8. I need few things and the few I need, I need little.

An austere vision that was one of the ethical foundations of the Franciscan Order.

9. Blessed is he who has no other joy and happiness than the words and works of the Lord.

A sentence that summarizes his love and devotion to God.

10. Jesus Christ called friend to the one who delivered him and offered himself spontaneously to those who crucified him.

On the infinite goodness of the one sent by God.

11. Animals are my friends and I do not eat my friends.

A vegan phrase that clashes with the medieval context.

12. Man should tremble, the world should vibrate, the whole heaven should be deeply moved when the son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest.

A word of thanksgiving to the one sent by God.

13. It is by forgiving that we are forgiven.

Only when we are able to be humble do others forgive us for our failures.

14. God created all creatures with love and goodness, big, small, human or animal form, all are children of the Father and He was so perfect. It is no use walking anywhere to evangelize unless our way is our gospel.

A reflection of St. Francis of Assisi on the Gospel.

15. Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

A maxim to apply to your daily life.

16. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.

Omnipresent and omnipotent.

17. Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.

A phrase of the Christian spirit in which good must prevail over adverse circumstances.

18. With how much more love can one of us love and nourish his brother in the spirit.

Reflection on sharing love.

19. The true teaching we transmit is what we live; and we are good preachers when we put into practice what we say.

The practice and experience of each one are basic to be a moral example.

20. Where stillness and meditation reign, there is no place for worries or dissipation.

On calmness and its psychological benefits.

21. It is by giving oneself that one receives, it is by forgetting oneself that one finds oneself.

Self-realization is a process that can last for years.

22. He who works with his hands is a worker.

Worker par excellence.

23. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.

Creativity at the service of society.

24. He who works with his hands, his head and his Heart is an artist.

The summit of cultural production: art.

25. The temptation overcome is, in a certain way, the ring with which the Lord preaches.

A sentence to make us reflect.

26. Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.

Spiritual redemption must begin with oneself.

27. May the peace you proclaim with your words be first in your hearts.

Another of those phrases of St. Francis of Assisi in which he emphasizes the importance of the word.

28. We are called to heal the wounds, to unite what has fallen apart and to bring home those who have lost their way.

The Italian saint, on the mission of Christians.

29. To entertain oneself in looking for faults in others is sufficient proof of not taking care of one's own faults.

It is better to focus our attention on what we ourselves can improve.

30. If there are men who exclude any of God's creatures from the protection of compassion and mercy, there will be men who will treat their brothers in the same way.

Goodness must be preached generously and constantly.

31. Praying daily makes us kind.

Another phrase about constancy in Christian devotion.

32. Prayer is a true rest.

Only in this ritual, according to St. Francis of Assisi, does our soul rest.

33. The devil rejoices, above all, when he succeeds in snatching joy from the heart of the servant of God.

Sadness and anger are incompatible with Christian devotion.

34. He is happy who retains nothing for himself.

Austerity is the best guide to happiness.

35. Remember that when you leave this world, you can take with you nothing that you have received; only what you have given.

A beautiful saying of St. Francis of Assisi.

36. May the peace you announce with your words be first in your hearts.

Never say something you do not feel.

37. For a small reward you lose something that is priceless and easily provoke the giver to give no more.

A timely reflection from which to think about the harms of selfishness.

38. Prayer makes us close to God, even though He is always close to us.

A great phrase to understand the omnipotence of the superior being.

39. Let us begin to serve, let us do our best. What we have done so far is little and nothing.

We can always do more and better.

40. Let us love God and worship Him with a simple heart.

Without great fuss, loving God has a simple way.

41. Evil and false spirits, do in me whatever you wish. I know well that you cannot do more than the hand of the Lord permits. For my part, I am willing to suffer with pleasure whatever he will allow.

A sentence addressed to wickedness, in a defiant tone.

42. Every creature in misfortune has an equal right to be protected.

Goodness should not be withheld from anyone.

43. God created all creatures with love and kindness, big, small, human or animal form, all are children of the Father and He was so perfect in His creation that He gave each one its own environment and His animals a home filled with streams, trees and meadows as beautiful as paradise itself.

On the incredible logic of nature.

44. Man, possessing nothing of his own, belongs to God.

A curious conception of human property.

45. All brethren should preach by their works.

Actions speak for us clearly and transparently.

46. Just as some animals feed on others for subsistence, God told man that he could take the animals he needed only until he found a better solution, not for whimsical clothing or to make them his slaves or entertainment.

Feed on animals only if there is no more reasonable option.

47. Terrible is death, but how desirable is also the life of the other world, to which God calls us!

Ambivalent view of death.

48. Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.

The "magic" potion against misfortune.

49. All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.

Metaphor that we can apply to different contexts.

50. Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible and suddenly you will be doing the impossible.

Great philosophy for developing projects of all kinds.

51. Wisdom comes from experience and lessons learned.

There is no other way to develop.

52. It is in giving that we receive.

A phrase about the importance of sharing.

53. He is a faithful and prudent servant who, for every fault he commits, hastens to expiate them: inwardly, by contrition, and outwardly by confession and satisfaction of deed.

On the virtues of a faithful believer.

54. If you, servant of God, are worried, you should immediately turn to prayer and prostrate yourself before the Lord until he restores your joy.

According to St. Francis of Assisi, worries are resolved by returning to prayer.

55. We should do nothing else but be diligent to follow the will of God and to please him in all things.

Thankfulness toward God is a way of being humble and kind.

56. O Lord, may I seek not so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.

Another phrase on the importance of offering without expecting anything in return.

57. Above the grace and gifts that Christ gives to his beloved, there is the surpassing of oneself.

Absolute veneration of Jesus Christ.

58. Let us strive to attain the serenity to accept the inevitable things, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to be able to distinguish one from the other.

A maxim to apply to our daily lives.

59. He who obeys must not look upon his superior as a man but upon the one for whose love he has given himself to obedience.

A sign of respect and veneration.

60. Do not canonize me too soon. I am perfectly capable of fathering a child.

An ironic phrase about canonization during life.

61. Lord, to me, sinful and unworthy, you have sent from heaven this consolation and sweetness; I give them back to you to keep for me, for I am a thief of your treasure.

An ode to the goodness of God.

62. He seeks above all things; and let us always make in them a habitation and dwelling place for him who is the Lord God omnipotent, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit.

Another maxim directed to the attention of God.

63. The devil rejoices, above all, when he succeeds in snatching joy from the heart of the servant of God. It fills with dust the smallest crevices of consciousness that can soil the candor of the spirit and the purity of life. But when spiritual joy fills hearts, the serpent pours out his deadly venom in vain.

On the devil and his vices.

64. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is offense, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

Eliminate the negative to restore the positive.

65. The servant of God must shine by his life and holiness.

Example is the best virtue of a devotee.

66. When your mouth is full proclaiming peace, try to keep your heart even fuller.

Another of those phrases of Francis of Assisi in which he reinforces the honesty of the heart.

67. Politeness is the sister of charity, which extinguishes hatred and fosters love.

Cordiality, generosity and good manners always add up.

68. It is useless to go everywhere preaching, unless our walk is our preaching.

By example we lead the way for others.

69. Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.

A way of communicating in a religious way.

70. Do not quarrel among yourselves and with others, but try to respond humbly by saying, "I am an unprofitable servant."

From humility we can resolve all conflicts.

71. A ray of sunshine is enough to drive away many shadows.

A metaphor that we can apply to many contexts.

72. Be patient with all things, but above all with yourself.

A reflection that should make us value calm and serenity before ourselves.

73. Go forth, my dearly beloved, two by two through the various parts of the earth, proclaiming peace and penance to men.

Supplication addressed to people of good heart.

74. Your deeds may be the only sermon some people hear today.

Another famous quote from St. Francis of Assisi on the importance of setting an example by deeds.